The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge is BACK, and you have just under one more week left to enter!  OK, kids (between the ages 8-12), gather up your best recipe ideas and make sure to submit your best idea by Sunday May 12!  In this newsletter, I will share with you all the information you need to give it your best shot at attending this year’s “Kids State Dinner” at the … [Read more...]

I hope you are having a great month of April!  In this month’s newsletter, I will be exploring a very powerful topic as related to food—advertising.  Children are exposed to over 20,000 advertisements per year (about 55 ads per day).  We will take a look at several advertisements for food and beverages and discuss strategies and tactics that food/beverage companies use … [Read more...]

I have talked before about how “food is fuel” and how we can choose foods that make our bodies “Go!”.  We need to eat food to grow, to heal, and to sustain our energy levels for our favorite activities.  But we also eat to taste (because food is one of the wonderful pleasures of life), to celebrate, and to carry on family traditions and customs.  This past month, I … [Read more...]

Yes, this month is the time we celebrate Valentine’s Day; but did you know it is also the official American Heart Awareness Month?  This month, I will share with you the top 10 (actually 11) heart healthy foods, thanks to the wonderful contributions of Juliette Britton, RD and her blog Wholesome Heart on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange.  For each of the top foods, we will … [Read more...]

Happy New Year to Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange Readers!  This month we are going to take a quick look back on the year 2012.  I’m going to share with you my top three kids health and wellness related stories.  I will tell you that picking only three highlights was the hardest part of my job this month.  A lot has been happening in the realm of children’s nutrition and … [Read more...]

Happy December to Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange Readers! This month we’ll discuss the issues around GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), something I’ve been asked to write about in the aftermath of the defeat of Proposition 37 in California (the Right to Know campaign to label GMO foods). I have tried to present a balanced view, even though you can probably imagine that … [Read more...]

This month’s Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange newsletter is going to a broader distribution to keep you informed of the monthly nutrition education lessons going on in schools across the country. I’m personally involved with Community School and the Blaine County public schools, but there is much additional programming happening through the Nurture organization. So read on to … [Read more...]

This month don’t miss the details in this newsletter about Food Day (officially October 24 with events all week) and my research into food additives and colorings. Quick preview, you’ll learn that foods colored pink, red or purple just might have a bunch of bugs mixed in with the recipe. Not kidding…Yuk!. We’ll learn what additives and coloring are safe (or not). You … [Read more...]

I am really inspired by some healthy back-to-school lunches. I am hopefully going to inspire you, too, with this month’s Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange newsletter! I am also very excited to tell you about the Healthy Kids Lunchtime Challenge event in Washington DC that I recently attended with my daughter, Elena (age 11). We will share with you some delicious recipes from the … [Read more...]

I hope you are having a wonderful, relaxing summer.  Days at the beach, evenings at the park, whatever your favorite summer activities are.  This month’s newsletter is another simple list of ideas of great recipe ideas you might want to try with your kids this time of year.  I hope you are having fun going with the flow and keeping things simple—that is my mantra right … [Read more...]