4. Make It Taste Good: Kids won't eat if it doesn't taste good. Look for recipes - starting with favorite and familiar foods - that can easily be made healthier. Alere's Healthy Kids features hundreds of easy recipes for healthy burritos, pizzas and turkey bites, as well as ways to make better choices when buying school lunches. Zeitz also recommends encouraging youngsters to get involved in preparing foods with fun, age-appropriate activities.

5. Get Active Together: Make being more active a family affair. Your children will learn healthy habits from watching you. Find activities you can do together as a family, everything from walking to school together to spending the day hiking or biking. Remember, this is a long-term commitment. If you go back to old habits yourself, your children will probably follow suit.

6. Keep Track: Record your family's food choices and activity level. Over time this can be a useful tool in noticing changes and keeping you and your family accountable. Remember, if you stray off course, don't quit. Determine what led to the lapse - a busier schedule, lack of planning, etc., and find ways to get back on track. Remember to stay with it! Your family will benefit.

7. Be Positive! This may be one of the most important things you can do when encouraging better health for your kids. Maintaining an upbeat attitude -- and avoiding nagging or negative comments -- can help build confidence and make your child more willing to stay with a plan for a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy Kids was developed to reflect Alere's personal health support philosophy of behavior change. This means focusing on realistic, sustainable actions that can help reduce health risks. The program is offered to health plans and employers as part of Alere's suite of wellness solutions, a comprehensive approach to personal health management that focuses on improving health based on the specific needs of each individual.

SOURCE Alere