Although, when did food become age appropriate? That’s exactly what author Nancy Tringali Piho is asking and arguing in her newly released book My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus: Raising Children who Love to Eat Everything.

I positively loved this book, and as an expectant mom, thought it should become a must-read for every expecting parent. The book introduced ideas that I hadn’t yet thought of, made me think about issues that I hadn’t paid too much attention to, and even justified some of the expectations I have for feeding my child-to-be.

Piho spent her career working in PR and marketing for the food industry, so she’s well-versed in what it is “they” are selling to us, and trying to convince us that our children need. The book is really a quick and enjoyable read that includes anecdotal quotes from chefs, parents and celebrities about the task of feeding their children, including Piho who boasts about how her two young sons have an appreciation for food rarely seen in children. More important, My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus breaks down the task of introducing our children to the world of solid foods in a way that will cause them to be excellent eaters as a child and grow to have an appreciation for food throughout life.

The book is filled with a candid humor and uses that to draw you in to the more serious conversation the author wants to have with you as the reader. And it really does feel that way, like having a conversation. Piho never attempts to be some all-mighty expert, instead she explains that she’s a mother with food industry experience and a bit of a foodie who has found this disconnect between how we’re feeding our children and teaching them about the quality, importance and benefits of food.

Highlights of My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus include:

• What Piho calls the Big Three. Piho explains that the American children’s diet contains too much fat, sugar and sodium, what she refers to as the Big Three throughout the book. She discusses how the diet rich in packaged foods influences the growing childhood obesity trend and repeatedly offers ways to avoid and reduce them in your child’s diet, like sticking to fresh foods.

• Make your own baby food. I found this to be one of the most valuable sections of the book. Piho discusses the limited palate American babies have, blamed on the baby food industry for offering only a limited variety of foods. In other countries baby food comes in black beans, lamb, papaya and broccoli, as well as a host of other flavors our babies never experience because they aren’t considered local favorites. She shares a taste-test wherein several flavors from different baby food brands are tried and found to have zero resemblance to the real food, not to mention a lot of sugar and sodium. No wonder our kids hate vegetables! She espouses the many benefits of preparing your own baby food at home, as it gives you better control over the food your baby will eat, will save money, and help your baby’s palate develop.

• No kid foods! That means kids eat what you eat. They learn table manners, how to appreciate the meal that is prepared for them, how to dine out at a restaurant, and much more. Plus, your child will enjoy a broader variety of foods and be far less likely to be a persnickety eater, making both of your lives easier.

Get your copy of My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus today, released November 1, 2009.

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My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus Teaches Balanced Eating for Kids

But, the peer mimicking went further. Interestingly, the largest calorie intake was seen when overweight children snacked with an overweight friend.

Researchers were not surprised by the fact that kids ate more around friends than strangers. According to Dr. Sarah-Jean Salvy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the same holds true with adults.

Salvy believes that this all-pervading eating pattern in humans is due to the fact that people are more self-conscious around strangers. She referred to friends as “permission givers.”

The same is seen in teen’s smoking or drinking habits. A teen doesn’t have to overtly tempt a friend to to do either, but there’s an unspoken pressure to be like your friends. The positive in this, Slavy says, is that there could be a domino effect if a certain amount of children and teens are convinced to eat healthier.

via Yahoo

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Kids Mimic Their Friends’ Eating Habits

These crispy, chewy-gooey food bars are packed with healthy ingredients like fruits, nuts, honey, and crisp rice. And they are whole-grain, contain nine vitamins and minerals and soy- and gluten-free, with no trans-fats or high fructose corn syrup. JamFrakas come in five flavors, each with its own funky name: Chocolate Chip Cosmocrisp, Banana Chocolate Blastocrisp, Strawberry Crispiscrumptious, Peanut Butter Blisscrisp and Apple Crispalicious. Each one has 90-120 calories, 4-5 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber and contain all organic ingredients.

If you are looking for an awesome snack that you can quickly toss in your kid’s lunch box or that you can quickly toss back when a snack-attack hits you, look no further than JamFrakas.

Since these tasty bars are packed with things like dates, apples, honey, cashews and almonds, you don’t have to worry about them melting in the late-summer heat. They are the perfect size for an on-the-go nosh that won’t spoil dinner; and since they are made with whole foods, they won’t send your kids (or you) in to a sugar frenzy.

Look for JamFrakas at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other large grocery stores in the energy or nutrition bar section.

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We Love JamFrakas from Lara Bar

This week at DietsInReview.com, the focus was on the kids, with Healthy Back to School Week. We invited moms, yoga instructors, chefs, nutrition experts and more to share their insights on ways to fuel kids’ minds, bodies and souls as they transition back into the classroom and prepare for a strong year ahead.

Whether it’s packing a healthier sack lunch, advocating for more nutritious school food, putting more fitness into their days, or helping them de-stress, we’ve got it covered.

Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Back to School

Send them out the door with the most important meal of the day. Make these days in advance and have on-the-go fuel the rest of the week. - Rebecca Bailey at Life With Boys

Chef Ann Cooper says the National School Lunch Program Needs a Makeover and Chef Ann Cooper’s Proposed Changes for a National School Lunch Program

She calls herself the Renegade Lunch Lady and she’s on a mission to overhaul the food being served in America’s school cafeterias. – Chef Ann Cooper

Healthy Lunch Box Swaps that are Good for your Kids

Trade the fruit snacks, snack cakes and potato chips for fresh fruit, yogurt cups and whole grain crackers. Learn easy and even affordable swaps to pack more nutritious lunches. – DietsInReview.com

Mocha Manual Mom Returns to Routine for Back to School

This busy mom of two not only has to adjust the kids’ routines when school starts, but her own gets shifted, too. Find out how she not only survives, but thrives. – Kimberly Allers Sears at Mocha Manual

National Dairy Council Promoting Healthier Kids and Healthier Schools

Discussing how we can reverse this growing childhood obesity epidemic by promoting the addition of more nutrient-rich foods and more physical activity in our kids’ diets and lifestyles. – Tab Forgac at National Dairy Council

Healthier Snacks and More Activity Make for Healthier Children

This mom has found sneaky ways to get the kids moving more and making better food choices. Disguise chores as a fun activity and grow your own small vegetable garden! – Jill Knapp at Get Up and Get Moving

4 Healthy Eating Tips for College Freshmen

Eli Sussman, co-author of Freshman in the Kitchen, offers some simple advice that college students can use to enjoy eating and avoid the freshman 15 their first year on campus. – Eli Sussman at Freshman in the Kitchen

5 Yoga Tools for Happy, Healthy School Kids

Even the young ones can draw enormous benefit from regular yoga practice. This yoga instructor includes tips for making yoga a part of pre-exam and bed time routines. – Aruna Kathy Humphrys at Teaching Kids Yoga

The ABCs of Back to School: Anxiety, Butterflies and Coping

A new classroom, new teacher, new friends and even the shock of a new schedule can put kids on the edge. Help them destress with these helpful tips. – Amy Acton at Humana’s CrumpleItUp

How to Help Your Overweight Child at Home and at School

Having an overweight or obese child can be a sensitive issue. Here’s information on how being supportive and introducing healthy lifestyle habits can influence big change. – Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak at the International Food Information Council

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Healthy Back to School Week

Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD is director of wellness for the International Food Information Council (IFIC). Her work includes conducting consumer and health professional research, developing communication workshops for opinion leaders, speaking at conferences and workshops, and communicating with journalists and the media. Wendy is a certified fitness instructor and has also had a private practice specializing in weight management. She lives in St. Louis with her husband Dan and two sons, Drew and Evan.

For many parents, dealing with an overweight child can be a delicate issue. When it’s time to go back to school, the challenge of balancing healthy eating habits and exercise while building their self esteem can often seem overwhelming. Here are a few steps parents can take at home to get their kids off to a great start at school.

1. Be a role model: Children learn by what they see and observe, so set a good example. Plan family time that focuses on fun while enjoying food and exercise/physical activity together.

2. Be supportive: Listen to your child’s concerns about their weight. Overweight children probably know better than anyone else that they have a weight issue, and their attitude about it can often be reflective of your attitude. For that reason, they need your support, acceptance, and encouragement.

3. Encourage healthy eating habits throughout the day: A healthy diet starts with the most important meal of the day: breakfast. Research consistently shows that breakfast helps give your child more energy for the day ahead and also reduces the likelihood of cravings later. You and your family can prepare fun meals at home or if they’re eating a school lunch, discuss the next day’s menu with them so they know how to make healthy choices.

4. Get them moving: When I was a kid, we always spent time playing sports, dancing, or riding bikes after school. Be creative! Find things that your child enjoys that makes them sweat a little. Better yet – get in on the action yourself!

These are just a few steps to take. It’s important that you don’t just focus on your overweight child or children in general. Make a healthy lifestyle be a family affair!

What kind of activities do you and your family do together?

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How to Help Your Overweight Child at Home and School

Amy Acton works with Humana’s Innovation Center for Crumpleitup.com. Amy is an avid blogger and loves to write about children’s health issues and pet ownership concerns. A project manager by trade, writer by passion, she currently lives in Louisville, KY with her toy poodle Champagne. Her life’s philosophy is ‘wag more, bark less’.

The transition from summer to school can be stressful. The thought of experiencing a new school, new classmates, new teachers, new classes, new schedule, etc. all in one day could give anyone an emotional meltdown. It is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, anxious, or scared on the first day of school. I have compiled some back to school survival tips to make the transition less stressful.

Get Prepared the Night Before

• Pack your backpack the night before so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute adding more stress to your already chaotic day. Drop in your school supplies, medical records, permission slips, money, gym shorts, school map, etc. so you won’t have to worry about forgetting something you will need later.

Health Tips That Are Non-negotiable

• EAT BREAKFAST. Always take time for breakfast to kick your day off right. Your body needs fuel to combat the mental and physical stresses you will encounter. Whole grains, lean proteins and fruits and vegetables will provide long term energy versus sugars and caffeine that provide short bursts of energy.

• Get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Our internal ‘batteries’ need to recharge. Sleep enables our bodies and minds to rest so we are able to handle life’s ups and downs. The right food and enough sleep will sustain your concentration, your ability to make decisions and your energy level.

Appearance and Attitude

• What’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside, but if it makes you feel good to wear your brand new school clothes, your comfortable old sweater or your ‘lucky’ T-shirt then wear whatever you feel confident in.

• Think positive thoughts. Allow yourself to hope, wish, dream and imagine the best possible outcomes.

Everyone hopes for the best and imagines the worst. I propose that you realize the best by planning for the worst. By exercising these survival tips and being proactive you will have a great head start in making your first day of school a positive experience.

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The ABCs of Back to School: Anxiety, Butterflies and Coping

Tab Forgac serves as vice president of Child Nutrition and Fitness for the National Dairy Council. Forgac is a Registered Dietitian, a Licensed Dietitian, and a School Nutrition Specialist. She has served in numerous leadership positions within the American Dietetic Association and its affiliates and helped lead the development and evolution of the School Nutrition Association Foundation.

While news of the childhood obesity crisis is not new, it continues to trouble me as a nutritionist and mother of two daughters that we have not been able to curb this epidemic that now affects more than one in three children in the United States. However, I do believe we can turn the tide on childhood obesity, and that the nation’s schools play an important role in doing so.

In working with leading child, health and nutrition organizations on behalf of America’s dairy farmers for more than 30 years, I have developed a strong passion for finding a solution and believe that in order to help children lead healthier lifestyles, they need greater access to nutrient-rich foods and opportunities to get 60 minutes of physical activity daily, both in and out of school.

Nutrient-rich foods play an important role in children’s overall health and development and provide a powerful package of key nutrients they need. But children often lack access to, or simply do not choose, healthy foods in school. Poor nutrition, together with a lack of physical activity increases kids’ risk of obesity and other serious health problems throughout their lives. In fact, only two percent of school-aged children consume the recommended daily number of servings from all five food groups and only 35 percent are physically active for 60 minutes a day.

The good news is that a wealth of health and wellness education resources are available to schools to help children change their unhealthy behaviors and adopt healthy eating and physical activity as a part of their daily lives.

Additionally, National Dairy Council (NDC) has for decades provided such health and wellness education resources for schools. I’m proud of this history and NDC’s ongoing commitment to schools. In October, NDC will be launching a new youth program with the National Football League that will give students a voice in shaping their school’s wellness environment. If you work with a school in your community, they can visit www.SchoolWellnessKit.org.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my perspective – and passion – about how we can help our kids eat healthier and be more physically active in school. Thanks also to DietsInReview.com for showing their support and commitment to combating childhood obesity today so that we can ultimately prevent this public health crisis tomorrow.

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National Dairy Council Promoting Healthier Kids and Healthier Schools

Chef Ann Cooper, also known as the Renegade Lunch Lady, has she’s made it her life’s mission to reform the way our children eat, and are fed, at school. Which is why we’re thrilled she’s a part of this special series. At ChefAnn.com, they say “She works to transform cafeterias into culinary classrooms for students — one school lunch at a time.”

Yesterday, Chef Ann spoke about the National School Lunch Program Needing a Makeover. Her commentary continues now.

As for my team and I, we’d like to be spending all of our time and money feeding children delicious healthy food and educating them on where their food comes from and how it’s produced. To make this happen, the NSLP truly needs a makeover!

I believe that the following guidelines, if put into place, would help us focus on feeding children “real,” healthy and delicious food.

• Make meals, both breakfast and lunch, a system where every child is fed every day. This would alleviate the need for free and reduced applications and tracking.

• Replace the current system of tracking menus by nutrients, to one where the guidelines are based on healthy, delicious balanced meals. These meals should be made up in large part of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains and include plant-based protein.

• Replace the definition of nutritious food, which the system is based on; to one that defines and is based on real FOOD (see full definition below).

• Raise the federal reimbursement rate to $4.00 – $5.00 based on the cost of living of the area and dedicate a minimum of $1.75 to be spent on food. Additionally, dedicate at least $1.00 be spent on fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains with a priority placed on procuring regionally produced food.

• Dedicate resources to building and/or rebuilding kitchens in school districts to accommodate scratch cooking.

• Dedicate resources to set-up a training program to teach school food service workers to cook from scratch.

• Set-up a National Chefs Corp which allows culinary students to work off student loans by working in K-12 schools.

• Institute hands-on experiential learning in the form of cooking and gardening classes that become a mandatory part of the educational system.

• Dedicate resources to a national marketing campaign to help change children’s relationships to food, so that healthy/delicious school food – becomes cool food.

• Underscore the importance of eating healthy food by instituting questions on the SAT tests that highlight sustainable food and agriculture.

This may seem like an incredible task given the size of the system and the immensity of the challenges – but I did say it was a makeover that was needed. However, the alternative is unthinkable. The CDC has stated that of the children born in the year 2000, one out of every 3 Caucasians and one out of every 2 African Americans and Hispanics will contract diabetes in their lifetime – the result: the first generation in our country’s history to die at a younger age than their parents.

With the first African American family in the White House, with the achievement and life-expectancy gap (based on the have and the have-nots) ever widening – I believe that this is the Social Justice issue of our time and that we have a moral imperative to take on this seemingly Herculian task.

In the end, if successful, we will assure the health of all children for generations to come and we just might save the planet in the bargain.

HEALTHFUL FOOD PRINCIPLES

• Healthful Food is wholesome.

• It includes whole and minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy, meats, fish, and poultry.

• It contains naturally occurring nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients).

• It is produced without added hormones or antibiotics.

• It is processed without artificial colors or flavors or unnecessary preservatives.

• Healthful Food is produced, processed, and transported in a way that prevents the exploitation of farmers, workers, and natural resources, and the cruel treatment of animals.

The process of healthful food production:

• Upholds the safety and quality of life of all who work to feed us.

• Treats all animals humanely.

• Protects the finite resources of soil, water, air, and biological diversity.

• Supports local and regional farm and food economies.

• Replaces fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.

Healthful Food should be available, accessible, and affordable to everyone.

• Distributed equitably among all communities.

• Available and emphasized in children’s environments such as childcare, school, and after-school settings.

• Promoted within institutions and workplaces, in cafeterias, vending machines, and at meetings and events.

• Reflective of the natural diversity found in traditions and cultures.

(From Prevention Institute)

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Chef Ann Cooper’s Proposed Changes for a Healthier National School Lunch Program

Kimberly Seals Allers is the author of The Mocha Manual series of books, editor in chief of Mocha Manual, the fastest growing online destination for Black moms and a noted expert on issues related to mothers of color. Her first book, The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and sparked her popular maternity tee shirt line. The series also includes The Mocha Manual to Turning Your Passion—How to Find and Grow Your “Side Hustle” in any Economy and The Mocha Manual to Military Life—A Savvy Guide for Girlfriends, Wives and Female Service members. An award winning journalist, Kimberly is a former writer at Fortune and senior editor at Essence. A divorcing mom of two, Kimberly lives in Long Island with her children.

Summer is all about running free and breaking rules. Anytime is playtime. Bye bye bedtimes. Lazy lounging days rule. And ice cream runs replace treadmill runs. It’s easy to lose your routine. That’s not always a bad thing.

For example, summertime turned my morning run on the treadmill into a group activity and a spectator sport. For weeks, my two beautiful children stood there watching me, asking every 30 seconds, “is it thirty minutes yet?”. This, of course, is in between the arguments over who gets on the treadmill next and their figuring out how to sit on the itty bitty space on the side of the treadmill. This is no way to workout, so I surrendered to summer and gave all of my morning back to my kids. We had a morning dance around instead.

And though I usually run a very tight ship about bedtimes, television and snacks, I surrendered to summer and allowed a few late nights, an extra hour of television (if there was an extra hour of reading, too!) and a few more trips to Baskin Robbins (which I now pinch!).

But all of that is about to come to an end. Back to school means the reinstatement of my routine and theirs. My morning 30-minute run, which happens right after the school bus picks up the little people, will be back in effect. It means I’m nudged backed into healthy snack-dom for the kids since the school now has very stringent snack requirements. Nobody wants to be the mom sending in the “bad” snacks. It means we’ll be back on routine sleep habits and routine dinner habits.

But there’s a sadness to back to school. As moms, we have to always keep things going on a schedule. Breakfast is on a schedule. Dinner is on a schedule. Homework is on a schedule. Sometimes our kids are overscheduled. And while that is often a good and a very necessary aspect of our lives, it is also equally empowering and exhilarating to kiss routine goodbye. Even if just for six weeks or less. It is the breaks that make the routines bearable and dare I say, even enjoyable. As a matter of fact, I’m freakishly looking forward to the treadmill!

And so as I get back to my family’s daily grind and my personal routine, it is with keen awareness that it’s the sweet breaks and surrenders that make us welcome back the routine of our daily lives. See you soon Summer and thanks!

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Mocha Manual Mom Returns to Routine for Back to School

Even at my age, I can’t help but get the back to school butterflies. I have always loved this time of year. I no longer have a need for fresh packs of pencils, new backpacks or new notebooks, but that doesn’t stop me from wandering down the aisles.

One thing that I don’t miss about back to school are the lunches. That food is still just as terrible as it was 20 years ago. I have a little girl who I mentor, and I’m just shocked every time I walk in to that cafeteria at the trays full of Crustables, corn dogs and football stadium nachos. Thankfully people like Chef Ann and millions of moms across the country are taking steps to ensure our kids are eating more filling, more nutritious foods to power them through their days.

If you are one of those moms responsible for packing school lunches, then consider these easy lunch box swaps this school year.

Containers. For starters, swap the brown bag for a reusable lunch container. It’s more environmentally sound and you don’t have to keep paying for new bags. Plus, the insulated bags let you send more fresh foods. Then, fill it with these healthier food choices:

Bread. Swap the white for wheat. Brands like Nature’s Own use whole grains and most varieties have no high fructose corn syrup and little or no added sugar.

Juice. Swap the sugar-filled juice box for a refillable thermos of 100% fruit juice. Again, it’s good for going green, is more economical, and less sugar is better for their little bodies.

Fruit. Swap fruit snacks for real fruit. The real stuff tastes better, is more filling and isn’t full of artificial colors, flavors and other ingredients. Stick to produce with a longer shelf life like grapes, apples, and oranges to save money, or just make sure your kids will eat all the bananas and berries before they go bad.

Snacks. Swap chips for crackers. If your kids have to have that crunch with their sandwich, opt for a whole grain baked cracker. Baked whole grain Goldfish or Pepperidge Farm’s Baked Naturals are tasty choices.

PBJs. Swap peanut butter for nut butters. Almond, pecan and cashew are popular varieties that are perfect for kids with allergies. Watch for low-sodium, low-sugar varieties on these healthy-fat nuts. Also, watch the sugar content on your jams and jellies.

Vegetables. Swap none for some! There aren’t many of these in lunch boxes. Add a slice of tomato and spinach leaves to a turkey sandwich, some carrot sticks and hummus for crunching or even a fresh salsa for dipping their crackers.

Dessert. Swap snack cakes for pudding cups. They are still kids afterall! Snack cakes and other store-bought, processed pastries are full of some of the worst food ingredients. Jell-O pudding cups come in surprisingly delicious sugar-free varieties. Also consider Greek yogurt with fruit, like Chobani.

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Healthy Lunch Box Swaps that are Good for Your Kids