“The Complete Beck Diet for Life” (Oxmoor House, $24.95) serves up a heaping plate of willpower and tough love. Judith Beck, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, employs the empowerment techniques of cognitive therapy to conquer bad eating habits and negative thinking.

Dental decay is on the rise again among U.S. preschoolers, and frequent treats may be one culprit. But the amount of starchy, sticky foods children eat may matter less than how often they eat them. That’s because enamel-eroding acids linger in the mouth for 20 minutes after each snack session. So allowing your little princess to devour Easter candy in one sitting instead of doling it out piecemeal is a lesser evil “from the point of view of cavities,” said Dr.

Being sneezed on by a giant nose, pumping a heart, marveling at mucus, disco dancing and counting the skeleton bones are just a few of the interactive activities geared for the 8-and-under set at “Sesame Street Presents: The Body.”

If you’ve ever read a food label, you’re familiar with the unpronounceable, multisyllabic alphabet soup that makes up ingredient lists. What do they mean, and what are they doing in our food? “Eat Safe: The Truth About Food Additives From Aspartame to Xantham Gum” (Running Press; $9.95) is a pocket-size guide to additives that color, preserve and flavor the food we eat.

If you’ve wondered what it takes to get aboard a Tournament of Roses float with its flurry of flowers on New Year’s Day, in the case of Kaiser Permanente’s entry, the answer is this: Courage.

Things to help keep you focused on health this week.

Things to help keep you focused on health this week.

Things to help keep you focused on health this week.

Things to help keep you focused on health this week.

It’s no secret that children from 6 months to 18 years visit the doctor and emergency rooms more than those 20 to 45 years old.