One of the requirements for high school graduation in our state is in nutrition and health. Unlike the modern and highly incorrect dietary information that is current with our cultural teachings, I put together a reading program for the Real Health and Nutrition minded family. I have found several books useful for various age-levels as well as documentaries that I require of the course for the high school student. Here are a list of books we use in order of simplicity:

• The Nourishing Traditions Cookbook For Children – by Suzanne Gross and Sally Fallon Morell – this little jewel is like the original except that each section is written in a language an elementary student would readily grasp. Complete with easy recipes to follow, explanations about broth, real milk, grassfed meats, and the like, the book is spiral bound (handy for in the kitchen) and has colorful illustrations.
• Nutrition 101: Choose Life!  – this is more of a classical textbook/workbook style format. It has a lesson that describes different body systems, how they function and what they need to function optimally. It has recipes, activities, and book references. We have used this for a homeschool coop class and liked it fairly well. I use it has a bare-bones book to give my high schoolers a bit of basic foundational knowledge about the body and nutrition. My only caveat is that there is no real discussion about the importance of raw dairy, sourdough bread or grassfed proteins. These key points I would be sure to have covered through the documentaries and other books.
• From Scratch – Easy Recipes for Traditionally Prepared Whole-Food Dishes – by Shaye Elliott. This book I originally bought as a basic cookbook for my budding 9 year old chef. She wanted written out recipes she could follow. The book is a little over her reading level, but with guidance she is able to find what she needs. The photography of the farm is beautiful and the recipes are fun.
• Nourishing Traditions – by Sally Fallon Morell and Mary Enig. This book is THE staple of nutritional education. It covers what is wrong with the SAD approach and explains why traditional cultural foods are nutrition supreme to our “modern” food industry. A must read for all older students (and adults).

Additional Reading: If there is enough interest, I have them read the Omnivores Dilemna, The Untold Story of Milk, and The Maker’s Diet.

For documentaries: see my list of documentaries here and I usually require 2-3 for the credit. I also encourage them to watch the Nourishing Our Children documentary.

Throughout the year I like to have them tell me about the book, write up a review, or just have a conversation with me about what they learned. I love that I can share what I have studied over the past years with my children, that it has become just the way it is instead of un-learning years of harmful habits and struggling to replace them with healthy new ones. God can use our mistakes and turn them around for a blessing to our loved ones and even stretch out to those our children will eventually bless in their lives. God bless your endeavors!