I am a monitor for the childcare food program. Unfortunatley we have way too many young parents who don't practice healthy nutrition themselves, therefore, their kids are not getting it either. That is where the Childcare Food Program has been a huge success in implementing healtlhy foods in the diets of kids in childcare across the nation. The food program promotes eating heart healthy foods and getting plenty of excercise in their daily routine.

I wrote a message an hour ago and it seems to have disappeared rather than posting! I won't rewrite all of it - but the food-fitness dilemma is certainly more than a fad and it is very complex and socially influenced. I have just written a booklet 'Everyday learning about healthy bodies' for Early Childhood Australia, at: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au Have a look at the sample contents in the website. Nadine McCrea

We are making healthy living - following the new Food Pyramid; fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and less juice - a priority this year. AFter our Preschool Parent Orientation last evening, these changes were met mostly with positive encouragement. I agree that these changes need to start with parents and the very youngest children.

I would have to agree with the majority of respondants to this article. As a high school teacher, I am shocked by the American teen diet. Too often I see students munching on candy bars, soda, and French fries, all purchased from the school lunch line or a vending machine that is selling soda to raise money for sports.

One of my ultimate dreams (regarding this subject, that is) is to see every American child attending public school have physical education class every day from day 1 of Kindergarten to the last day of the senior year in high school...and soda, French fries and candy bars only sold one or two days a week!

This article and Joseph are right on target. Education of nutrition needs to start with the parent and also in helping the parents to understand their responsibility to guide their children through the myriad of marketing gimmicks and advertising.

I also agree with Joseph that the medical profession needs to stand up to help educate parents about the unhealthy lifetime patterns which will lead to heartdisease, diabetes and other life threatening problems.

At our center we aggressively approach food selection, eating, and nutrition by preparing healthy foods, involving children in gardening and preparing parts of their meals, having nutrition as part of our curriculum in addition to educating parents.

Child Care Exchange magazine often has excellent articles related to this "hot topic."

Linda Zager :-)