What a year it’s been.  I’ve learned a lot reading the research. I hope you have too.

Following my tradition (started last year), here are my top 10 posts from the year.  I hope I picked a few of your favorites too.

In no particular order…

1) Why I Love High Fructose Corn Syrup. – “I love high fructose corn syrup. Not because it’s so tasty (mmm), but because it’s an incredibly clear marker of an inferior, ultra-processed food.  That’s also why I love health claims. And foods made with Real Fruit. They make grocery shopping fast and efficient for me.”

2) Conscious Parenting – “The gap between the lesson you think you are teaching, and the lesson your k ids are actually learning is where most problem-eating patterns are born.”

3) Donuts vs. Muffins – “If you give your monster a muffin in the morning, consider doling out a donut instead. Donuts score better in the nutrition department. And, parents are more honest about them.”

4) Raising Lawyers – “Our best efforts to instill healthy eating habits are doing something else instead: they are creating little lawyers.”

5) Pizza. Pizza. Pizza. – “Some parents encourage their kids to pound down the pizza 2 or 3 times per day. Can you believe it?”

6) The Happy Bite  – “When it comes to fruits and vegetables, what’s your goal? Do you want your kids to like them? Or just eat them?”

7) Manufacturing Magic – “Product claims (like magicians) never tell the whole truth, and the facts they “forget” are never trivial.”

8) “Do No Harm” Snacking – “What is a healthy snack? Is it primarily defined by the presence of ‘good’ nutrients? Or the absence of ‘bad’ nutrients.”

9) Why Toddlers Don’t Eat Vegetables – “Want to know why toddlers reject vegetables? Most parents inadvertently teach them to. No one does it deliberately, ‘Hey, we’ve got to stop this veggie-eating thing. It’s time to make sure Lucy loathes lima beans. But most parents teach their kids to prefer other flavors instead.”

10) When There Are No Good Food Choices – “Teaching Kids that a bagel with cream cheese is the healthy part of the meal is like teaching them the world is flat.”

I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation in 2012, and as always…changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.

Happy New Year!