It's never to early to start teaching healthy eating.

Bringing toddlers in the kitchen during cooking time could be a great time for a little nutrition lesson.

This article discusses the importance of teaching children, as young as 12 months old, the importance of healthy eating. Yup, toddlers.

Well, it is certainly what I believe. We need to instill in their little minds how important it is, how much fun it to be healthy ... before they form their eating habits.

I think one of the fun things about toddlers and preschoolers is their vivid imagination. They are so easy to market to. We just have to make it fun. Put a big smile on, an enthusiastic voice and some excitement and the child is right there wanting to see what happens next. We can really use cooking time as a great opportunity to show kids healthy foods and how fun it is to be healthy, cook healthy, think healthy...be healthy!

I have my four year old niece here today and she loves to help me in the kitchen. We play "find the colors" with the fruits and vegetables. I find myself being a kid again, enjoying the littlest things.

The article also goes on to discuss a little stool, called the FunPod that allows kids to help in the kitchen at this young age. The FunPod is a stand-alone unit that brings the toddler to the worktop or kitchen counter top height. I am not endorsing this FunPod because I have not seen it or "played with it". If you want more information, the FunPod is made by Little Helper.