After more than 20 years (1993!), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally made changes and updated the nutrition facts label that we rely on so often when choosing our foods. When I initially heard the news, I was worried the label would become more difficult
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As a dietitian who spends considerable time thinking about children’s’ health, there is no doubt in my mind that key to a lifetime of healthy living is combating childhood obesity. Depressing results from a recent study on contestants in the popular television show, The Biggest Loser, reinforce
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There is no shortage of warehouses full of bounce houses in the Chicago area, and when the weather is nice around here, there are loads of parks. But places for older kids to run around and play hard are all too rare. That’s why I am so
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While we don’t recommend that parents act as short order cooks, sometimes a few tweaks can keep everyone happy with dinner just the way he or she likes it. Burrito night lends itself to so many variations. With the same set of ingredients that only took a
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The more families I meet, the more peanut free snacks and lunches I discuss during consultations. It feels like almost every school or daycare in the area has gone “peanut free” due to the increase in peanut allergies in children. I clearly have not been the only
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There are so many reasons to plant a garden. There’s nothing like gardening in your backyard or even in your kids’ school, to foster teamwork and bring people together. Plus, it should come as no surprise that vegetable gardening can lead to healthy eating habits–store-bought veggies are
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I cannot believe this, but my baby Theodore is 4 months old! It feels like yesterday that I was writing about the benefits of breastfeeding before he was born. Now here I am, over 4 months later, thinking about introducing solids to Theodore. Time really does fly
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The key to eating healthy is eating food that tastes good. From the youngest of babies, we learn that food that doesn’t taste good isn’t worth swallowing. Whenever we work with clients, regardless of the issue, we focus on eating a diet of food that the child
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By Leslie Stiles, MS, RD, CSP, LDN February is heart health month, but the truth is that we should be thinking about heart health every month. Normally, most of us associate heart health with adults. However, as dietitians, we know that a lifetime of healthy eating starts early in
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Recently Hannah, the parent of one of my clients, reached out to me on Facebook to post a photo of her son, Ian, dressed in skinny jeans for school. It was a simple gesture on Hannah’s part, and I couldn’t help but share in her joy. For
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