William H. Dietz, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P., is director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Loraine Stern, M.D., F.A.A.P., is associate clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and is a regular contributor to Wo-man's Day.brbrThe American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 55,000 primary-care pediatricians, pe-diatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Pre-vious AAP books include Guide to Your Child's Symp-toms and Guide to Your Child's Sleep. The Academy is headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.Peace at the Table:brThe Whys and Hows of NurturancebrbrOne of our favorite cartoons is "Baby Blues," by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. A young couple have two children, a preschooler and an infant. In one strip, the preschooler climbs up on a stool next to her mother and asks, "What are you cooking?"brbr"Chicken and rice," her mother answers.brbrThe child screws up her face, throws herself on the floor, and writhes, yelling, "Bleah! Yuk! Gaak!"brbrIn the last box, she lies quietly on the floor and asks, "What's that taste like?"brbrWhat we hope this book will do, among other things, is help you to be calm and effectual when faced with situations such as this.brbrMeals: Time to Relax and Enjoybrbr"Nurture" means "to care for" and "to feed." As we nurture our children, we often allow food to become an indicator of how well we are doing our job. As a result, food turns into a measure of how much our children love us and obey us, rather than a source of energy and nutrients. Food becomes emotionally charged, and mealtimes are a source of anxiety and tension rather than opportunities to relax, interact, and enjoy one