WEARING BRACES? BOOK OFFERS TEENS 'SOFT' LOOK AT FOOD (Columbia) State (c) 1996 The State. All rts. reserv. 04508867 WEARING BRACES? BOOK OFFERS TEENS 'SOFT' LOOK AT FOOD COLUMBIA RECORD (CS) - WEDNESDAY March 23, 1988 By: B.J. Ellis, Record staff writer Edition: FINAL Section: ACCENT Page: 1B Word Count: 1,021 TEXT: What do you get when you take a father who's a gourmet cook, a mother who happens to be a writer and their teenage daughter who's wearing braces on her teeth? What you get is ''Teen Cuisine,'' published by Straight Status Press. Packed with recipes and words of support, it just goes to show that metal mouths can enjoy more than soup and milkshakes during those long years of orthodontic treatment. The recipes and menus are geared for soft foods to be eaten on those tough days after a visit to the orthodontist. Many of the recipes can be enjoyed by the entire family, and others can be prepared quickly to head off a snack attack. The book features dishes you don't need to sink your teeth in, like Practically Painless Chili, Tin Grin Torte, and Metal Mouth Munchies. ''We adapted the recipes for people who wear braces. The main reason we chose them is that they were already chewable, soft dishes,'' said daughter Jennifer Niven McJunkin, a former braces-wearer, who also wrote the book's introduction. ''My dad is a gourmet cook. That helped.'' When you have braces, you have to learn how to eat again, said the 19-year-old student at Drew University in Madison, N. J. ''But you really don't have to give up good food just because you have braces. There's lots of ways of getting around it. We also tried to make the recipes so that teenagers could cook them themselves. ''You have to learn what not to eat. I love popcorn and it's very difficult with braces,'' she said. ''I didn't eat it as much, only once in a while.'' In fits of teenage rebellion, she also dared to chew gum, eat corn on the cob and other orthodontic no-nos. ''I could eat them, but eating them was no fun anymore. And keeping the braces clean could be a nightmare,'' she said. ''It is my opinion that all parents of teens with braces should be required to wear the things themselves. Only then will they begin to realize what we go through and how brave we really are.'' Her favorites in the book are recipes for Pizza Bagels, Chicken Piccata and Lemon Bars. ''There's a lot alternatives and things you can eat. It's hard to choose,'' said Miss McJunkin, who wore braces from fifth to eighth grade. ''I was so happy to get them off.'' Her mother and the book's author, Penelope Niven McJunkin, also writes from experience since she began wearing braces when she was 44-years-old. ''My encounter with braces has made me, in retrospect, far more understanding of what youngsters go through,'' she writes in the book. ''Now that I know how it feels, I would try to be more helpful to my offspring in braces in a number of ways.'' For example, on days just after braces have been applied, adjusted or tightened, Mrs. McJunkin suggests that families plan meals that are easy to chew or require no chewing at all. The book provides a glossary of cooking terms so ''cooking won't be a foreign language.'' Recipes marked with a smiley face in braces are particularly geared to teens to cook. ''We hope that a by-product of this cookbook will be the discovery of the fun of cooking as well as eating,'' said Mrs. McJunkin. Besides recipes, the book offers advice to parents of children who are wearing braces. Don't insist that the young person in braces smile for photographs or nag them about brushing their teeth and braces at school, suggests Mrs. McJunkin. And honor your child's reluctance to have braces tightened the day before the prom or big event in their life. ''It's hard to chew and to speak clearly when braces have just been adjusted. It's like getting used to the braces all over again,'' said Mrs. McJunkin, whose trials as an adult orthodontic patient led her to write the ''I Hate To Chew Cookbook,'' directed to adults wearing braces. It also is published by Straight Status Press. ''Teen Cuisine'' has been well-received, but understandably it's the parents and orthodontists who are buying it, according to a Straight Status Press spokeswoman. ''I love it,'' said Donna P. Sulser, an adult braces-wearer and office manager for Dr. Wendel Nixon, a West Columbia orthodontist. ''I think it's great. The cookbook has good information for parents and kids about coping with braces.'' From the book, Ms. Sulser prepared Super Spaghetti Casserole, an easy-to-chew and prepare dish which was promptly devoured by the teenagers around her house. As an aid to novice braces-wearers, Nixon is considering putting a copy of ''Teen Cuisine'' in an information kit he distributes to his patients. ''We are just as interested in nutrition as much as getting their teeth straight,'' he said. ''A book like this could get them more interested in nutritional foods. But the book's true test came recently when it fell into the hands of a teen orthodontic patient who likes to cook. The verdict? ''The recipes look easy,'' said Amy McMinn, 13, a student at Fulmer Middle School in West Columbia. ''I like making things.'' A braces-wearer for three years, Miss McMinn whipped up Tin Grin Torte, made out of angel food cake, strawberry ice cream and Cool Whip for icing. For decoration, she arranged strawberry slices in a smiley face on top of the cake. And adding an orthodontic touch, each slice had a tiny square of aluminum foil to resemble -- what else -- braces. While the next recipe she wants to try from the book is Uncle Pepe's Mexican Casserole, Miss McMinn doesn't recommend Blender Breakfast, a combination of bananas, peaches and oranges blended with juice or milk. ''It was really gross,'' she said. ''Teen Cuisine'' can be ordered from Julie Higinbotham, Straight Status Press, P. O. Box 445, New Castle, Ind. 47362. The price of the book is $7.95, which includes postage and handling. CAPTION: Photo, bw Amy McMinn, left and Donna Sulser don't let braces stand in the way of some tasty dishes from 'Teen Cuisine.' PERRY BAKER / State-Record Copyright (1988) STATE-RECORD CO. (COLUMBIA, SC)