The Rainbow Cookbook for kids

Part of growing up is getting to decide for yourself what to eat. It seems obvious, of course, to pick your favorite foods (the ones from your list) every time you prepare a meal or snack. And if you get to decide, then why not pick your favorite foods all the time? Because your favorite foods may be different than your body’s favorite foods. When my brother was young and ate foods that were not healthy, he would say “Good for your mouth, but not good for your body”. Even at a very young age, he knew that what he liked to eat best was not necessarily healthy. He wanted to grow up tall and strong, so he was careful not to always pick foods that were good only for his mouth. He learned to balance what he ate by trying to choose foods that tasted good but that also made his body feel good. And guess what? It paid off. Now, at age 19, my younger brother is taller and stronger than his big sister!

But how do you know what is healthy and what is not? And how do you find foods that taste really good, but that also help your body grow up healthy and strong? This is where your Rainbow Cookbook can help. All of the recipes in the cookbook are made up of Rainbow Foods that are good both in your mouth and your body.

So what are Rainbow Foods? Think of a Rainbow. It’s made up of many beautiful colors that brighten the sky after a rainstorm. Just like the sky, your body also needs many “colors”, or nutrients, to keep it healthy and bright. Foods of various colors provide different types of nutrients that nourish your body. By choosing a variety of brightly colored foods at every meal and snack, you will help brighten your body.

The Rainbow Cookbook will help you find tasty ways to eat your Rainbow colors. Every recipe in this cookbook contains part or all of the Rainbow of colors, and you can combine various recipes to form a Rainbow meal. Each recipe in this book has three components:

1. Step one is to Find Your Colors. This is your guide for gathering all of the ingredients and supplies needed to complete the recipe. Search for these items both in your own kitchen and at the grocery store.

2. Once you are prepared with all of your materials, move on to the fun part: Make the Rainbow! Follow the directions carefully to make your rainbow meal.

3. After you are finished, color in the picture using markers or crayons. This will help you remember which Rainbow colors are in the recipe for the next time you make it.