Creating Healthy Children By Karen Ranzi

I've had my eye on this book for a LOOOONG time, and I'm so glad I finally broke down and ordered myself a copy. Here is my full review:




For families who want to approach child rearing from a truly holistic perspective, Creating Healthy Children by Karen Ranzi is one of the best primers I've had the privilege to read. Creating Healthy Children tackles the broad spectrum of childcare with a mindful attitude and an eye on science, providing both new parents and parents of older children useful tools for a variety of issues from nutrition to the family bed.


Karen Ranzi is a raw foodist truly following the middle path, taking wisdom from Natural Hygiene, Dr Gabriel Cousens, Dr Douglas Graham, David Wolfe, and many more holistic health and nutrition gurus, many of which advise drastically different diets.You won't find a strict dietary dogma here, but what you will find are numerous, well researched facts and studies combined with personal experience that makes a very strong case for the power of raw food nutrition and how to make sure your children are getting everything they need to not only live and grow, but thrive. Both within the womb and without, every single aspect of eating for the health of parents and their children is discussed in detail


While nutrition is a major focus in this work, Karen, a mother herself, knows that healthy children need much more than nutrients to grow into loving, mature adults. Notable inclusions are sections on circumcision, breastfeeding and weaning, attachment parenting, personal care products for children, and home birth, making this an indispensable reference book for parents to be.


Parents of teenagers certainly aren't left out, either. Although the majority of the information here applies to pregnancy and young children, there are plenty of suggestions for teens, as well, including a full chapter on how to transition older children to the raw food diet, or at least help them gradually shift their diets to include a healthy level of raw fruits and vegetables, as well as providing suggestions for a balanced, whole food diet. Also included is a chapter filled with several fun and easy child-friendly raw food recipes that are packed with both nutrition and a pleasant taste, lending parents a valuable tool in the fight against childhood obesity and the rampant side effects of the junk food lifestyle plaguing the children of America.


Veganism is a central theme in this work, and Karen and her family take animal rights very seriously. However, the subject is handled with care, and there is no shame or bullying present. The sheer amount of scientific evidence she provides speaks for itself, and her gentle yet passionate tone will at least command respect from those with opposing viewpoints. Omnivorous families can still greatly benefit by implementing the suggestions to spend more time outside in nature together, connecting with the world outside.


The book wraps up with several chapters of personal experience from a variety of families practicing whole or raw food lifestyles, including several raw vegan celebrities such as the Boutenko family,and Jingee and Storm Talifero and their children. After a steady stream of studies and strong evidence to support her case, it's refreshing to conclude this book with real life examples of real people, making honest mistakes and learning through trial and error. Each story speaks to a different audience, and it's wonderful to be able to see all of these remarkably different people achieve a higher level of health in their own unique fashion.


This book has been missing from the whole foods and living foods community for a very long time. There are plenty of books on pediatric nutrition out there, but so very few from a vegan perspective, and even fewer for raw foodists. Furthermore, this is such a well rounded educational text exclusively designed for raising a happy, healthy family from infancy to adulthood that addresses so many aspects of raising a child, both physical, emotional, and spiritual. I would definitely recommend this book to not only families with concerns about feeding their children in a fashion that defies standard American practices, but also to holistic health practitioners who want to expand their knowledge of pediatric nutrition and natural parenting methods.


Creating Healthy Children can be found here