Spotlight: Bloom Sisters Series by Brooke Stanton

(Bloom Sisters, #1-3)
Publication date: November 16th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

She’s terrified they’ll discover she’s a fake. Her sister is trying to flee their façade. Will lies ruin their pursuit of bliss, success, and love?

Box set: 700 pages of riotous romps through the sweet adventures of two women searching for that coveted life… and the perfect man.

Catie Bloom has built her entire high-profile career on a big fat lie. She may be America’s #1 Domestic Goddess, but her flawless marriage, immaculate home, and amazing culinary skills are all a sham. And when a major TV special risks blowing her cover, she’s in desperate need of more than a helping hand…

Natalie Bloom slaved for years in kitchens to shore up her little sister’s pretense. But her lifelong dream of owning her own restaurant is finally within reach. So when her hunky business partner skips town with her money, she needs her sibling’s aid to hunt him down in Costa Rica.

As the two sisters’ entangled lives plunge into despair, their future happiness depends more than ever on baring their souls and deciding who to trust. But with broken hearts, hopeless moral dilemmas, and the constant pressure to live up to impossible social expectations, their precious dreams are coming dangerously close to becoming nightmares…

Will Catie and Natalie’s authentic ambitions and ideal men all come together in a giant happily-ever-after?

Bloom Sisters Box Set contains all three books in this sidesplitting contemporary romance series. If you like crazy characters, flirty fun, and hilarious messy mayhem, then you’ll adore bestselling and award-winning author Brooke Stanton’s deliciously fabulous frolic.

Buy Bloom Sisters Box Set to cook up love and laughter today!

Excerpt

The Misadventures of Catie Bloom

My entire career is made up of lies. 

Not little lies, either. Big, fat explosive lies. It wasn’t meant to be this way. Of course it wasn’t. I’m not a psycho or a pathological liar. It started innocently—little white puffs of misdirection and half-truths. But here I am on the set of the biggest morning show in the nation, dishing out my lies to millions of people. 

There’s a scurry of movement as Holly Jenkins, the co-host of Wake Up, America!, leaves the living room set and joins me on the kitchen one where I stand behind the industrial metal counter. After reviewing her notes, Holly surveys the prepped ingredients in front of us: sliced beets and onions, walnuts, arugula, goat cheese, a halved orange, honey mustard, and a caddy with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

 “Welcome back,” Holly says to the camera, her hair, makeup, and couture perfect. “Joining me in the kitchen today is Catelyn Bloom from Simply Chic magazine. She’s here to show us the trick to making a gourmet salad in fifteen minutes.” Holly turns her dazzling smile to me.

“Right, uh…” I glance at my cards. I’ve done these cooking segments on Wake Up, America! a dozen times, but always with my sister Natalie in my line of vision, coaching me along. “Today, we’re making goat cheese and roasted beet salad.”

“Looks delicious.” Holly beams. “But there are a lot of ingredients laid out. How do you manage to make it in fifteen minutes? What’s the trick?”

“It’s easier than you think. First…” 

Oh, crap. The trick just up and ghosted me. What is it??

My stomach clenches. This is live TV. There is no cut and do-over. 

Natalie’s face appears to the right of the camera. She motions to the beets. Holding back a loud exhale, I fix my smile firmly in place.

Oh, right—beets.

“Instead of buying fresh beets—which take ages to boil and make your hands look like Lady Macbeth—buy canned beets. And instead of an entire onion—which you have to peel and cut and makes you cry off your mascara, giving you Panda-eyes—buy pre-sliced onions in the produce section. Then all you have to do is quickly slice the beets, place them both on a roasting pan”—which I do—“drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper, then stick them in the oven at three-fifty for ten minutes.” 

“It’s so simple!” Holly’s eyes widen as if I’ve just given her the cure for cancer, and I barely resist rolling my eyes. 

“While that’s roasting, whisk honey mustard, oil, and the juice of one orange in a bowl.” In the refrigerator, I pull out a plate of already-cooked beets and onions. “And when the beets and onions are done roasting, scoop them into a salad bowl with the arugula and walnuts, then add the dressing mixture. Voilà! The salad is—” 

From the corner of my eye, I notice Natalie waving her hands and pointing wildly. I snap my glance her way, following her finger.

“Erm… I mean, don’t forget the star ingredient—goat cheese! Crumble it on top, and there you have it. A gourmet salad in under fifteen minutes.”

“As always, delicious and so easy.” Holly takes a tiny bite with her fork, then washes it down with water. “Your husband is one lucky man.” 

I cringe at her words, and don’t dare look at Natalie.

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About the Author

After her own misadventures in New York City, LA, and London, Brooke Stanton now lives in Dallas, Texas. She's the bestselling and award winning author of the Bloom Sisters and Forbidden Romance series. Visit her website brookestantonbooks.com.

Connect:

http://brookestantonbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BrookeStantonAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/brooke_stanton_writes/

https://twitter.com/hibrookestanton

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15369787.Brooke_Stanton

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Spotlight: A Wright Christmas by K. A. Linde

Release Date: November 17

A new second chance single dad stand alone romance set in the world of the Wrights from USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde…

At seventeen, I left Isaac Donoghue behind to become a professional ballerina.
 
When I return home to dance in the Nutcracker, I never expect to run into him. Let alone on my first day in town. I can’t help but admire him in a crisp suit with his toned soccer body, chiseled jawline, and all too familiar piercing green eyes. I thought nothing could surprise me more.
 
Until his five year old daughter runs out of the ballet studio.
 
I’m only in town for a month. I shouldn’t get involved with anyone, especially the ex I’ve been pining after for years. Especially now that he’s a single dad with a daughter to consider.
 
But where Isaac is concerned, I’ve never been able to stay away.
 
With the help of some Christmas magic, maybe we finally have a shot at our second chance.

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Meet K.A. Linde

K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of the Avoiding Series, Wrights, and more than thirty other novels. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, binge-watching Supernatural, traveling, and dancing in her spare time.

She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super-adorable puppies.

Visit her online at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @authorkalinde.

Cover Reveal: Eventually Evie by Cat Lavoie

Publication date: January 4th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

How are you supposed to get your life back on track when the Universe won’t stop messing with you?

After a series of personal and professional setbacks, interior designer Evie Glass has lost faith in herself and the world. The last thing she needs is her loud, boisterous family poking their noses in her business, so that’s why she avoids opening up about anything—especially her love life—during their weekly dinners. Thankfully, her bestie and next-door neighbor, Matilda, always has her back.

When Evie is asked to cat-sit Matilda’s beloved rescue, she’s not thrilled at the prospect. One well-meaning mistake later and a distraught Evie is rushing her furry charge to the ER where she meets and is instantly smitten with Fletcher West, a charming veterinarian who seems to return her interest. That is until they both realize they’ve met before—ten years ago when he was dating her temperamental cousin. Fletch’s break-up with Bee put him at the top of her family’s hit list and makes him the last person Evie should be dating.

In addition to navigating a secret romance with Fletch, Evie must also deal with a demanding new job, an eccentric client from her former life, and an ex who’s suddenly blowing up her phone. She convinces herself she’s got it all under control, but what happens when things start falling apart and Evie learns she’s not the only one keeping secrets?

One thing’s for sure…

Eventually Evie’s got to take a chance—on love, on life, and on herself.

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About the Author

Cat Lavoie is a chick lit writer from Montreal, Canada.
She loves writing fun and quirky romantic comedies and is the author of BREAKING THE RULES, ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN, PERI IN PROGRESS and MESSING WITH MATILDA.

A fan of all things feline, Cat loves cats and hopes to someday have a house full of them in order to officially become a crazy cat lady. (But one or two cats will do for now.)

If she isn't reading or writing, Cat enjoys listening to podcasts (mostly comedy and true crime) and watching way too much TV. She fell in love with London many years ago and hopes to go back one day. Cat is currently at work on her next novel.

To connect with Cat and find out more about her books, visit CatLavoie.com and follow @CatLavoieBooks on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Connect:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CatLavoieBooks
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CatLavoieBooks
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/catlavoiebooks/
WEBSITE: https://www.catlavoie.com/

Spotlight: UpSpark by Nicole Wells

Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance

Get ready for an award winning story that reached Amazon's top 500 for all e-books (over 2 million), now fully revised!

Can they find themselves and each other before time runs out?

Enya's dreams of making a difference in the world are devastated the summer after high school when she finds out she has a fatal disease.

A cross country road trip to Native American reservations helps her find meaning. But Jacob, her best friend and traveling companion, has longed for them to become something more.

Their expedition is just the start of an amazing love and spiritual journey, but a one-in-a-million phenomenon changes everything.

Excerpt

Chapter One

Private Medical Practice

Silver Spring, Maryland

June 2017

    I'M WAITING IN THE EXAMINATION ROOM.  I've moved from the exam table to the plastic chair at its side.  I feel like I have more fortitude here.  It's a little more familiar and less lonely than being elevated and exposed on the exam table.  My mom is still in the waiting room.  I didn't really think it would best for her to be here.  I mean, Jesus, dad only died a year and a half ago.  But what if it's positive?  I wouldn't be able to drive myself home after that.  And I couldn't ask a friend.  It's just ... too much.  Too personal.

    I also moved to the chair because every time I moved on the table, every fidget, every deep breath, caused that damn paper to crinkle, like a mocking echo of my nervousness.  A refrain to my thoughts.  I decided I could do without the added exclamation of the too-loud crinkle in the too-quiet room.

    My thoughts circle around and around, only pausing when I wonder how much time has passed.  I refuse the temptation to check my phone, but then lose the fight to keep my eyes off the clock on the wall.  It's been three minutes.  Goddamn, but the brain can think a helluva lot of thoughts in three minutes.

    Happy birthday to me.

    My name is Enya.  I'm 18.  Newly minted.  Just a couple weeks ago, actually.   To most kids, that means another degree of freedom.  Moving out of the house, entering official adulthood, starting the rest of their lives, maybe beginning the independence of college.  To me, it means I get to take a test.  

    A genetic test.

I've been waiting my entire life for this test.  No, I've been waiting my entire life for the results of this test.  And I can wait a little longer.  I think of not looking at the clock and end up looking at the clock.  Another minute has passed.  

Are these my last minutes of freedom or the beginning of freedom?  The shadow of a death sentence will either become real or dissipate.

    My eyes drift to the clock again.  Thirty-two seconds have ticked by.

    I focus on benign facts.  Did you know that about 300 million cells die every minute in our bodies?  

    And that we replace about 48 million cells a minute?

    Or that every few years most of our body has recreated itself?

    Or that most of our body is made up of stardust?  Everything in our bodies originates from stardust, which is still falling and still recreating us.  There’s something beautiful in the impermanence of us from the eternity of stars.  I wish that thought could bring me the reassurance it usually does.

    Did you know that I want to be a doctor?  I know exactly the kind, too.  I want to do Integrative Medicine.  Yeah, all that kooky stuff.  I love it.  I really believe I've got my head screwed on a little tighter than my mom does since my dad died last year.  I credit my getting acupuncture and homeopathy.  People know it works, too.  That's why it's so popular.  I'm gonna be part of the movement that brings it to the forefront. 

   Despite waiting for it, the double rap on the door startles me, and Dr. Yee strides in before I can recover.  I could have chosen a different doctor to tell me my fate.  A genetic expert in a comfy conference room.  But Dr. Yee is my family doctor who’s a special combination of straightforward and kind, and I trust her.  She grabs the black wheeled stool and sits, leaning onto the examination table, facing me.  There is a computer screen hiding my medical records beside us, but she doesn't log in.  I want her to.  In my mind — I've prepared by imagining this playing out, and I used our prior visits as fodder for my fantasy — she logs in.  She shows me what it says.  Sometimes it's printed out; in my fantasy that usually doesn't bode well.

    She is staring at me now and I desperately, unreasonably, want her to show me the computer screen.  I don't want her to tell me directly.  Give me a buffer, let the windows to my soul have some privacy.  But the only shutters to my eyes are my eyelids, and my face feels frozen, eyes wide.

    I observe a part of my brain that is having its own conversation, that's analyzing all her mannerisms, like a poker fiend making bets.  Is that normal?  I've had this doctor for as long as I can remember, and she knows me.  And I know her.  And she seems extra doctor-y today.  I cannot marshal my thoughts, and a group of them tangent off, ping-ponging into a future of preordained death.  Other thoughts perseverate on the computer screen, while the background conversation of Dr-Yee-is-wearing-sunshine-yellow-today-what-does-that-mean distracts me from her words.

    She leans even closer and paper crinkles.  "Enya, I know you are prepared for any answer.  You've had extensive counseling."  

I've had, and I'm not.  My dad had Huntington’s disease.  It’s a fatal disease that’s passed on to your kids.  His mother had it and he had a fifty percent chance of having it, just like I have a fifty percent chance.  My dad decided not to get tested, but I want to know.  So I had to go through a lot of counseling to get tested.  Since there’s no cure.  It’s not a pretty way to go, but I’d like to prepare if I can.   But I’m not prepared for this like I thought I would be.  

    It's like when my mom gets her mammogram and then freaks out until the test results come.  If there's cancer, it's been there.  It didn't magically appear on the day of the mammogram.  The test just brought the possibility front and center and she's out of her mind with worry until she gets the results.  There's something in the knowing that makes fear manifest.  Ignorance is bliss.

    So I’m here, willingly giving up my bliss, and freaking out.  

    Because my dad started having symptoms on top of a midlife crisis and ended up killing himself.  

    Because the knowledge catches up to you.   It would be better to prepare.  Dr. Yee said I’m prepared.

    "You are prepared for this," she repeats.  The exam table paper crinkles sound their exclamation point, now like a cheerleading section, but I don't need an audience.  She's staring, and I think she expects me to nod.  I'm still frozen.

    "Enya, it's positive."

​Chapter 2

     THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT and there's a roaring in my ears.  I think I'm going to throw up and I don't care.  I couldn't move if my life depended on it.  What life?  Oh my God.  Oh my God.

     She reaches out and grasps my hand, a tether keeping me from falling further into the abyss. She's modeling deep breaths and gently squeezing my hand and her eyes are trying to catch mine.

     "This isn't the death sentence it used to be.  We have great treatments for the symptoms."  

     OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod.  She's got to be wrong.  Every test has its false positives, right? OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!

     "Enya, look at me."  My body registers her words and follows her command without the compliance of my mind.  Her kind brown eyes hold me steady.  She hasn't moved, hasn't changed except to clasp my hand, since she first sat down.  "Enya, take a deep breath in. And let it out."  I siphon in air through stiff lips.  I feel like a scarecrow, a mishmash of ill-fitting parts about to topple down.  I'm shaking.  My eyes are leaking.  Deep breath, she is saying.  My breath is a ragged and staccato in and out, like I'm learning how for the first time.  I feel if I stop this breathing I will fall apart.  I realize I am squeezing her hand when wetness plops on our grip.  Deep breath.  The echo of her words is resonating in my mind, like sounds heard under the ocean, registered but not received.  Breath, breath,  -athhh, -thhhhHH.

     Eventually, in the quiet of this rhythmic space, I see her again.  Her image blurs, I blink a tear free, and I see her again.  She squeezes my hand once more.

     "Enya, you are the same person you were when you walked in that door."  

     We've talked about this.  She's repeating things we've talked about.  Like my wooden body, a wooden automaton mind numbly clasps onto the concept and holds it close.  I nod.  The ocean spills from my eyes, a river down my face.  But I'm granite now, my face, my limbs, heavy, frozen, immobile.  Cold and detached.  Only a small section of my mind is whirring, not enough to run this body, but enough to grasp onto each lifeline of thought she feeds me.

     "There is no one hundred percent in medicine.  We have best guesses.  And our best guess is that you will be able to have a full and complete life.  You can have a career and a family if you want."  Yes, we have talked about this.  I thought I was prepared.  I thought I had taken it all to heart.  But somewhere, some dark unconscious passage along the way, I skirted away from letting the possibility fully sink in, like thinking about it would tempt fate.  I thought I was prepared, but this... this is riding out a hurricane on the makeshift raft of a door that is all that's left of the house you knew.  

     She goes on, but trivial thoughts of my college applications occupy my stupid mind.  It’s deteriorated into a hamster on a wheel, scurrying round and round.  What a waste of application fees.  What a waste of time editing all the application essays.  What a waste...

     My brain sounds an alarm as it hears the word “anticipation.”  This is medicalese for “it could get worse with each generation”.  Such an ill-fitting, stupid word to take the place of “poor prognosis.”  I remember talking about this too.  It's because it was my father that had it, not my mother, that I might have it worse and symptoms might start earlier.  

     Wow, the measure of good now is like a ruler through bug eyeglasses, some fractured thing repeating and magnified in its power over me, mocking what I used to know and how things used to be. 

     She mentions my mother and I surface from the abyss of my thoughts.  Do I want her to come in the room with me now?  There is an appointment with the counselor to go to.  We earmarked the time, but I'd hoped we wouldn't use it.  It's strongly recommended I have a loved one with me.  I fought it before, with all the hallmark independence of youth, but I see the sense now.  I force my wooden head to nod.  

     Dr. Yee cracks the door open and talks to someone in the hall.  She doesn't leave me, she doesn't let go of my hand.  I feel like an invalid with her concerned vigilance.  I will never know what it's like to be old, but maybe I am getting a glimpse now.  What weird thoughts.  I think I am losing my mind.  Maybe this is like being old too.  I guess I'll never know.

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About the Author 

Nicole Wells had been guiding people spiritually for over 10 years. In UpSpark, she weaves in everything she's learned in an emotional heartwarming journey, with a psychic paranormal fantasy twist. An observer of people and life, she crafts inspirational romance stories that make you laugh and cry, reflecting our human condition with tenderness and hope. This New Adult contemporary romance is her debut novel. 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram *Amazon * Goodreads 

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Spotlight: Bella Cigna by Wendi Dass

Genre: Chick-Lit, Contemporary Romance 

Devastated by personal loss, Sarah Flynn escapes to Rome where she finds a job teaching English. Only the girls' school is like a nunnery and she's expected to speak fluent Italian overnight. What has she gotten herself into? While the beautiful sights rekindle her interest in art, not even her brush finding canvas can heal all the wounds she carries. She'll need the help of a meddling nun, a nutty mathematician, and a handsome Italian admirer. Can Sarah overcome the insecurities born of a shattered marriage? Will she again take a chance on love? 

Excerpt

Eduardo laughed again.

His laugh wasn’t loud or overbearing but a genuine expression of amusement. His eyes, so rich with warmth, smiled, too. For a moment, she lost herself gazing into them, even after his laughter subsided. She cleared her throat and stepped toward the table, where she pretended to busy herself with collecting the folders and handouts. “So, did you have a question?” She kept her gaze on the papers in front of her.

“Question?”

She stole a glance at him and nearly gasped. With his eyebrows pressed together and his glasses dipping to the edge of his nose, she knew where she had seen his face before. Michelangelo’s David. His eyes, his nose, and his mouth were all strikingly similar to the image she’d studied in college. And she’d studied the David closely: the toned biceps, the chiseled abdomen, and the intricately carved genitals...

A deep blush rushed her face, and she shifted her gaze to the desk. Why was she so embarrassed? She wasn’t undressing him with her eyes. Even if she had paid attention to the wide shoulders and narrow hips that now caught her eye, she needn’t be ashamed.

How long had passed since she had felt the warmth of desire for a man? Sarah swallowed hard and fanned her face. Apparently, long enough that even an innocent attraction burned her cheeks bright.

He relaxed his brows. “Are you all right?”

Sarah froze her fanning hand in mid-flap. “Oh...yes. I’m still getting used to the temperature here.”

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About the Author  

Wendi Dass is a math professor and author from Charlottesville, Virginia. Her writing interests include literary short stories, flash fiction, and novel-length women's fiction and romance. Wendi's short stories have been published in several small journals, including Black Fox Literary and The Ocotillo Review, among others. When she's not devising deceptively delicious problems for her students she can be found drafting her latest story.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads 

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Spotlight: Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families by Reshma Shah M.D., M.P.H. and Brenda Davis R.D

Nourish is an evidence-based, practical resource that explores the many benefits of a plant-based diet and provides parents with the tools they need to provide excellent and balanced nutrition to their families.

A proper, nutritious diet leads to healthier children. While nearly all parents agree, most feel that their children are not eating a healthy diet. This is not surprising, given the difficulties of navigating the nutritional landmines fueled by busy schedules, and confusing research about what diet is really best for health. Further, do the same rules for adults apply to growing minds and bodies?

In Nourish, parents will learn:

● How a diet centered around plants can optimize health, prevent chronic disease, care for our planet, and be an act of radical compassion.

● Nutrition specifics for all the stages of childhood—from pregnancy and breastfeeding all the way through adolescence.

● Tips, strategies, and mouthwatering recipes to bring all of this information to the dinner table as families explore the wonderful world of plant-based eating. Best of all, the authors don’t insist that families have to commit to 100% plant-based eating if they are intimidated. Simply changing up your family’s menu a week at a time can really make a difference.

“In the end, what sets Nourish apart is not that it is expert; it is. Not that it is insightful; it is. Not that it is wise, comprehensive, or evidence-based; it is all that. What sets Nourish apart is that it is all about food for love.  Embrace this book, and it all but literally embraces you back. Is it a book, or a hug?  Maybe both. Lean in, and let this beautiful book nourish your understanding, your motivation, your will-power and skill-power alike.  Lean in- and taste the love. What could be more nourishing than that?”– David L. Katz, MD, MPH President of True Health Initiative and Founding Director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

Excerpt

10 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY FAMILY TABLE

Excerpt adapted from Nourish: The Definitive Plant-Based Nutrition Guide for Families by Reshma Shah, MD, MPH and Brenda Davis, RD (November 2020, HCI). More at nourishthebook.com.

As parents and guardians of children, we are tasked with ensuring that our family table is a place where cultural traditions are honored, community is celebrated, and each family member is well nourished. Sometimes balancing nutrition with joy and connection can be challenging for parents. Here are 10 healthy eating tips to make nourishing your family simple and mindful.

1. Eat a variety of foods from each food group. The greater the variety of foods included from each group, the greater the diversity of nutrients, fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants you will consume. When you make healthy choices from each food group, you establish healthy eating patterns that cover a lifetime of protection.

2. Make water your beverage of choice. Beverages can easily be the downfall of any dietary pattern. They may contain unwanted sugars, sodium, saturated fat, caffeine, and/or alcohol (in adult beverages). Water is critical to overall health and is the most effective beverage for quenching thirst. To increase water intake, drink it hot or cold, drink it with your meals and between your meals, drink it during physical activity, and carry a reusable water bottle with you. To provide a flavor boost, add fruit pieces, lime, lemon, mint, cucumbers, cinnamon sticks and/ or a frozen juice cube. Use soda water as a base to make it fizzy.

3. Skip the highly processed foods. Highly processed foods are major contributors to the excess consumption of unhealthy fats, refined sugars and starches, salt, and potentially harmful food additives. Examples of highly processed foods are fast foods, deep-fried foods, sweet baked goods, sugar-laden ice creams and frozen treats, salty snacks, candy bars, candies, and sweet beverages. While you don’t have to eliminate these foods altogether, consider reserving them as occasional foods in your family’s diet. To curb intake of highly processed foods, start by slowly replacing some of these foods with healthier options. For example, instead of store-bought cookies and muffins, try making homemade baked goods with nutritious ingredients; swap out French fries for oven-baked “fries.”

4. Keep sodium intake moderate. Over 70 percent of our sodium comes from processed food, about 15 percent is naturally present in whole food and only about 10 percent comes from salt added during cooking and at the table.  The balance comes mostly from water and dietary supplements. So, reducing processed foods will put a major dent in your sodium load.

Be aware of foods that are hyper concentrated in sodium such as pickles and olives, as generous intakes can quickly lead to excess. You can easily adjust the amount used in cooking and at the table, if need be. Kids can overconsume sodium as well, and as diet habits are formed in childhood, reducing intake can help promote long-term health.

5. Read food labels. Food labels can supply information that will help you to make more healthful choices. The most valuable information is provided in the nutrition facts and ingredient list. The Nutrition Facts provide information about serving size, calories, and some nutrients (as a percent of the Daily Value). The ingredient list tells you about the ingredients in order of their weight in the product. It is common practice to try to fool customers by including multiple forms of less desirable ingredients such as sugar, so they all end up lower on the ingredient list. For example, instead of listing 16 grams of cane sugar per serving, a manufacturer might list 4 grams each of cane sugar, dextrose, maltose, and corn syrup. You can use the food label to help you compare products and choose those with less sugar, less salt, less fat, and more fiber. Additionally, nutrition claims (“high in fiber,” “low in sugar,” or “high in protein”) are often depicted on a label. Foods must meet specific criteria to make these claims, and generally the healthiest foods (think broccoli!) don’t require a label to convince you of their nutritional benefit.

6. Be savvy about food marketing. Food marketing is advertising that attempts to sell you a product. Most marketing is for products that are highly processed like presweetened cereals or toaster pastries, rather than for broccoli or blueberries. A significant amount of this advertising is directed towards children. Food marketing is designed to convince you or your children that a product is superior to its competitor’s (for example, in taste, convenience, or nutrition) or that it will provide you with some desirable outcome—higher energy, more strength, better looks, or a more robust social life. Being savvy about marketing will help you and your children to avoid being deceived by a sales pitch.

7. Prepare meals at home. Cooking your own food means that you control what goes into your meals, including the amount of fat, sugar, and salt. You will be reducing highly processed foods and saving money for healthier foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits. It’s perfectly alright to purchase some ready-to-eat greens, pre-cut or frozen vegetables, pasta sauces, salsa, pre-seasoned tofu, or ready-to-eat veggie burgers to reduce meal prep time.

8. Make your foods appealing and enjoyable. Making foods appealing and enjoyable leads to more positive eating experiences for your family. Take the time to present your food attractively by using colorful vegetables and fruits, herbs, and sauces. Kids love fun food, like bear-shaped pancakes or fruit plated in a flower shape. Be creative, adventurous, and open to experiencing new flavors. Weave in traditions from your family’s culture. Set an attractive table, light some candles, put on some soft music, and enjoy the company.

9. Eat with others. When you eat with others—family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors, you will connect in a valuable way. Eating together allows you to share your cultural traditions, to explore new foods, and to have quality time with others. Enjoy your meal at a leisurely pace, and get rid of distractions such as TV and cell phones.

10. Eat mindfully. Being mindful about your food choices means being more conscious about where your food comes from, how it is selected, and how it arrives on your table. It means experiencing your food’s appearance, taste, and texture, and appreciating the effort that went into procuring and preparing the food. It means being aware of your eating behaviors and trying to take steps to improve them, such as removing distractions, slowing down to enjoy your food, spacing meals and snacks, and creating an inviting environment.

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About the Authors

RESHMA SHAH, MD, MPH is an affiliate clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine and has been a practicing pediatrician for nearly 20 years. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children. Most Sundays, you can find her at the California Avenue Farmers Market in Palo Alto where she finds inspiration for weekly family meals. reshmashahmd.com

BRENDA DAVIS, RD is a registered dietitian and widely regarded as a rock star of plant-based nutrition. VegNews called her “The Godmother of vegan dietitians." She has been a featured speaker at medical and nutrition conferences in over 20 countries on 5 continents and is the author of 11 books on vegetarian and vegan nutrition. In 2007, she was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame. She lives in Calgary with her husband, Paul. She has two grown children and two beautiful grandchildren. brendadavisrd.com

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Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=8Y8-V2BexxI&feature=emb_logo