Welcome to a new category of my blog simply called ‘Healthy Tips.” Many times, when I write articles for various publications, I need to find sources for the story. Recently, I wrote an article for Yahoo Shine (click here) about keeping kids healthy. I was looking for experts and parents to chime in and give their favorite ‘tips’ to help kids (and their families) lead a healthy lifestyle.

The feedback for the story was amazing. The sources had some fantastic points of view that could not be ignored, and I thought their opinions should be viewed on the Your Health Journal web site.

So, enjoy my new series, with some ‘great’ insight from some ‘great’ people giving exceptional and educational points of view.

“Reel in your child’s daily snacking habits! Of all the daily battles we must choose with our kids, their frequent requests for snacks is usually not one of them. But the never-ending snack time does add up – up to 600 additional calories a day, according to a recent study. (http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/caprio_042810). Constant grazing on highly processed snacks and treats is not only a leading cause of childhood obesity, it’s also reinforcing impulsive behaviors which could branch out into other areas later on in life. Use snacking as a tool to teach your child healthy choices and self control by creating a daily snack time schedule where you decide “when” – and they decide “what”.”

– Deirdre Pizzoferrato, “The Nutrition Nanny”, RD, CD-N