Family food

A recent study by Jennifer Manganello, associate professor at the University at Albany School of Public Health, took an objective look at the images and words used for advertisements found in parenting magazines and what they have to say about what's important when choosing food to provide for a family.

Graduates of the program, which usually runs for about six weeks and is offered for groups and individual families, are better equipped to make smart food purchases by knowing when different produce is in season, how long food stays good and how to extend the shelf life of some perishable foods.

Eat Smart New York frequently works with people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, giving tours of grocery stores and making associates available at farmers markets to help these families use their limited resources in a way that will benefit them the most.

According to an American Psychological Association study, children ages 8 to 12 will see almost 50 hours of advertisements a year.

"[...] showing someone 28 cubes of sugar in front of a bottle of a fashionable power drink and explaining that that's what the numbers on the packaging mean makes such an impression," Bueneau says.