Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great

Gr. 5-8. Jukes, now joined by Wai-Yin Cheung, a doctor and registered dietician, continues to enlighten adolescent girls on the physical and emotional aspects of going through puberty with this companion to Growing Up: It's a Girl Thing: Straight Talk about First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body (1998). The authors promote their own guidelines in the form of "The Cactus Plan" (think food pyramid), which encompasses food, exercise, and other lifestyle choices. Much of the information--drink six to eight glasses of water per day, eat balanced meals, etc.--kids have heard ad nauseam. But given the alarmingly high rates of eating disorders, girls definitely need to hear some of the straight talk more often: "During puberty in girls, fat tissues increase as part of breast development. Hips and thighs change in size and shape. . . . Expect it. It's normal." A chapter devoted to advertising is also helpful in countering the unrealistic images portrayed in the media. Girls may not always like what they read here, but this kind of information can go a long way in helping them accept and understand the inevitable changes occurring in their bodies. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Mavis Jukes is here to help girls learn how to be healthy so they can stay healthy. In this newly updated edition, Jukes and co-author Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D. target what girls need to know in order to achieve an active lifestyle and how to avoid the pitfalls of body image issues. Readers will find basic nutritional information; ideas for safe exercising; tips on how to eat right no matter where they are; and lots of other kid-specific information on food, fitness and feeling great.

Mavis Jukes is here to help girls learn how to be healthy so they can stay healthy. Be Healthy! targets what girls need to know in order to achieve an active lifestyle and how to avoid the pitfalls of body image issues. Readers will find basic nutritional information; ideas for safe exercising; tips on how to eat right no matter where they are; and lots of other kid-specific information—all written with the author’s trademark energy and enthusiasm.

Mavis Jukes is here to help girls learn how to be healthy so they can stay healthy. Be Healthy! targets what girls need to know in order to achieve an active lifestyle and how to avoid the pitfalls of body image issues. Readers will find basic nutritional information; ideas for safe exercising; tips on how to eat right no matter where they are; and lots of other kid-specific information—all written with the author’s trademark energy and enthusiasm.

Mavis Jukes has twenty years of writing experience and twenty years of teaching experience and is a member of the California bar. She has written many books for kids and teens, including three other health-related titles: It's a Girl Thing: How to Stay Healthy, Safe, and in Charge (for girls 12 and up): Growing Up: It's a Girl Thing: Straight Talk About First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body (for girls 8 and up); and The Guy Book: An Owner's Manual: Maintenance, Safety, and Operating Instructions for Teens (for boys 13 and up).

Lilian Cheung is a lecturer, the director of Health Promotion & Communication, and editorial director of The Nutrition Source website (www.thenutritionsource.org) at the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition. She co-edited Child Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity (1995) with the late Surgeon General Dr. Julius Richmond, and also co-authored Mindful Eating, Mindful Life with Zen Bugghist master Thich Nhat Hanh, released by HarperCollins in March 2010 (www.savorthebook.com).

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Going through puberty means you're going through a series of dazzling physical, intellectual, and emotional changes called the growth spurt.

But it's really not a spurt. It actually takes a few years.

If you're going through puberty, you're in the process of gaining half of your adult bone mass and weight, the last inches of your height, and the ability to reproduce.

At the same time, you're beginning to think more critically. You're acquiring the intellectual and emotional ability to make decisions, including healthy food and lifestyle choices.

AND ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING AT ONCE!

In order to support this rapid growth, you have very specific needs for food and physical activity.

Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great will help you understand the basic information you need to stay healthy and fit.

And feel great.

AND HAVE A GOOD TIME DOING IT

Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great gives you the lowdown on how your body uses food; ideas for boosting the nutritional value of what you love to eat, choosing from a fast-food menu, and shopping for food; information on how to link food and physical activity with fun and friendship; and advice on how to think positively and keep your spirits up, how to initiate change by advocating for yourself and friends, and how, when, and where to ask for help when you need it.

DO!

Involve your friends, family, teachers, and health care professionals (physician, pediatrician, nurse, registered dietitian) in evaluating the information in these pages and putting it to work for you in the context of your own cultural traditions, family structure, school environment, economic circumstances, and community.

SOUND GOOD?
Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great will help you

• Have more energy

• Improve your ability in sports, exercise, and active games

• Focus and concentrate better in school

• Reduce stress and worries

• Boost your spirits

• Look your best

• Appreciate yourself for who you are

• Counter the negative influence of the media (like TV and magazines and websites) on your food choices and your self-image

• Work toward getting more nutritious food and more choices for safe, fun physical activity in your school

• Up your chances of being healthy as an adult

• Establish and maintain a beautiful, powerful presence as you move through the world

• Care for our planet by making choices that are good for the environment

YOU READY?