Teaching your child to read food labels builds a foundation for better choices as they mature and start grazing the hot lunch line, a friend's pantry or the corner store. I'm not saying kids need to shout out calories and fat before ripping open a granola bar, but label awareness can foster a healthier perspective.

Here's one example: I've been teaching my son to pay attention to 'grams of sugar per serving' on food labels for over a year now. A first grader, his reading skills are taking off and I'm seeing the payoff. Earlier this week he came home and, unsolicited, informed me his carton of white milk has 12 grams of sugar.

Since he's now an all-day schoolkid, we made a deal he brown-bags-it and grabs white milk four days a week, then splurges on hot lunch with chocolate milk the remaining day. Two days ago, after his hot lunch day (pizza, of course), I asked him how many grams of sugar were in the chocolate milk. He was quick to report it had 27 grams of sugar -- yech. He's now looking at chocolate versus white milk through a nutrition-focused filter, putting more value on white milk than he ever did before. Moving along at a first-grade pace, I think the next lesson will be reasonable calorie totals in a snack or a meal, then we'll start chatting about the benefits of fiber. Check out these nutrition education tips for preschool, K-3rd and 4-6th grade, the Nutrition Cafe for kid-friendly nutritional games and the USDA's MyPyramid games 'n tools for 6-11 year olds.

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Along with math, science and reading, should public schools be teaching kids about things like nutritional science? I've lamented the fact that financial and money management is not taught in many public schools these days, but neither is much about nutritional choices.

Are we setting kids up for failure by not equipping them with the most practical tools for survival in this country? That could be debated for years, but the simple fact is that taking care of oneself is probably the best goal one can have -- ever. But, how do we learn to do that?

It's generally up to the individual from what I have seen. But, a little help from the public education system would be welcome any time I think.

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Do you let your kids eat whatever they want, all the time? In many respects, an introduction to lifelong proper nutrition can start as early as four or five, before kids get used to all-things-sweet, candy, pop and other non-nutritious stuff.

How to do that? A firm hand and proper preparation are key, and although it's very hard to get kids to eat things that aren't filled with chemicals and taste enhancers (as well as so much sugar), it'll save them a lifetime of eating bad if habits can get started early.

Instead of Ho-Hos, try packing a different fruit in that lunch bag...

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When is the best time to start teaching children about healthy, nutritious habits? Perhaps when they are 6 or 7 years old, according to Bobby Jones of Milan, Ohio. Bobby's farm is used as a backdrop to teach "Veggie U" to kids all kinds of aspects of nutrition, using fresh vegetables as the backdrop of the curriculum.

The "Veggie U" program is usually taught over five weeks in the classroom in 21 states, and Veggie U organizers expect the program to reach 500 classrooms by the end of this school year. I say that this is a wonderful way to get kids excited and participating in such a healthy line of information, and hopefully one that will stick with them for good against the daily assault of very unhealthy foods, snacks and soft drinks that kids face these days.

With childhood obesity being such an alarming problem these days, programs like this are needed now more than ever. Says Kelly Bohn, a fourth-grade teacher, "If they have a choice between an apple and a Snickers bar, hopefully they'll think about it and weigh out their options." My sentiments exactly -- education and knowledge is power, and especially for kids.

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