Dr. Vicki's "Kitchen Sink"

I have been interested in food since I was a kid. My mom was a working mother, so whoever got home first would start dinner. More often than not, it would be me. As you can tell by my name I have Italian blood and I was definitely raised on Italian food and culture. A family eating together is part of a way of enjoying life. But lately in the news, there is an inordinate emphasis on the negative aspects of eating. About all I ever hear on the subject of food is obesity, obesity, diabetes, fats, sugars and then there is: obesity. It’s enough to make any parent approach the kitchen with trepidation!

What I want to do with this blog is to bring back the fun in eating, along with the good nutrition. Prevention is the key to many of the problems we see today with kids’ eating woes. But pretty much everything you read discusses in a scolding, accusatory tone what to do after there is an issue. So I am going to discuss food from infancy, (and occasionally before the baby is born – although primarily that area belongs to the OB) to try and prevent problems. I also will be like “Law and Order” and address food and nutrition issues that are “ripped from the headlines”. Meaning, as things come up in the media, I want to discuss them on a timely basis.

What makes me uniquely qualified to do this? First of all, I am a pediatrician. Infants, in particular, have very specific dietary needs. That is why their needs are not addressed in lay publications. I have studied nutrition, but I also am a cook (as opposed to a chef). There are many doctors who know nutrition, but very few who also are working mothers who know what it is like to come home and have someone in the family yell “Mom, what’s for dinner?” the second they walk in the door! Professional chefs can give you (complicated) recipes; parents can write what they did, but neither of these have the expertise, nor are they reading the medical literature to make sure that they stay up to date.

So expect to find in this blog a fun read on surviving parenthood, while balancing nutrition, good food, family fun and whatever comes up under the topic of TYKES!