Keeping your children healthy is a worthy goal for all parents, especially when we hear about epidemics of childhood obesity and the related Type 2 diabetes risk. But you don't need to monitor your child's every move to instill healthy habits in your children.

Even though we are surrounded by fast-food restaurants and ads for sugary foods, we can build healthy bodies and healthy attitudes. Your children learn from what you say, and even more from what you do. Make a healthy lifestyle a family affair, with nutritious family meals, fun physical activities, and productive ways to deal with stress and emotions. These can help you reduce your children's risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Here are 11 principles for growing healthy children.


1. Be a positive role model. Research reveals that in terms of overweight, children often follow in the footsteps of their same-sex parent. Daughters of obese mothers tend to have weight problems, and sons of obese fathers have a greater tendency to become obese. What better reason could a parent have for adopting healthier eating and exercise habits than the children's ultimate well-being?
2. Eat for nutrition, not for comfort when stressed or to relieve boredom. Discuss briefly what benefits each nutritious food provides. Help your children learn healthy ways to deal with stress and boredom.
3. Focus on natural, whole foods, especially whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat organic milk and lean protein.
4. Make regular exercise and physical activity a family affair, but make it fun. Take long walks, ride your bikes, go on hikes, play active games (but don't be competitive). Aim for an hour of movement every day. It will be great for all of you.
5. Watch out for the deadly triad of sugar, salt and fat. These ingredients in fast foods and snack foods trigger your appetite and make you want to eat more and more of unhealthy foods. Keep these foods out of your home. Have healthy fruits, vegetables and other snacks available.
6. Along with minimizing regular sugar, watch out for high-fructose corn sweetener. In particular, avoid high-calorie sweetened soft drinks and those pseudo juices, fruit-flavored drinks that are loaded with sugars.
7. Make sure your children always have a good breakfast (and you too). It's important for health and growth, for learning in school, and for appetite control later in the day.
8. Eat dinner as a family. Enjoy conversation as well as healthy foods.
9. Avoid mindless eating for your family and yourself. This often happens in front of the television or at the computer while playing games or surfing.
10. If you think your child is overweight, don't be critical. Any child who is fat or even chubby has already been teased at school and elsewhere by cruel children and sometimes adults. Keeping an eagle eye on your child's weight can backfire into eating disorders. Instead, focus on the positive by providing healthy meals, plenty of activity, and a good example. You can check with your child's pediatrician about a healthy weight, but again, we don't think a child needs to hear over and over that she or he is overweight.
11. Get involved at school and in your children's organizations to promote healthy meals, healthy snacks and physical activity. Don't let your child be in a junk-food environment at home or at school.

For more information on this complex medical topic, visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes.