Development of a Children's Cookbook with Healthy After-school Recipes and Nutrition Education Information

Little attention is given to children health literacy even though early nutrition has long-term effects on health. The purpose of this project was to create a visually engaging book for children that will educate them on nutrition, provide relatable story, and offer nutritious recipes for afternoon snacks or light meals. This book is divided into daily chapters accompanied by an illustration, a recipe and a nutrition education page. Research suggests that children are capable of becoming health advocates in their families and thus it is important to start improving their health literacy at a young age. The book was designed to emphasize gentle, nonjudgmental approach on nutrition education and to avoid black-white thinking about food. The book also serves as a resource for parents. An expert panel provided feedback to strengthen the content of the book. Future projects may use similar concept with different target audience and areas of focus