• Make mealtime family time and set a good example. Turn off the television and try to eat at least one meal a day together as a family. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they watch adults and older siblings do the same (without complaining) at shared meals.
• Get the family involved in meal planning and preparation. Set guidelines for healthy meals and ask each family member to select a meal for the week by leafing through magazines, recipe books, or browsing online for healthy meal options. Grocery shop together as family and point out healthy foods as you go. Teach label reading.
• Make healthy foods readily available. Keep healthy snacks—fruit, whole-grain crackers, vegetable sticks, etc.—at eye-level in the pantry and refrigerator. Store these items in a variety of locations such as the car, in backpacks and purses, etc. so they are readily available when needed.
• Incorporate fruits and vegetables into favorite family recipes. Chop fruit and vegetables and add them to family favorites such as pizza, pasta sauce, soups, etc. for a quick and easy way to increase your family’s fruit and vegetable intake. (If there’s always “green stuff” – that is, chopped greens – in the food, everybody just gets used to it.)
• Eat a rainbow of colors at each meal. Incorporating colorful fruits and vegetables into meals with more neutral-colored proteins and starches is a simple way to ensure a balance of vitamins and nutrients at every meal.
• Balance good food choices with an active lifestyle. Encourage everyone in the family to be active, whether it means playing outside, being involved in sports, joining a gym, etc. Balancing healthy eating with physical activity helps each family member maintain optimum health.

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