It's back to school time!

Fall is our favorite time of the year. After a hot summer, the air is cool and crisp. The green landscape changes to a bright and vibrant explosion of color. We shift from the light, brightly colored salmon, berries and greens of summer to heartier comfort fare with roasts, winter squashes and fall apples. The intoxicating smell of freshly cut grass is replaced by the comforting aroma of cinnamon, oranges and cloves.

Between "special events" at school, birthday celebrations, food used as an incentive and Halloween, kids today are exposed to an enormous amount of junk food on any given school day. This fact is usually driven home each fall, when afer spending a summer without these foods, parents suddenly hear about and see them almost constantly. What is even more amazing is that year after year things seem to get worse, not better.

Fortunately, each year, more and more parents are getting involved and making their voices heard. Together, we will get through this bitter sweet time of year.