When most people think of healthy eating, they often don't think of the very first time you start  - the first year of life!  There's some new information about infant feeding to support good health (and a healthy weight!), that I think you'll want to know.

While most of us take the advice of our moms and grandmas when it comes to feeding our babies, sometimes that information need a little updating! I think it's important for moms and moms-to-be (and even grandmas providing information!) to become experts on their own babies, and to seek accurate nutrition information at this key developmental time (when the brain and nervous system are rapidly growing). Check out this new website (www.infantnutritioncenter.com)  that has amazing visuals about your baby's growth during the first year or life, and importance of the right nutrients. While you can find a lot of accurate information on-line, it's often way too technical and medical for practical take-home messages.

While breast milk is the always the first choice for infant feeding, the good news is that infant formulas are new and improved, and mimic the variety of nutrients present naturally in breast milk, when human milk is not available (there are a variety of reasons for this!). A wonderful pediatrician I know told me that "90% of his patients breast feed, and 90% use infant formula". Whatever you choose, these should be the only sources of food for the first 4 -6 months of life.

Of particular concern for some new moms that both breast milk and formula contain 50% fat. In our weight-crazed society, many wonder if all this fat will make our babies fat! Not true. Fat serves as both fuel, and the key source of essential fatty acids (called DHA and ARA) for brain and nervous system growth - which are key to cognitive function (brainpower!), visual acuity (part of the eye, the retina,  is actually a mini-brain) and many other functions.

But it's more than just the food. Watch for your baby's cues for both hunger and fullness.  Feed when your baby is hungry, and not solely by a set schedule. Discuss your baby's growth rate with your pediatrician, to determine if you need to modify your feeding type or amount.

When it comes to solid foods, by the time your baby is 6 months old, the needs for iron and other nutrients cannot be met solely by breast milk or formula. While cereal was the go-to starter food, it's now being rethought as to whether proteins should be offered first. The jury is still out on that. And nix the juice; babies should eat their fruit, not drink it (just like adults!).

My bottom line? Become an expert on your own baby. Look for science-based information on-line, in books and journals, and from personal networking and include your pediatrician as a trusted resource.

Be confident and informed, and you will have a well-nourished - and healthy weight - baby.

Should you pay more for health insurance if you weigh more? This is a hot-button question everywhere. Can you be denied insurance if you're too heavy? Check out the Today Show segment below on a family whose child was denied because of overweight.

While the pros and cons can be defended for each side of this debate, to move ahead as a nation,  I think we need to begin to link the mind-body connection to weight control. Obesity has multiple causes, including genetic, metabolic, psychological and environmental.

If we look at this in a black and white way - as either a biological disease (no personal accountabilty) or just a mental battle (all personal accountability) - there's no solution. When we connect the biological and behavioral aspects of weight management  - and provide better strategies to combine treatments in both areas - we can start to make a dent in the complex task of long term weight control.

What do you think?

We're all familiar with headlines popping up about "contaminated food". With food now a global enterprise (even though we're trying to eat locally!), there are many ways for our food to pick up dangerous bacteria - from the fields to our refrigerator. Plus, once it's in our homes and restaurants, there's plenty of opportunity for bacteria to flourish. So, how can we protect ourselves from foodborne illness and what are some of the top culprits to watch out for? That's the topic of my Today Show segment (watch below).

A new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) took a look at this. They evaluated the incidence of foodborne illness, based on CDC (Center for Disease Control) reports, and came up with a list of the top 10. The good news is that the FDA is working on new legislation to better monitor food-borne pathogens in the food supply - a very challenging task in our global food availability.

CONTINUE READING: More information on the riskiest foods