Appetite for Life: The Thumbs-Up, No-Yucks Guide to Getting Your Kid to be a Great Eater

Antine, founder of HealthBarn USA in Bergen County, N.J., and Westchester, N.Y., left a job as a senior v-p at an advertising firm to earn a master’s degree in science, food, and dietetics. From there, disturbed by news that children today may not live as long as their parents because of such lifestyle diseases as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, she answered her “career-changing wake-up call” and opened an innovative business that has taught more than 30,000 kids (HealthBarn runs summer camps, after-school programs, weekend workshops, and school assemblies, giving parents a break from the role of “enforcer, detective or martyr” when it comes to getting their kids to eat healthfully). The focus is on helping kids connect the dots between eating well and feeling good. Antine, who is not a parent herself (the kids call her “Aunt Stace”), says children are more likely to eat good foods when they are involved in the growing, shopping, and/or preparation. Information and education are part of the program—she gets kids reading labels and acting as “spies” who learn to search for additives and other unwanted ingredients. Frustrated parents will find plenty of encouraging and practical ideas as well as more than 100 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. (Aug.)