• Have a snack drawer or snack shelf with preassembled bags of healthful snacks.
• Keep a pitcher of cold water or water bottles in the fridge (provides an immediate, attractive alternative to soda). Stick with water and milk (1 percent or less). "Kids need to get into a routine of drinking water, not soda or diet soda," says Rex's Miles. "Your body just likes water better."
• Supermarkets tend to put sugary cereals at the eye level of kids. Healthier choices are usually found near the top of the shelf or near the floor. Look for cereals with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Avoid cereals that are colored.
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where fresher products are.

Watch for these

Lots of foods claim to be healthful, but are they? Because you don't have half a day to scrutinize nutrition labels when you go shopping, here are two of the more deceptive food claims made by food manufacturers, according to our nutritionists:

• Contains whole grains. A lot of cereals claim to have whole grains. And they might -- but maybe not enough to do you much good. Instead, look for cereals high in fiber. "They should have three to seven grams of fiber per serving," says WakeMed dietitian Julie Paul. "It will be on the nutrition label."
• Sugar-free. We derive a lot of our sugar from carbohydrates. So while a product may have few sugar additives, it may have plenty of sugar in the form of carbs.

Get the facts

For more information:

www.mypyramid.gov. Although the government's revised food pyramid has come under some attack, Paul says the pyramid's Web site contains a wealth of good information, especially on healthy foods to eat and good, simple recipes. "It's usually where I point parents."

www.kidshealth.org -- comprehensive Web site sponsored by the Nemours Foundation includes a variety of information on health and fitness, ranging from cooking with kids at various age levels to deciphering food labels to after-school snacks.

www.beactivenc.org -- For a sobering look at the obesity problem in the U.S., visit this state-sponsored site, click on Stay Active, then Statistics/Trends.

www.eatright.org -- Nutritional information from the American Dietetic Association.