In a report released yesterday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the organization cites benefits for children who eat organic food and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables—organic or not.

A new study conducted by Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity revealed something startling about kids: they're not as prone to choosing sugar as we may think. At least when it comes to breakfast cereals.

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From time to time, people have criticized Nicole Richie for being something of a ditz, for only being famous because she's famous, and for keeping bad company, but I'd like to send kudos her way for her recent decision to raise her children — 2-year-old Harlow and 7-month-old Sparrow — in a healthy and environmentally-friendly way. Celebrity blogs are reporting that Richie is "obsessed" with organic products, from food to diapers to clothes. Nicole even finds time to grow her own vegetables!

If you're interested in going green with your parenting, make sure you check out our organic parenting section. You'll find out how to get your kid to eat healthy food, how to raise green kids on a budget, and what kind of baby bottle to use for your newborn!

On The Daily Show’s Back in Black segment Lewis Black puts together a classic rant over the big push to make kids more eco-friendly. Shouting about kids pooping in a bucket and why killing Sponge Bob Square Pants is the perfect way to get kids green.

I’m a huge Lewis Black fan. So I love this! But just like anything, it starts with the parents. If parents care about the environment, so will their kids. And quite frankly, having your kid crap into bucket is borderline child abuse.

Via EarthFirst.

The report cards will be phased into schools during the next eighteen months:

The Public Health Council voted unanimously Wednesday to calculate student heights and weights, which are already measured annually, into a Body Mass Index measuring their overall proportions.

The results will be sent home to parents for students in first, fourth, seventh and 10th grades in a package explaining what they mean and how parents can best combat obesity.

Department of Public Health Medical Director Lauren Smith says Massachusetts will join Arkansas in notifying parents about a child's Body Mass Index. Eighteen other states require a BMI calculation.

Another way to slim down kids is taking soda and sugary drinks out of schools, if kids switch to water instead of soft drinks they’d cut 235 calories out of their day.

Via Fox News.

Julie Lumeng, MD, and Katherine H. Hillman, MPH, analyzed how 54 children between the ages of 2½ and 6½ ate when they were in groups of nine and three kids. Their study was published in the January issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Children ate slightly more in the larger groups when snack time lasted less than 11 minutes. But when snack time increased, children in the larger groups ate 30% more than those in the smaller groups, irrespective of the time they spent snacking.

The researchers believe kids in large groups start snacking sooner and eat more quickly, with less time spent socializing. They call this phenomenon “social facilitation,” which occurs when the brain’s normal signals of satiety are overridden by the sights and sounds of others eating.

If your children tend to eat too little, they’ll fare better having meals with family and/or friends at home, the researchers note. And “for the child who overeats, overconsumption may be driven by having meals in overstimulating busy or chaotic environments, as is often the case when eating out, particularly at fast-food restaurants,” they write. “Thus, the results also support recommendations to have mealtimes at home with the family, but for the purpose of providing a calm and peaceful eating environment.”

Book Pick of the Day: American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child’s Nutrition