I believe it's very important to allow a child to regulate when and how much to eat. Unfortunately, our society has the notion that we must clean our plates and babies must drink their bottles dry or finish all the puree we're rapidly spooning into their mouths. There's no wonder that we have such a high rate of obesity and eating disorders in the United States.

Breastfeeding on demand allows a baby to listen to his internal hunger cues. If he's hungry, he eats. If he's full, he stops. There are no ounce markings on a breast, so we can't say, "There are still another 3 ounces in there - keep going!" Why would I let my son decide how much milk to drink but not how much of an apple to eat?

Ever since he was around 8 months old, Ethan has loved nothing more than to gnaw on a big piece of apple, a fresh green bean, or a broccoli mini tree. I freeze carrots, celery and broccoli to soothe his gums when he's teething. I watch him carefully, and give him the chance to explore his food and learn how to eat it. Usually he scrapes off very small pieces with his teeth, but sometimes a larger piece comes off. He rolls it around in his mouth, squeezes out all the juices and then either spits it out or swallows it. He often holds a piece of food in his mouth for a very long time.

Yes, occasionally he gags a bit, but I'm right there watching him. He has never choked on anything. The gag reflex is there for a reason. When something slippery (like a peach) gets small enough that the whole thing can fit in his mouth, I cut it up into more manageable pieces, but usually by that time he's finished with it.

We're giving Ethan the opportunity to gain and practice the skills he needs in order to feed himself safely, and he enjoys every bit of it - except when there's avocado involved.

Parents and nannies often ask me how to get children to eat their vegetables. Here are some of the things that have worked for me:

• Just give it to them. Put vegetables on their plate along with anything else they eat, and don't make a big deal out of them. I just hand my son Ethan a slice of cucumber or put a handful of peas on his plate with the rest of his meal, and he (usually) gobbles it all up.
• Keep trying. Again, you don't need to make a big deal out of it, but keep offering and serving vegetables to your child. It can often take a child 10-15 introductions to a new food (either seeing it or tasting it) before they'll try it or decide they like it.
• Don't use bribery. If you tell the child to eat 2 bites of broccoli before he can have some ice cream, broccoli is turned into something that is less desirable because you've offered a reward for eating it. The child thinks, "Wow, it must taste really bad if they're going to give me ice cream if I eat it!"
• Watch your own reactions. If you make yucky faces while feeding a child something you don't like, it's not surprising that the child might decide she doesn't like that food either.
• Try dips! Many older toddlers and preschoolers love dipping their food. You can give them vegetables to dip into a sauce, or make the sauce/dip with vegetables. Try hummus, plain yogurt, pasta sauce, spinach dip, salad dressing, peanut butter or other nut butters (for older children), cheese sauce, ketchup, or applesauce.
• Bake some muffins. You can find a number of recipes for zucchini bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and carrot cake that hide vegetables well. These are great for breakfast or for a quick snack, and most of these breads freeze well.
• Smoothies are an easy favorite. Pull out your blender or food processor and toss in some frozen fruit, juices (without added sugar), maybe some yogurt, and throw in a handful of spinach or kale leaves. If your child is wary of green flecks in her smoothie, blueberries mask the color well by turning the whole smoothie purple. I buy kale and spinach, chop it up, and store it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. When I make smoothies or soups, I just pull out my freezer bag and add a bit of the frozen greens. I also blend up carrots and sweet potatoes if I have them. Freezing leftover smoothies into popsicles is fun for a hot day.
• Make it fun! Arrange their meal into a silly face with red bell pepper ears and broccoli hair. Make a meal where everything on their plate begins with the same letter: peas, peaches, purple grapes, pb&j, potatoes... Have "rainbow meals" where you serve something of each color of the rainbow: red tomatoes, orange sweet potatoes, yellow pineapple, green beans, blueberries, and purple plums.
• Let them help plan and make the meal. Children love to create, and many of them will happily eat vegetables that they helped to prepare. Even a very young child can help scrub carrots or tear lettuce, and an older child can help read and choose recipes that they think sound good.
• Pureed soups often help kids who don't want to find big chunks of veggies floating in their bowl. Once you've made your soup or stew, run some of it through your blender or food processor to make a smoother texture.

It's not the end of the world if a child isn't eating vegetables all the time. Try looking at what they eat in a whole week instead of daily or at each meal. As long as you're providing them with other healthy food options, they'll grow just fine. :)

What: Just Peas and Just Corn
Website: www.justtomatoes.com
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Ethan's friend Carly introduced us to these fabulous freeze-dried vegetable snacks by Just Tomatoes, etc. They're exactly what the name states: just veggies! They have no preservatives or additives of any kind, and they're a great portable snack for kids and grown-ups alike. Although we've only tried the Organic Just Peas and Organic Just Corn, there are many other vegetables and fruits available, including tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, apples, peaches, strawberries, pineapple, and more!

I had been packing a small tub or baggie of Cheerios in the diaper bag in case Ethan gets hungry for a little snack when we're out, but Just Peas or Just Corn have quickly replaced the processed oat flour rings. I love that I can give my son some quick, healthy snacks that don't make a sticky mess and aren't devoid of nutrients and flavor like the frighteningly popular Gerber Puffs.

Just Peas and Just Corn are crispy but not hard and crunchy. They melt easily in Ethan's mouth (although he sometimes spits out the pea skins, which are a little bit tougher - he does the same thing with fresh peas.). If your child is crunching Cheerios okay, he or she will probably do just fine with these. If not, you can always drop a handful into a bowl of soup and rehydrate them for cooking.

I gave them 4 stars because of their price. A 4-ounce tub of Organic Just Peas set us back $6 at Whole Foods. I have heard rumors that you can buy Just Tomatoes, etc. products in bulk, though, so I'll have to look around for that.

A recent article from Australia's Herald Sun discusses an Australian school that eliminated food additives from their students' meals for two weeks in order to see what effects it would have on their behavior.

"Sue Dengate, who runs the Food Intolerance Network and organised the project at Palmers Island Primary School, said the results were surprising. 

'It was amazing. The children were more co-operative, the siblings stopped fighting and there were more harmonious families,' Ms Dengate said.

Principal Andrew Bennett said that the changes became obvious in three or four days. 

'We found difficult children created much less of a disturbance,' Mr Bennett said."

This is incredible news, and I hope more parents take note of it. Scientists have known about the detrimental effects of food additives (colors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings and other chemicals) on health and behavior for years, yet there are still so many food items out there that contain these additives. Many of them are specifically marketed towards children, with the products' bright colors and sweet flavors. Food additives may especially exacerbate symptoms for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, so parents may want to take a look at what their children are putting in their bodies.

Sadly, many people believe that companies wouldn't put dangerous things in food. They think that if the FDA approves it, it must be safe. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. The FDA reverses its own decisions quite frequently, and they just don't take the time to do long-term studies on the effects of these new-fangled scientific concoctions before allowing things to hit the shelves.

What can you do?

The best thing to do is to cut down on processed foods (anything pre-prepared that comes in a box, wrapper, or can) and serve real, whole foods you cook yourself. Yes, that can take more time, but it doesn't have to. Get a crock pot, and you can put the ingredients together the night before, pull the crock out of the refrigerator in the morning and have dinner waiting for you in the evening. Fruits and vegetables make great quick snacks, as do smoothies. Buy plain yogurt and jazz it up yourself with various flavors of sugarless jams or fresh fruit.

Most of us don't want to completely eliminate processed foods from our diets, though, especially if we were raised on them. There's something to be said for the comfort of yummy junk food and microwave dinners, and they are often easier and faster to prepare. Yes, I'm lazy, too. I buy crackers, cereal, cookies, jarred pasta sauce, and the occasional frozen pizza....

For the processed foods you do buy, take a moment to read the labels. Choose healthier products without extra additives. If the list of ingredients is exceptionally long and it contains names of things that you couldn't pronounce in your high school Chemistry class, it's probably a good item to put back on the shelf. You may be surprised at the additives that lurk in supposedly healthy items like bread, yogurt, and canned soups.

Common food additives that often cause problems:
- Artificial colorings (FD&C Yellow No.5, for example)
- Artificial flavorings
- Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)
- BHA, BHT, TBHQ (commonly found in cereals, potato chips, candy)
- Calcium proprionate (commonly found in bread, baked goods)
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG, commonly found in soups, fast foods, frozen dinners, potato chips)
- Nitrates, Nitrites (commonly found in hot dogs, ham, lunch meat, bacon)
- Sulfites (commonly found in dried fruits, shrimp)

Stuck in a food rut? Tired of trying to get more healthy snacks into your toddler? Try the snack tray! Find an inexpensive serving tray with separate compartments, or use something you already have - an ice cube tray or a muffin pan - and fill it with various healthy options for your kid to munch on throughout the day. Children love all the tiny little compartments, and when you fill each one of them with something different, it can really look nice. The photo above is of our silicone mini-muffin snack tray, filled with corn, peas, carrots, cheese, pickles, raisins, bread, black beans, crackers, strawberries, celery, and peaches.

Sometimes we forget that our little ones need to eat frequently, especially if they're busy playing and don't think to stop and ask us for food until they're ravenous. Low blood sugar and hunger can make them particularly grumpy or whiny. If you're having one of those days, try filling up a snack tray and leaving it out to help tone down those behavior challenges. Make a larger snack tray for yourself while you're at it!

Robert's American Gourmet Food, Inc. has recalled all lots and sizes of their Veggie Booty Snack Food because of possible contamination with Salmonella. 51 cases of Salmonella infection were reported across 17 states, most of which occurred in children under 3 years old.

Veggie Booty has been tested and so far has not been shown to contain Salmonella organisms in the finished product, but the company is taking the proper precautions and temporarily halting the manufacture and sale of Veggie Booty.

Veggie Booty is sold across the United States and Canada in a flexible plastic foil bag in 4 oz., 1 oz., and 1/2 oz. sizes.

If you have any Veggie Booty, discard the contents of the package and contact Robert's American Gourmet at 1-800-626-7557 for reimbursement or a product voucher. You can also return the empty bag to the store where you purchased the product, or send the empty bag along with your address to:
Robert's American Gourmet
P.O. Box 326
Sea Cliff, NY
11579