Tips for Your Peak Fitness and Wellness

This Month's Tip: Healthy Eating, Family-Style

A client of mine just announced a new rule she and the kids decided together: Only those family members who had eaten their 5 daily fruits and vegetables could have dessert after dinner. It reminded me of a former Prevention magazine coworker who, at fast food restaurants, allowed her sons to pick either a soda and side salad, or small French fries with milk—not both the soda and the fries.

The genius behind both strategies: Everyone is involved and has a choice. Eat your carrots and you can have your carrot cake, too. Healthy weight bonus: Getting the entire family on board is a great way to stick to your nutrition goals.

For more information: MyPyramid.gov's MyPyramid Plan gives nutrition guidelines based on each family member's age and activity level, so it's a great place to start. We especially like the MyPyramid Menu Planner—plug in a meal, such as bean burritos, and the computer automatically tallies up the food group servings so you can see where your family is hitting the mark and where you need to invest more effort.

KidsHealth, Kidnetic, and BAM! Body and Mind all have fun, interactive games and recipes kids will love playing and testing out while they build the education and skills they'll need for a lifetime of great health.