Healthy Kids Weekly Discussion: What STEPS have you taken to make your household a healthy-eating home?

I introduced my five year old to bottled water. I didn't make a big deal about it. I just bought it. He loves it, I think it has something to do with having an individual bottle. He has given up sweet drinks completely and when he craves a sweet drink he reaches for Apple juice or Orange juice.

We've agreed to a healthier family, and have a large variety of fruits and vegetables to choose for snacks (as well as unsweetened yogurt smoothies). We're still working on it, though... sugar addiction is a hard habit to break!

I try my best to go organic as much as possible. It is frustratingly expensive, but I feel better being more natural and less about all the processed food. My kids are totally (just about) antivegetable, so I keep as many fruits as I can around. I also don't discourage their consumption of much loved hummus; it is definitely something their dad and I love and as long as they keep devouring it, I will keep having it.

My kids and I read food labels and talk about the nutritional value of the food we eat. I try to be a good example for them, as well.

It is hard to plan a complete and nutritious meal especially after working at a physical job all day. My kids are gone but my need for a good diet is important. I do not do well. It is expensive to plan a healthy meal especially for one as food often gets bad before I eat it all. But I take a vitami9n for my eyes which are close to macular degeneration and a multi-vitamin to try to get some good vitamins.

We eat as much "real" food as possible. This keeps the diet healthy and reasonably inexpensive.

One thing my kids swear they'll put on my grave stone: "Don't eat those carbs without fat and protein!" When I implemented that rule in my house, it was amazing how I stopped hearing, "I'm hungry, I'm hungry" and the behavior got better.

We drink and eat full-fat everything since fat is the very best appetite suppressant.

I also do not forbid candy and junk - even buy candy for breakfast like Pop-tarts once in a while (but they have to have eggs or at least a glass of whole milk first).

I have kids in the 80-90+ percentiles and my pediatrician remarks every year how nice it is to see good, healthy kids for once.

We have wholistic family health care and manage our ADHD and anxiety with a very skilled homeopathic practitioner. The our whole family takes high quality vitamins, fish-oil, and lots of play and down-time.

I do wish we'd all eat more vegis though. It's easier in the summer with our garden. We live in a nice neighborhood in the city and they walk to/from school many days, and did I say, lots of PLAY?!

We've switched to multigrain bread, and are trying to cut out foods with high fructose corn syrup. You have to read the labels very carefully- a lot of things you wouldn't even think contain it do. It's really bad for you.

the smallest member of the household is still on formula. My husband and I eat plenty of vegetables, but we have a difficult time getting the 19 year old mother of the infant to eat her vegetables. However, fruit is not a problem, so she goes for that instead.

I will admit we have more unhealthy food in our house than we probably should. I do make sure we always have fresh fruits and vegetables on hand, and lately I've been trying to choose natural and organic foods when possible. During the warm months I like to visit our local farmer's market and buy lots of seasonal fruits and veggies; on the weekends I can also buy eggs and baked goods from local farmers, and occasionally I'll even buy meat from them. I personally prefer whole-grain bread and pasta, but my husband and kids avoid whole grains like the plague. So I give them the white stuff and try to make up for it by giving them other healthier foods as well.

I just try to provide the makings for a really clean diet for everyone, shopping the perimeter of the supermarket.

I buy treats here and there, though, for the kiddo.

I try to make the healthy foods more appealing than the junk food.

We have NO chips/crappy snacks in the house. Our snacks are blueberries, oranges, bananas, apples, raisins, and grapes. We've pretty much eliminated pre-packaged foods and cook from scratch. I make a lot of casseroles because of the ease of "stealth nutrition" - it's how my toddler gets at least one green vegetable every day. it's "hiding" in the casserole!