To lighten the back to school load, parents can encourage their children to pack their own lunches. Younger kids can help in the lunch packing process while older children can assume most of the responsibility. The combined child parental involvement creates an opportunity to teach healthy food choices. The complete article can be viewed at the Baylor College of Medicine website.

The current issue of Time magazine has a very interesting article about how parents’ experience early in their lives might somehow alter the traits their offspring inherit. The article deals with a new science called epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene activity, brought about by environmental factors, which get passed down to the next generation. A great read for parents interested in how their diet, stress, and prenatal nutrition can make an imprint on their children’s genes.

The Slow Food organization was founded in 1989 to promote a renewed interest in the source of food, in the preparation of food, in the taste of food, and in the worldwide effect of our food choices. Visit the Slow Food website for information about upcoming events and the latest news about the organization.

New parents are usually given a goodie bag when they leave the hospital. The moms are encouraged to breastfeed but the bags contain numerous samples and coupons for formula. Now hospitals have a choice when giving out discharge bags thank to Cottonwood Kids, a promotional products company. The company has created the country’s first breastfeeding support promotional discharge bag. Called the “Healthy Baby Bounty Bag”, it contains product samples, coupons, and information that support and encourage breastfeeding. This month, about 200 hospitals are switching to the new bag.

As more and more articles are being written about the health benefits of a plant based diet, we are seeing creative methods used to encourage people to change their dietary choices. One of the growing movements is Meatless Monday. Promoted both in the United States and Europe, the movement encourages people to cut meat out of their diet one day a week – on Monday. The web sites featuring Meatless Monday offer wonderful recipes and information about the environmental impact of their meatless choice.