Nutrition Toddlers Preschoolers

Hungry for breakfast are you, hmm? Yeesssss.

Sure, the Force is what gives a Jedi Knight his power, but even Yoda knows how important a good breakfast is for young Padawans. And nothing makes breakfast more fun than this set of Star Wars Pancake Molds from Williams-Sonoma, with Yoda, Darth Vader and stormtrooper designs.

The forms, made from nonstick steel, are simple to use: Just place the molds on a preheated griddle, pour the batter and unleash the power of a galactic breakfast.

The best part: Your kids will think you're a Jedi Kitchen Master.

Available at Williams-Sonoma for $19.95.

Related: German Girl Identifies 'Star Wars' Legos With Her Mouth

McDonald's calls it a Mighty Kids Meal.

But really, kids, how mighty are you going to be when your arteries are clogged and you've lost all feeling on the left side of your body?

Leaders of the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine have another name for such meals: "cholesterol bombs."

Catchy. Of course, that would have to be changed to Cholesterol McBombs. And there would have to be some kind of toy.

Still, the organization's nutrition education director, Susan Levin, doesn't think all that should be necessary.

"Kids shouldn't have to dodge cholesterol bombs packaged in colorful, toy-filled boxes," she says in a press release.

The committee released a list of the worst fast food kids' meals this week. The Mighty Kids Meal, a bigger version of the Happy Meal aimed at tweens, is No. 1 with a McBullet.

Think twice before you give your child that candy bar or cookie -- some are saying obese kids have abusive parents.

Two extremely obese Georgia children who were removed from their home last week have some people saying their weight is a form of child abuse, but experts disagree.

ABC News reports that James and Anne Cardona of Marietta, Ga., were arrested and charged with felony child abuse after their two daughters, ages 5 and 4, were removed from their home.

Not only were their living conditions squalid, but the two girls are dangerously obese. The 5-year-old weighs 158 pounds and has trouble walking, the news station reports. The 4-year-old weighs 89 pounds -- a typical child that age should weigh about 40 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, experts say having an overweight child isn't child abuse, in and of itself.

It feels like every other week we're hearing about a beef recall due to E. coli or salmonella contamination. Either that or we're reading how eating beef will cause everything from heart disease to cancer to global warming. What to do? Can beef be a healthy part of your family's diet, or should you shun those Styrofoam trays of rib steaks and ground sirloin in the meat case?

VERDICT ...

Grain-Fed Beef, a.k.a. "Regular Beef": Aside from the fact that, as a red meat, beef can raise our risk of contracting such diseases as colon cancer, studies are starting to show that not just the beef, but how it's raised, is a problem for us health-wise. A report in the International Journal of Obesity indicates that the hormones in conventionally raised, grain-fed beef could be a contributing factor to our nation's obesity crisis. In addition, the corn fed to our cattle--natural grass-eaters--makes them sick, necessitating the continuous use of antibiotics. It's best to limit your consumption of this kind of beef.

Chocolate season is upon us. Whether you're nibbling on the assorteds from a red satin box or your kids are popping mini hearts bequeathed by adoring schoolmates, chances are there's chocolate in your house somewhere. So should you worry about this Valentine's Day staple, given chocolate is sweet and oh-so-fatty? Or is chocolate now kind of a healthy choice, thanks to those studies showing how this food of the gods can actually lower blood pressure?

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Dark Chocolate: Studies have shown that dark chocolate containing a high percentage of cocoa (70 percent or more) does in fact do good things for us. Thanks to the flavonoids and antioxidants found in cocoa, chocolate not only has the potential to lower blood pressure, but it also can reduce diabetes risk and improve cardiovascular health. This doesn't mean that you should feel free to down a king-size bar, however. Even high-quality dark chocolate is full of calories and fat. Savor just a few squares a day.

Vita Coco is more flavorful than water, but has a fraction of the calories in apple juice. Plus it offers great nutritional benefits, including electrolytes and lots of potassium. Oh, and Madonna loves it, so there's that.

Pack of 12 available for $21 at amazon.com

Related: Sweetened Juice Linked to Diabetes

The latest nutritional bogeyman is partially hydrogenated oil, also called trans-fat. Hello, increased risk of heart disease!

But what about salt, that evildoer of yesteryear that seems to have disappeared from our list of worries?

Have we been lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to the white stuff? Or is salt -- whether regular, iodized or sea salt -- actually a perfectly safe flavor-enhancer?

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What 5-year-old doesn't love a tea party? But there is caffeine in tea ... which seems like an iffy idea for little ones. No?

Hmmm, well ... is a little spot of tea for children bad, and if so, how bad? To find out, I phoned Mommy Advisor Christine Palumbo, a nutritionist in private practice in a Chicago suburb, who's an adjunct faculty member at Benedictine University.

"Weak [caffeinated] tea is fine," said Palumbo, "Or, if a mother is concerned about caffeine she can always purchase decaffeinated tea." Palumbo had other ideas to get the nutritional nod of approval.

What is going on with sugar? We're suddenly being inundated with ads for soft drinks and other products touting that they use "real sugar!" Is sugar not so bad then, at least when compared to the near-ubiquitous food additive high-fructose corn syrup? And what about honey, pure maple syrup, and agave nectar -- are these natural sweeteners ("natural" because they all contain some form of real sugar) a healthier option for you and your kids?

VERDICT...

Sugar: Too much sugar can lead to not only tooth decay, but type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depressive symptoms. Cut way back and you'll be putting yourself and your kids on the road to better health. Drink water instead of soft drinks. Eat fruit instead of snack cakes. Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit and nuts. Little changes like this add up.

The peanut-butter aisle used to be a simple place. In fact it wasn't an aisle, there were just a few jars -- the kind Mom used to use, and the other kind. But now there's a panoply of peanut (and other nut-) butters, none of which my regular-peanut-butter-loving children will eat.

And if we're telling the truth, does anyone relish the separated kind of peanut butter where the oil floats on top and gets all over your hands as you try in vain to stir it without having it run down the side of the jar? But the natural kind looks so ... healthy. It seems like the peanut butter that gets you an A+ in lunch-making.

But is it wrong to give the kids what they want, which incidentally is the same brand Mom used to buy?