Lamorinda Mom Joins 'Bay Area Parent' Magazine As Newest Columnist

Moraga’s Jill West, Registered Dietitian, mother of three, and author of 400 MOMS: Discover What 400 Nutrition Experts Feed Their Kids, can add one more feather to her cap, or perhaps more appropriately, one more side dish to her already very full plate: Bay Area Parent Magazine’s newest columnist.

     Just Try It, by Jill West, RD, makes its debut in the June issue of Bay Area Parent, with a wealth of ideas on getting the kids to eat healthy once school gets out. “Sometimes it feels like a “free-for-all” when it comes to children’s eating habits during the summer,” says West.  “The good news is there are many strategies that can help keep healthy eating a priority while enjoying the downtime of summer.”

West caught the attention of Bay Area Parent when she was a guest on NPR’s “Forum” program with Michael Krasny.  Coincidentally, West had already been interviewed by Bay Area Parent associate editor, Teresa Mills-Faraudo, about her book, 400 Moms and the growing concern of childhood obesity. 

“The more research I did, the more I realized the solution to childhood obesity comes right down to the parents, most commonly, moms,” explained West.  “We’re in charge of 15,000 to 20,000 meals before our kids reach adulthood!”

Beyond obesity, West and health professionals everywhere agree that the foods we serve our children can make a huge difference in their behavior, school success, sick days, health, fitness, and even their self-esteem, and the lessons we teach them early on will benefit them for the rest of their lives.  

But with both parents working, running a household, after-school commitments, homework, and modern-day stressors, getting something on the table that's fast AND healthy seems nearly impossible sometimes.

“We were definitely interested in Jill’s ideas,” says Bay Area Parent editor, Jill Wolfson. “We have a new food column, but it focuses more on multicultural recipes and kids getting involved in the kitchen.  I know our readers will appreciate Jill’s important information about nutrition and recipes.  It seems that parents can't get enough information about feeding their families.”

Wolfson is very pleased with West’s first column, which she describes as “excellent,” and requiring “very little editing.”  

“Jill’s message meshes well with some new offerings we have on our website -- round-ups of farmers' markets and u-pick-it farms and a blog post by a gardening mom, so I know our readers will love it.”

I’m a huge fan of Bay Area Parent,” says West. “They consistently present parents with information that have both national scope and local relevance. You won’t find better content in any other parenting magazine – local or national, and I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of such an important national network of local parenting publications.”

Info provided by Bay Area Parent and to see more: visit www.BayAreaParent.com and www.400Moms.com.