Connecticut Children's Blog

By Stacy Chandna, MS, CIP, and Haley Duscha, RDN, CDN Prevent the last minute scramble! With a little preparation, you can take the stress out of cooking – and put extra family time back into your day. Haley Duscha, a pediatric dietitian in the Division of Obesity & Weight Management, and Stacy Chandna, co-director of Kohl’s […]

By Jen Zarrilli, MS, RD If you’re looking for a fun activity with kids that doubles as a healthy habit, your kitchen is a great place to start. Making healthy recipes together is a way to get your child excited about nutrition, teach them important skills and share quality time – all while preparing a […]

By Claire Dalidowitz, RD If you’ve looked at a nutrition facts label recently, it may look different than you remember. Food companies have begun rolling out updated nutrition facts labels to comply with new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. One of the biggest changes you’ll see on the label is a new category called […]

By Donna Barnett, MA, RDN, CDN Over the past decade or so gluten-free diets have become increasingly popular, both for medical necessity and by personal preference. Some reports suggest that more than 3 million people in the U.S. follow a gluten-free diet, however the prevalence of celiac disease in the general population is much lower, […]

By Donna Barnett, MA, RDN, CDN Plants give us lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protective phytochemicals. Plant based diets can reduce your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. There are several different kinds of plant based diets. For example, someone who is vegan avoids red meat, […]

During the summer heat, it’s important to make sure your child stays properly hydrated! With that said, it’s even more important to know the best way to hydrate children, especially young babies. Did you know that healthy infants who are breastfeeding or bottle feeding regularly DO NOT need to drink water? Breastmilk and infant formulas […]

By: Donna Gitt MA, RDN, CDN March is National Nutrition Month, and this year’s theme is to “Go Further with Food!” This message comes with a lot of different meanings, from stretching your family’s food budget, to eating and hydrating for a big race, to starting your day with a good healthy breakfast. Connecticut Children’s […]

Beth Chatfield, MS, RD of Connecticut Children’s Nutrition department  shares some fun ways to make school lunches healthier!  As part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free kids Act championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, school meals over the next three years will be healthier. The new guidelines will double the amount of fruits and vegetables; boost offerings […]

Looking for some ideas to get and stay healthy as a family? Here are a few mobile apps that your family may want to try! 1. Fooducate Confused by all the bread or cracker options in the grocery store? Here’s a great app to take with you that can help you make good choices. Scan […]

By Donna Barnett, MA, RDN, CDN  How can you get all of the food groups into one lunch box? Try a turkey sandwich with 2 slices of low sodium turkey, 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato and a medium apple. For extra fun use a large cookie cutter to cut your child’s sandwich into […]