Mid-summer musings: You are what you eat

We’re halfway through the summer already! How fast it goes. It’s hard to believe, but only a few weeks are left of summer camp/summer programs for our kids. That said, the end of August seems to be one the most popular times of the year for families to be traveling and I’m sure this year will be no exception.

One of the miracles of this time of year are all the fabulous fruits and vegetables that are now in season. Whether you’re getting them at your local market, a farmer’s market, a farm-stand on Long Island or upstate or in Jersey, the available produce is breathtaking. Corn, peppers, tomatoes, all kinds of greens, berries, melons, and more are presenting a color palette that any artist would find arresting.

This month, in addition to Christine Palumbo’s regular Healthy Eating column, we also have two interesting pieces on the importance of food in maintaining good health. Vegetarian blogger Kathryne Taylor has shared all kinds of healthy recipes and writer Sharon Zarabi has contributed an article on healthy snacks during your pregnancy. Sharing this kind of information is an integral part of our editorial policy. We have no doubt that you are what you eat. Planning meals and snacks for the family is a job with the highest priority and nothing to be taken lightly. Present and future health depends on it.

Summer is a time when lots of parents are confronting the challenge of finding quality day care. Not only for parents returning to work after childbirth, but also for the many new families who move into our communities over the summer months. Our writer Allison Plitt has a review of an excellent book, “Dear Daycare Parent” by authors Jackie Rioux and Jo-Ann Parylak, that she says is a must read for every parent about to navigate the maze of options.

I would like to say that once again New York Parenting is a proud partner of Volunteers of America-Greater New York’s Operation Backpack. In past years we have been instrumental in helping to put out the word about this organization’s drive to outfit children living in homeless and domestic violence shelters with a new backpack and other academic necessities. We hope once again that we will be able to impact their success through our readership’s generosity.

Thanks in advance and thank you for reading.