Got milk? Most refrigerators do, but most kids’ bodies do not once they get past the ripe old age of 2. It’s like an unspoken force in the universe that says to all toddlers at some point “thou shall not drink milk!”  With future bone health at stake, the path to breaking this force within our kids turns out to be one of the most counter intuitive, yet simple methods there is: flavoring the milk.

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Fostering healthy eating and fitness is often a wrestling match of Olympic proportions. In one corner, our kids highly motivated but under trained in the rules of health. In the other, the tag team of activity and food which can change as fast as a chameleon from working for the health of your child to a pure health enemy.

You never know what you’ll get in the ring – exercise or video games. Cookies or carrot sticks. You, the parent, are the referee, and get to play dirty. This is one match where referee interference is not only expected but crucial for our kids to have the winning move.

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My daughter made a simple request for her 10th birthday – to bring in Dunkin’ Hines triple chocolate brownies to share with her class. What more could a busy mom ask for? Easy to prepare, quick to cook and “homemade” all from one little box. But what about the kids in the class with food allergies? Her best friend in that class was deathly allergic to egg-whites. My daughter’s friend had grown accustomed to bringing in herown “safe” snack to have during birthday celebrations but my daughter was determined to find a snack the entire class could enjoy – as long as it involved chocolate brownies. The information on the box and company web site yielded little useful information but the child’s mother had discovered through trial and error that the same brownies could be made with egg yolks alone. I never imagined the solution would be so simple. Continue Reading

My family has a tradition of getting all our back-to-school shopping completed just before our big end of the summer vacation. Lunch boxes used to be big ticket back to school items but since my girls are tweens now, as Hilary Duff once sang, “that’s so yesterday”. Plus on most school days we’re lucky if their lunches make it from the frig to their backpacks!

If only the choice of what to have for lunch these days were as easy as whether to brown bag it or have a fancy lunch box. With the confusing food pyramid and ever changing food guidelines coupled with school days that barely allow for time to eat lunch, it is truly a challenge to get kids a proper lunch.

Let me give you a preview of what’s about to come: don’t view nutrition as one meal but view it as a group of meals that balance out together and function like a bank; lunch may very well be the new breakfast, meaning our kids most important energy meal.

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