With the fast food restaurant down the street, it can be a tempting convenience, but an unhealthy food choice for your family. It is getting harder and harder to please families with whatever type of meals you cook. Even packing lunches can be a struggle - the fruit and veggies get thrown out, while all that's left of the chocolate treat is the wrapper. Here, we give you tips on following the food pyramid, cutting down on sweets and giving your kids healthy food tips for life.

The Food Pyramid

The food pyramid is a recommended guide to how many different food groups should be consumed each day. Many people and parents do not even know the proper amount of servings they should feed their kid's. As concerned parents, your child should follow this food guide for healthy eating:

Dairy: 2-3 servings
Meat: 2-3 servings
Fruit: 2-4 servings
Vegetables: 3-5 servings
Grain: 6 to 11 servings

Spice It Up

A long time ago, healthy eating was dreaded at the dinner table. Thanks to new food inventions and creative new chef's, new seasonings and flavors can be added to almost any food recipe. Adding extra seasoning to bland food can make a huge difference with cooking healthy recipes for your children. Also, kid's love fun and different recipes. Plain peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren't as appealing as sandwiches cut into little animals or shapes. Let your creative and imagination flow when cooking for your kids!

Getting Your Kid's To Eat The Food

Get your child active in helping prepare lunch or dinner. Let them set the table and prepare the food for cooking. This will give them a sense of accomplishment and hopefully will give them the incentive to eat at the table. Mixing great flavor and color into your meals will get the kid's excited. We suggest trying "Make-Your-Own" Taco Kit, which gives kid's their own hands on food experimenting. Forcing kid's to eat their food is not the answer either. I have found that lots of children's eating habits are from habit and conditioning, too. Just imagine the nutritional impact you will be showing your child by eating healthy yourself.

Set a Limit to the Junk Food

Allowing your child to eat the odd chip bag or chocolate bag is okay. They are most likely not to complain or throw tantrums as much. Remember, always give them small portions of junk food. Tell your children that sugars can be found naturally in fruit. A great snack idea is to chop up the child's favorite fruit into a bowl of milk. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar over and eat with a spoon. Replace potato chips with trail mix, peanuts, popcorn or pretzels. Chop up veggies and serve with dip. There are many optional ideas that the kid's will love.

There are some nights in people's hectic life's when there is absolutely no time to cook dinner. This is when fast food comes in. Although fast food is fast, the food doesn't usually come with it. Try a healthier food stop such as Subway, Extreme Pita or Tim Horton's. If you end up in McDonald's, order small proportions. Keeping these trips to a minimum can help you enjoy at least one small fries. Savor and enjoy every last bite.

Janna Hagan is the webmaster and owner of Read more great articles on cooking tips and expert cooking advice at her website: