About the blog
Kids are cute and funny and they smell like rainbows. I get that. But they’re also smart. Scary smart. Smart enough to understand how food choices affect their bodies and the environment. It’s not enough to feed our kids real, healthful food. We need to teach them why we’re doing it. Children need tools to make good choices even after we stop filling their plates. And they need parents and other advocates to speak out against a prevailing but deeply flawed food culture that spoonfeeds kids and hopes we won’t notice.
I’m convinced that food is a fundamental issue of our time, radically affecting children’s health, behavior and well-being, and, frankly, the continued existence of the planet. This blog is my attempt to further the conversation. I share my personal experiences raising my young daughter, as well as ideas, tools and resources. I also report on related news, research and issues. I hope you’ll join the discussion.
About me
My name is Christina Le Beau, and I’m a longtime journalist who worked for newspapers for 10 years before going solo as a freelance writer. In my reporter days, I covered business and health care, honing a research obsession, geekworthy interest in details and low tolerance for bull. As a freelancer, I still cover business, especially if there’s an environmental angle. But mostly I write about topics like those I follow on this blog, namely food literacy and sustainability, with a good dose of food politics.
Some of the places my work has appeared: American Gardener, BusinessWeek, Crain’s Chicago Business, Edible Finger Lakes, Kiwi, Metropolis, New York Organic News (NOFA-NY), New York Times, Preservation, Rochester Magazine, Salon, the Smart Set, Upstate Gardeners’ Journal, Vegetarian Times, Wall Street Journal and Working Mother.
I live in Rochester, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, where I’m active in the sustainable-food community, including serving on the advisory board of the South Wedge Farmers Market.
For more insight into who I am and why I blog, check out this Q & A with our regional parenting magazine.
About the banner
So cool, right? Artistry by Kelly Cheatle of Greener Pastures Design & Illustration.
Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, all content on this blog is copyrighted and owned by me, so please, play nice. Links are great, obviously. Excerpts are, too, so long as full and clear credit is given, along with a link back to Spoonfed. For any uses beyond this, please contact me.
Advertising
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Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2010-2011 Christina Le Beau 
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So excited to be seeing something like this! I will be a regular looking for insight on how to continually educate my daughter about healthy food choices! Thank you!!
Thanks so much for visiting! My next post will be up later today. Looking forward to having you be part of the discussion.
Congrats!!!! Looks great!
Thanks so much. I appreciate that you stopped by!
I came across your blog today while doing a Google search about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution show (my husband and I adore Jamie Oliver – we would own every single one of his cookbooks if we could afford it). Excellent blog concept – I’m putting it in my Google Reader! You don’t indicate what state you’re in … our family recently moved on a job transfer from Washington DC to the fattest state in the Union, good ol’ Mississippi. Let me tell you, there is a WORLD of difference between the food selection in DC compared to here. It’s mind-boggling.
So glad you found the blog! I’m in western New York, and we’re fortunate to have not only thriving local agriculture, but also excellent grocery stores. I know it would be a lot harder to make the choices we do without those resources, so I really admire your commitment. I look forward to seeing you again and hearing your thoughts about the show.
Just came across your blog vis fooducate and love it. Thanks!
Thanks, Eva. I look forward to seeing you again.
Great to meet you last night at the 2 Angry Moms viewing. Wonderful blog!!
Great meeting you, as well. Hope to see you here again!
Very cool blog. My sister lives in Rochester and we cannot wait to eat at The Owl House!
Thanks for checking out the blog. Your farm-to-table program sounds great!
I would love to “fan” you on Facebook-will you have a page there soon?
This is becoming a frequent request… so I’m thinking I must! Probably not right away, but I’ll definitely add it to my priority list. Thanks for asking, and thanks for visiting.
Hi! Just an fyi that I linked to your very thoughtful blog on my fb page. Love your insights.
Best wishes.
Well, thanks, Erica. So nice to find another kindred spirit.
This is one of the better (political) food blogs. You have to stay on top of those rascals.
We are getting some referred trafic from you, but can’t find the link. Perhaps it for our “Healthy Highways: The Traveler’s Guide to Healthy Eating.” Thanks
Healthy Trails,
David Goldbeck
HealthyHighways.com
Thanks, David. And yes, I mentioned “Healthy Highways” in this post: Real food on the road. That book has saved many a road trip!
Hey Christina – a fellow food loving Rochesterian here! Fun to find other like-minded local foodies. I’ll keep my eye peeled for you at the SWFM!
Alison, a belated hello back to you. And yes, always great to find a fellow Rochesterian with food on the brain and the SWFM on the itinerary. Look forward to seeing you around here and there.
Thank you so much for this site. It’s time to start educating our kids about food, real food, and it starts right from birth. It’s time to take a stand and refuse the same old same old just because it’s easier or the norm. It’s time to prioritize our health BEFORE we suffer from an illness and damage our bodies.
I just found your site and I love love love it! I also live in Rochester and have a young daughter who will soon be starting school so your posts about school lunches and how to advocate for better options are very inspiring. Thank you for offering such a great resource!
Well, I can understand your concerns about selling cookies once a girl scout, and cookie sale is the biggest fundraise event in girl scouts, but I think you are beefing mislead on what girl scouts is about. I do have a troop and nobody is required to sell cookies. You can sell Fall Products and you can organize any type of fundraising you want. Don’t diminish the purpose of girl scouts because of your food preference.
Great blog!