Today we begin a column by Cindy MacDougall, a young mother with four children. She will write about the stresses and choices that face parents, and the joys of raising her youngsters. And she'll write about what it's like to live in a culture where people ask her, "You have how many kids?" Watch for her twice a month in Family 4-1-1

'Mom, I'm hungry!" my nine-year-old son Alex announces as he drops his backpack on the living room floor. "And it smells good in here. Can I have some of those cookies?"

"Once you eat the carrots left in your lunch box," I say as he deposits the container of pristinely untouched veggies on the kitchen counter. He takes the carrots to the table, where his six-year-old brother Isaac promptly starts to eat them for him. I pretend not to notice; he has no idea there are whole grains and flax seed meal hidden in the cookie dough.

Ever since I had my fourth child last May and went on maternity leave, it seems all I do is feed one or more of my children all day long. Whether it's breastfeeding baby Edward, making school lunches for my two oldest boys or cooking a dinner my four-year-old daughter will eat, it amazes me how often they are hungry and how much they consume.

All this cooking and feeding has made me think more about what my kids eat. Like most parents, I try to feed my children a healthy diet, but lately figuring out what a healthy diet even means can be confusing. Fruits and veggies are always good, but what about everything else?

Should I be avoiding meat, and feeding them vegetarian? Should I be avoiding carbohydrates instead, and piling on the protein? Should they be eating low-fat? It all makes my head hurt.

Sue Fox, a 39-year-old mother of two and business analyst, says she has spent a lot of time thinking about the food she serves her kids, too. She and her husband Greg live in Esquimalt and serve Elliot, almost 5, and Amy, 2, at least two non-meat dinners a week: one with fish, and one vegetarian.

"The fish is for the health aspect of it," Fox says, "for the omega-3 [fatty acids], but it's also for variety and to expose the kids to things that aren't meat."

Fox says she only cooks one dinner, not catering to the children's likes and dislikes but making sure there is one part of the meal they will eat.

She says her biggest food concern is sodium. "A lot of food that's marketed as healthy and for kids is full of sodium."

Danielle Van Schaick, head registered dietitian at Dani Health and Nutrition Services in Victoria (www.danihealth.com), says sodium intake is something we parents should be watching.

"There aren't any foods that we need to avoid completely, but we do want to be aware of how much sugar, sodium, saturated and trans fats we're eating versus how much we need," Van Schaick says.

Canadians aged one year or older consume an estimated average of 3,400 milligrams of sodium daily, according to research, Van Schaick says.

Toddlers should have a maximum of only 1,500 mg a day, while older children should consume no more than 1,900 mg to 2,300 mg a day.

Van Schaick says parents should focus on feeding their kids, and themselves, three healthy meals and two to three healthy snacks a day. She says kids should not eat a low-fat diet; they need some fat for proper growth.

"Instead of trying to get them to eat a variety of foods each day, it's better and less stressful to aim for variety over the month."

Van Schaick's recommended diet is my aim with my kids. But is that diet the ideal for all kids and families?

Lori Brienesse-Frank says it's not what's best for her family. The 39-year-old is the mother of two boys. She doesn't give either of them any dairy products or gluten. That means no milk, no wheat bread, no cheese.

"My oldest, Jacob, has autism," Brienesse-Frank says. "I heard a lot of parents say a gluten- and dairy-free diet helped with the symptoms and behaviours, so we tried it."

Brienesse-Frank says Jacob responded rapidly to the change in diet. She says he had fewer and fewer meltdowns, and his speech, which was delayed, suddenly took off. He started to interact with other children.

Brienesse-Frank says she started the same diet for her younger son, Ellis, shortly afterward due to stomach problems, which promptly cleared up, too.

While I can't see myself eliminating gluten or dairy from my family's diet, or going vegetarian, I agree we need to think about what we're feeding our kids, and ourselves. I'm going to keep pushing fruits and vegetables, as well as avoiding unhealthy fats and packaged products. If I could just get my kids to prefer the green stuff to burgers, I'd be set.

Cindy.MacDougall@gmail.com