Healthy Kids

As the city continues the H1N1 vaccination program in schools, the debate seems to rage on. News reports state that fewer parents than expected are giving consent to have their children vaccinated, although some are reportedly planning on having the vaccination done in their pediatrician's office—assuming it will be available there at some point.

Read on for facts and fears over the swine flu vaccine and the big snafu in the program.

We've all been hearing lots of hype about getting vaccinated for the H1N1 swine flue on the radio, television, and in the print media urging people to get the vaccine. On the other side there have been lots of conversations in the playgrounds and on message boards discussing fears of the side effects and dangers of the flu vaccine. But once, you get over the question of whether to get the vaccination or not, you're faced with a second issue: how do you find a flu shot vaccine

You’re pregnant, nauseous, working on a deadline, and oh-yeah, trying to cut back on food costs in the middle of a recession. You know that you’re supposed to be eating really healthy right now, but lack of time and energy, and the need to save cash have been pushing you towards some not-so-healthy food sources lately. Plus, hangover food seems to be the only thing that calms your morning sickness. All is not lost! Our guest poster, Frances Largeman-Roth, and author of the  new book, Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide, will show you how you can actually eat on the run without breaking too many nutrition rules. Hey, these are tips that we can all use, whether we're pregnant or not. Thanks, Frances!

It’s always healthiest to make your own food. That way you’re in charge of how much fat, sodium, and preservatives are involved. But there are some healthier picks at the chain restaurants. Here's the skinny on avoiding the fat (and other bad stuff) at the top fast food chains, what to order and what to avoid, for a healthier diet during pregnancy:

Bicycling is having a real renaissance in New York City. We're seeing more bike paths and more nice places to bike, plus more resources and programs to make biking easier, more affordable and fun. Find out below some of the best resources for New York City Bikers from the best places to bike with kids, where to get New York City bike maps, bike rentals, free bikes to borrow and more.

It can be hard eating out when your child’s on a restricted diet: You struggle to find a place that serves what he can eat, or you find one and he won’t eat what they serve. But you won’t have those problems at these places, which are convenient and kid-friendly. We've rounded up a handful of restaurants which serve meals that all kids will like and can eat even if they are vegan, vegetarian or have food allergies. Plus, they're all cool and fun for New York kids.

There are some topics that you just don't ever want to have to discuss with your child. But Jill Starishevsky knows from experience the danger of hiding your head in the sand. As a New York City child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor, Jill has seen too many sad stories of children who were being sexually abused and just didn't know what to do about it.

But it was one girl's story that made her realize she could do something about it. This little 9 year old girl said that she was being abused by her stepfather for years when she saw a segment on Oprah about child abuse that told her to tell an adult. The next day she went in to school and told her teacher. Jill put that bad guy in jail, but realized that sometimes with kids it really is as simple as that.

The trick or treating was more fun than ever this year. It seemed like everyone really went all out to make it great for the kids. By the next morning, however, I sat, with a Halloween Hangover staring at those piles of candy with disgust and wondering what the net impact of that much sugar could be. That's when I decided to count all the calories contained in my children's Halloween hauls, piece by piece, prompting my ever-so-helpful husband to tell our children, "See, kids, math can ruin the fun in anything."

So, here's my obsessive compulsive tally of a NYC kids' Halloween Trick or Treat bag, the good, the bad and the gooey.

Sometimes it just seems too easy to give in to giving treats for after school snack; it's what your kids want and it's convenient. But we got many great suggestions from the comments of  our Cupcake Kids Back to School Snack Class giveaway that are sure inspire healthier and fun after school snacking.

Interestingly, the comments reinforce the proposition of Cupcake Kids' cooking classes, that if kids are involved in making their food, they will be more likely to eat healthy stuff. Most of these tips center around kids being involved in the preparation of the food or make eating into an activity.

Here's Top Ten Healthy After-school Snack Tips.  Plus, keep reading to find out the winner of the Cupcake Kids giveaway!

Do you have a finicky eater at home?  Studies show that getting your kids to cook with you in the kitchen is the best way to get them to try new foods.  Even Rachel Ray (who in my opinion lost some cred when she did those Dunkin' Donuts ads but that's another story) just came out with a book on cooking with kids.  Plus, even for good eaters, its just plain old fun.

OK, so you are convinced, you're going to let Junior touch the Le Creuset and here's a fun way to get started. Meet Jessi Walter, a former VP on Wall Street and Harvard graduate turned kid chef extraordinaire and founder of Cupcake Kids.  Her mission is to give kids hands-on cooking experiences so they can have fun in the kitchen while learning about food and building self-confidence and independence.  For this giveaway, two lucky readers will win spots in Jessi's Back to School Snack class.  That way, you can get your kids making their own healthy snacks rather than falling into the buy-a-cookie-after-school rut.

Keep reading for Jessi's great recipe for applesauce muffins, perfect after a day of apple picking and details on how to enter this giveaway.

For many, Long Island conjures up images of beaches, malls and traffic and not much else.  But, Long Island is filled with hidden gems that have nothing to do with shopping or the sea (unfortunately traffic is always possible). Once a farming community, you can still find a lot of family farms throughout the Island and these days many have added pick-your-own fields, petting zoos, gourmet fresh markets, garden centers and kid activities. Each farm maintains its personal flavor, here are a few that are really worth the drive.

If you are looking to sink your hands into the soil or spend a day gorging on fruit, head to one of Long Islands many pick-your-own farms