About our project
Youth Obesity & its Long-Term Effects
Obesity has become an epidemic for kids in the United States, more than doubling in children and tripling for adolescents in the past 30 years.
By 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese
We have become so accustomed to seeing obese children, it is easy to forget that they risk serious adult-style health consequences. Obese youth, for example, are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Obese adolescents are also more likely to have pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes. They also are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization, poor self-esteem and potential bullying.
Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
But all this is preventable and teachers and parents have the power to help almost all children. We know, this is something we have been working on for years. It all started over 20 years ago when good nutrition saved my life.
Our Beliefs
My name is Karen Leonetti, and I am a teacher, 20 year cancer survivor and Fresh Food Expert. One of my goals is to share our way of teaching healthy eating to kids around the country to help reduce childhood obesity.
While our pre-school, Earth Angel, is a great way to reach a dozen families each year, we believe that our book will help thousands more to be healthier and smarter through better nutrition. We started this MedStartr Campaign to ask for your help in illustrating, publishing and marketing our book, the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden.
Prevention is the solution and education is the delivery system. One of the best ways to reach kids, and even parents, is by giving them a story to read every night. That is why we put our message into the form of a very engaging story that your child will want you to read to them every night.
About the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden storybook
The first of our series is called the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden. It’s about two adventurous children named Earth and Angel, who go on a quest to find the fresh Grow-food found in the Rainbow Garden. On their quest, they learn about how fresh food grows outside in the sunshine versus fake food that is made inside a factory by machines.
Our book teaches about the benefits of a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables and how each one helps our body to grow and get stronger. Our book is power packed with a fun nutritional punch and we know it works.
We hear the phrases that kids will repeat and have fun with such as, “Celery looks like our bones! It helps us to stand taller and run faster too when we eat it.” They laugh and run around their play yard. They giggle and say “Fresh Grow-foods give me energy in my tummy.” Contrast this with the typical child munching chips and playing video games, and you can see why we know our book and our teachings will be transformational for your children.
How the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden Helps Parents
We know parents try hard to get their kids to eat right. We know because we see what happens to their lunch boxes once kids are exposed to our learning – they become much healthier!
While we can’t always control what happens outside of the house, parents and caregivers have enormous influence and are the key to growing a nation of healthy eaters. Children look at what parents eat and what foods are important to them. They hold the key to what foods are brought into the home or the classroom.
Healthy nutrition is taught & caught by example. Our book helps parents and Teachers demonstrate these learned behaviors that will last a lifetime.
The Importance of Fresh Food
Did you know that only 20% of American children eat a pint of fresh food daily? This means 80% of children are eating prepackaged, processed, chemical laden and artificially dyed foods.
Good nutrition is necessary for healthy brain development, better academic performance and high self-esteem.
When parents or teachers read our book to their children, they too will become more educated about nutrition and fresh food choices at the grocery store. They will learn about the importance of a healthy diet and of exercise. We see it every day— children start requesting some of the “Grow-foods” Earth and Angel find on their adventure.
How the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden can help Pediatricians
We think the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden should be in every pediatrician’s office. If you love your pediatrician like we do, please buy one for his or her office!
If you are a physician, we hope that you will consider buying some for your waiting room or buying a five pack (at a discount) to give your patients who could use guidance, but may not want a referral to a Nutritionist.
Please note that by providing nutritional counseling, care providers can bill insurance companies for the educational component of their services. In addition to addressing serious potential long term health consequences and making your patients healthier, you’ll be making entire families healthier.
Our Offer & Yours
Thank you for your interest and support for our nutritional storybook adventure for all ages. We know your family will love it so much that if they don’t try at least one new fresh food after hearing our story, we will offer a full refund and you can keep the book.
Your help will not only enable publication of the first in the series, but encourage many more adventures for Earth and Angel around the world. We also look forward to publishing in many languages in the coming years.
Please note, a portion of proceeds will be donated to children’s cancer hospitals world wide.
Get the Teacher’s Curriculum Companion or Donate to your Favorite Library/ Teachers
In addition to a copy of the Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden, I will also send a copy of the Teacher’s Easy Organic Gardening Curriculum Companion, which includes recipes, lesson plans, and even a few seeds to get your garden growing! Help your children’s teachers help your entire community be healthier.
About the Earth Angel Eco Green School
Since 1996, my husband Dan and I have owned and taught at our own preschool called Earth Angel. This has been our life’s work and a great joy for us. Among our other teaching activities, we have strived to address the growing obesity problem in our community by teaching healthy behaviors, one child at a time. Over the years we have developed, told and retold stories to the children, resulting in tales that encourage healthy living and eating fresh foods. After seventeen years, we would like to share them with you too.
Get in Touch With Us
Website: www.FreshFood4Kids.com
Email:FreshFood4Kids@gmail.com
Twitter: @FreshFood4Kids
Facebook: Yummy Tummy Rainbow Garden
With Great Appreciation and hopes for a healthier childhood,
Dan & Karen Leonetti, CDS (Child Development Specialist)
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Have a question?
If the info above does not help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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