This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Good Enough To Eat?

Spanish Translation

Have apples and carrots replaced ice cream and brownies on your lunch tray? Have teachers told you not to bring cupcakes to class on your birthday? Third grader Jeremy Gould, of Beebe Elementary, in Naperville, Illinois, has noticed. "The snack has to be a fruit," he told TFK Kid Reporter Machaela Jensen. "We don't have donuts or anything like that anymore."

Food Fight

Schools across the country have made healthy changes in their cafeterias. Too many people are overweight. That includes one out of every five kids. Doctors and parents are worried. Being overweight increases a child's risk of serious health problems.

But Americans are having a very hard time slimming down. A big part of the problem is that we want to eat the wrong things. Fast food, candy, soda and breakfast cereal are loaded with sugar, salt and fat. Scientists say it is natural for us to crave foods that contain those things. And those are exactly the foods that are advertised most on TV.

We don't have to feel guilty about wanting our favorite foods. But we do need to learn to choose foods wisely (see "4 Tips for Eating Smarter"). Eating right shouldn't stop at the end of the school day. It should be homework for the whole family!

Next: A Discovery to Buzz About!