Sure, we have a problem with childhood obesity in this country but, come on, what country doesn't? What's it going to hurt to let kids pig out one night a year? I mean, Halloween only comes once a year, just like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, birthdays (of siblings and friends), anniversaries... Okay, so maybe they do end up eating a lot of junk a lot of the time.

Some parents are trying to make a difference -- by skipping the Halloween candy and handing out less fattening treats. Toys, pencils, stickers, Play-doh, and glow sticks are some of the alternatives people are handing out. "I thought, here I am trying to take care of my health," says Lisa Bruno, of Des Plaines, Illinois, who ditched the candy five years ago. "I felt a responsibility to my community to take care of the kids around me."

Experts suggest that Halloween can be used as a vehicle for teaching kids about portion size and limits to help them deal with food issues all year long. "It's important that we as parents help them find the balance between that very traditional fun activity and a healthy lifestyle," says Connie Diekman, past president of the American Dietetic Association.

I like the idea of giving out pencils or Play-doh -- things that will last longer than the length of a single swallow. I'm not so sure, however, how kids feel about it. Are you giving out candy or a less sugary alternative this year?

It's important for kids to read in order to become well-rounded, knowledgeable adults and positive members of society. It turns out there's another benefit to reading -- it can lead to weight loss. Scientists at Duke Children's Hospital in North Carolina have found that overweight girls who were given a book that featured an overweight girl reduced their body mass index by one percent in just six months.

The book the girls read, Lake Rescue, promotes a healthy lifestyle, including exercise. A control group that was not given the book actually increased their BMI by half a percent. Even though the loss was small, it represents a significant impact because the expected outcome, sans book, would be for the girls to increase their BMI, as, in fact, the girls in the control group did.

"The idea that a book can positively influence weight loss and decrease BMI is encouraging because it's fairly easy to implement," says Dr. Sarah Armstrong, who specializes in Nutritional Disorders and Obesity at Duke. "And it's a welcome addition to a world where there aren't a lot of alternatives." Whether a healthier lifestyle is a good reason to read or reading is a good way to live a healthier life, I say it's a win-win situation.

The United States isn't the only country with a problem of childhood obesity, it seems. Apparently, South Korea is battling the problem as well. In fact, the situation is bad enough that the government there is planning to do something about it -- they're going to pay for gym memberships and other weight loss activities.

A changing diet and more sedentary lifestyle has led to a tripling of obesity, according to health ministry official Chun Myung-sook. Kids will get as much as thirty dollars a month to help reduce their weight. "Kids won't be able to waste the money on eating sweets. We will give them electronic vouchers that can only be used in designated places," Chun said.

In 2006, the government spent two trillion dollars on childhood obesity-related costs; spending a bit to reduce that and help kids live healthier lives makes sense.

I doubt any parent thinks of a product called "Sugar Smacks" as nutritious. We reserve that kind of labeling for cereals that have no taste or taste like compacted sawdust. Still, would it surprise you to find out that many cereals, especially those designed for kids, are essentially candy? Move over Butterfinger, moms and dads could be handing out samples of cereal to the sweet seeking trick-or-treaters hitting their doorsteps this October!

Sugar Smacks were renamed Honey Smacks some time well after I stopped eating cereals (and being a kid--I guess those two things are linked) but a consumer group still found they were half sugar by weight. So, too did they find as such for Golden Crisp. Never heard of that one. If you'd told me that Cocoa Puffs were half sugar I would believe you, but the consumer group didn't test those.

As you might expect, Cheerios (champion cereal of small children everywhere) and Honey Nut Cheerios were found to be the healthiest. Cheerios ranked first with only one gram of sugar and three grams of fiber per serving. The study of cereals also found that kids serve themselves at least twice as much per serving as recommended. Who doesn't--especially if it's delicious and full of sugar??? Kellogg, who make Honey Smacks, noted they've made strides to increase the nutritional content of several cereals, including Fruit Loops, and that a serving of yogurt contains more sugar than a serving of Honey Smacks. What they didn't point out is the size of a serving of each--I'd wager you get a lot more yogurt than you do cereal per recommended serving. It also depends on what kind of yogurt you're discussing, as some brands add sugar a lot more liberally than others.

Would you hand your preschooler a bag full of live ammunition?

Now you know how parents of kids with food allergies feel about Halloween. The treats so many children look forward to with glee can be deadly for those who suffer from reactions to peanuts, tree nuts and dairy. But who wants to tell their child that trick or treating is forbidden?

Never fear -- with a few common-sense precautions, kids with food allergies can enjoy the holiday without risking their health.

First and foremost, remember that your normal food-allergy rules still apply: read the label of every piece of candy your child collects before they eat it, make sure he or she carries their medication with them while trick-or-treating, and check that he adult in charge knows how to administer the medication if the need arises. Also, give your child a small packet of hand wipes, so they can clean their hands if they accidentally come in contact with an allergen.

These simple rules don't mean your child can't have fun. Rather than trying to read the fine print on candy labels with your flashlight, bring a small bag of "safe" candy from home, so your little trickster can snack along the way. You can also invent new Halloween traditions, such as a "Halloween fairy" who brings safe treats or non-food presents.

Afraid your little one will get into the stash you plan to hand out? Don't give out candy -- try stickers or pencils. Or skip the door-to-door candy collecting altogether, and attend a local event that doesn't focus on food. Local zoos or farms often host Halloween parties loaded with activities.

And remember, your child can always say "no, thank you."

Last but not least -- don't panic. Taking care to follow your normal food-safety rules will help everyone enjoy a fun holiday.

Get your kids interested in cooking by ditching the rules and the recipes.

Give yourself a night off without having to pay for take-out.

Today is the official beginning of candy season. In my house, candy season lasts approximately 5 months - beginning with the bite-sized treats of Halloween and continuing to the heart-shaped deliciousness of Valentine's Day. In between, you have all manner of sugared goodness just waiting to wreck your diet.

While today may be only the first day of October, the Halloween candy has been filling the store aisles for weeks now. I've given those temptations a once-over, but will wait until the big day is a little closer before actually purchasing any treats to hand out. I have a low threshold for temptation and if I bring all that candy into the house now, there might not be any left by the 31st.

When I finally do fill my cart with candy, I'll try to minimize the temptation by buying treats that I don't particularly like. At the risk of being known as 'the house with yucky candy', I am going to stock up on bags of Bit-O-Honey, Dots and Licorice. Sorry kids, but I have to. Otherwise I will be buying bigger pants by Thanksgiving and at my age, it's just too hard to get the weight off again.

What about you? Does your own sweet tooth dictate what kind of candy you buy for Halloween? Have you already purchased your candy? Are you eating Milky Ways for lunch yet?

The World Health Organization and UNICEF last week urged Asian mothers to return to breastfeeding in the wake of a series of infant deaths caused by melamine-contaminated powdered baby formula in China.

An update issued by WHO states that more than 40,000 children have sought medical attention after eating the formula, and nearly 13,000 more are receiving treatment in hospitals. So far, three deaths have been confirmed.

The organizations stress that breast is best for babies.

According to an article on Rueters.com, "no infant formula contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to enhance infant growth and brain development as breast milk does." Breast milk also contains antibodies that protect children against stomach upsets like diarrhea.

Experts say more and more Asian women have turned away from breastfeeding and adopted formula as the preferred food for their children.

However, medical experts warn that, on top of risking their infants' health, mothers in China are also putting themselves at risk by consuming more and more dairy products.

Right now, only 1 percent of the Chinese population is diagnosed with breast cancer, but occurrences of breast cancer-and also osteoporosis- will increase doctors say, if Asians continue to adopt a more Western-style diet.

Breastfeeding advocates advise women to exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least the first six months of their lives.

Considering all we've heard about the childhood obesity epidemic, it really should come as no surprise that parents are turning to surgical procedures to help their kids lose weight. According to a 2007 study, nearly 800 U.S. kids had weight-loss surgery in 2003. Those surgeries range from gastric bypass operations to stomach banding.

While weight loss surgery for kids may not be surprising, it is rather alarming. Research has shown that one in every 200 patients dies from gastric bypass and one in every 1,000 patients dies from banding. Why would a parent subject a child to the risks associated with major surgery when perhaps all that is really needed is a better diet and more exercise?

A friend emailed me a study today, one that found that when babies under nine months are fed fish, they're less likely to develop eczema. Because she's never been a mom to an infant, she wondered, "Would you have fed one of your girls fish at such a young age?"

I laughed out loud. I was so afraid to feed my firstborn anything, she might still be eating baby food if my doctor hadn't given me a kick in the pants. Cheerios scared me in those days. But my second child was definitely sharing family meals with us at a much younger age. Not only had I relaxed just a "tiny" bit, so had the rules on feeding babies.

In the wake of the Chinese milk scandal, the European Union has banned the import of all baby food containing Chinese milk. Four babies have died and more than fifty thousand have become sick due to melamine added to watered-down milk. The melamine is added to cover up the lower protein content.

Unfortunately, it's not just milk that's affected. Milk is an ingredient in many products, including baby food. In order to protect infants, the European Union has put the kibosh on baby food containing Chinese milk. Any products containing more than fifteen percent milk powder will be tested before being sold, according to new rules taking effect today.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF issued a statement about the scandal, saying "Whilst any attempt to deceive the public in the area of food production and marketing is unacceptable, deliberate contamination of foods intended for consumption by vulnerable infants and young children is particularly deplorable." I couldn't have said it better.

Karen Hanrahan is a wellness educator who teaches a workshop titled Healthy Choices for Children. Her class is for parents and is intended to teach them about healthy alternatives to the processed food products so widely available today. To illustrate just how unhealthy some of our diet staples are, she carries with her a rather unusual prop: a 12-year-old McDonald's hamburger.

Before you start cringing in disgust, go have a look at her blog and the burger in question. The plain hamburger Hanrahan says she purchased back in 1996 looks exactly like one you would purchase today. It's not moldy, maggoty or otherwise decomposed. Hanrahan claims to have done nothing at all to preserve the burger other than to store it in a plastic sandwich container. She says that the burger's unchanging appearance over the years illustrates her point: McDonald's hamburgers are not real food.

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She writes: "Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. Not one ounce of food value. Or at least value for why we are eating in the first place."

Of course, Hanrahan gets beat up in the comments to her post, but most seem to accept her claim that the burger has survived basically unchanged for over a decade. We aren't big McDonald's eaters around here, but I know plenty of families who are. I wonder if this 12-year-old burger might impact the way they feel about their favorite fast-food stop. Does it give you pause?

The recent news about tainted baby formula in China is heartbreaking. Over 53,000 children have fallen ill; four have died. The crisis have left Chinese parents scrambling for safe food for their infants, and some are turning to an old-fashioned practice -- wet nursing.

Breastfeeding, in general, is on the decline in China. Parents believe, for whatever reason, that formula is a superior food. But knowing now that they can't trust manufacturers, parents are looking for human milk for their babies. And if they can't provide it, they'll hire someone who will.

Kids aren't always known for their adventurous eating habits, but when 200 11-year-olds were quizzed on the knowledge of basic vegetables in the UK, they had trouble identifying them. In fact:

• 20% didn't know what a potato looked like
• 5.5% couldn't name a carrot
• 33% of boys didn't recognize a cucumber, though 90% of girls did.
• One-third of kids didn't know what celery was.

Less concerning was their lack of experience with more exotic fruits and vegetables, like pomegranates, turnips, eggplants, and artichokes. So why aren't tweens more familiar with these common foods? The study didn't go that far, but the findings suggest that they either aren't eating them, or at least aren't helping with shopping and cooking.