Nutrition 101: Choose Life! Review

Nutrition 101: Choose Life!

Growing Healthy Homes

Age: Elementary – High School

Cost: CD - $79.95, Book - $99.95, Both - $129.95

         Co-op License - $35.00 (See below for more info)


Nutrition 101 is a 448 page text on nutrition and the body from a biblical perspective. As stated on the web site, the text covers:

1. The Brain and Nervous System
2. Digestion and Elimination
3. Respiration and Olfactory
4. Muscular and Skeletal Systems
5. Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
6. Endocrine System and Emotions.

Each section consists of four chapters related to the topic. Each chapter consists of content about the topic, Discussion Questions/Activities/Resources, a “Power” recipe with activities, and, in some cases, additional recipes.  To see a sample section of the book, click here.

We found the content to be very educational. Not only does a chapter discuss a topic like what the brain is, but further study discusses what aspects of nutrition have positive and negative effects on the brain. One thing we didn’t particularly like about the chapters is that the content is often written in list form rather than paragraphically. There is a lot of content to cover, but lists can become confusing or distracting when trying to read the chapter like you would a textbook. I could see using flashcards or lapbooking to help reinforce these concepts.

The discussion questions make the student think not only about that part of the body and how nutrition relates to it, but also how scripture relates to our bodies and how we treat them. Making this connection helped my boys see that God cares not only that He made us, but that we take care of the bodies He provided.

The activities are broken into Elementary and Secondary options. As homeschoolers, we appreciate the opportunity to utilize a curriculum for all the students in a family instead of just one age group. I really like the activities – they include “lab-like” options along with computer-based research and careful consideration of how the concepts apply to “real-life”. Many of these activities can be developed into long-term projects, great for the high-school experience.

The “power” recipes were exciting to me. However, my boys didn’t like them. As finicky boys who aren’t used to such a whole foods approach to eating, they didn’t like the recipe options. This is an issue with our family, not the book. I would have liked them to really give these recipes a chance, but it was a no go.

While we have enjoyed this book, I can really see it being wonderful in a co-op setting. Nutrition is an important aspect of growing up that high schoolers especially benefit from. The projects would be fun and could make the class very interactive. Making a recipe and sharing with all would allow for students to explore these new tastes and nutritional options. Growing Healthy Homes provides a multi-use license for this option. The instructor buys the combo package for the text, and then each student buys a license. The license allows the instructor to make copies of chapter activity pages, recipes and the Appendices only. For many co-ops this is an expensive product – that is the one drawback.  Fortunately, Growing Healthy Homes is offering a 15% discount to TOS readers using the code TOScrew11.

We will continue to work through this text until the end of the year. Learning that what we eat has a direct impact on more than just the waistline is an effective tool for starting new, more nutritional eating habits at home.

To see other reviews by the TOS Homeschool Crew click here.

*** I was provided with a copy of Nutrition 101 free of charge through the TOS Homeschool Crew for my honest opinion.