Teach good eating habits early

(HealthDay News) -- Families that regularly eat healthy dinners together often encourage children to make healthier food choices.

Here are suggestions on how to make family dinners both healthy and convenient, courtesy of the National Dairy Council:

• Plan to include three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt per day to boost calcium intake.
• Use the Food Guide Pyramid as a tool to make sure your family is getting plenty of nutrients. Choose different foods from each of the categories to keep variety in your family's diet.
• Plan your meals ahead, and buy groceries in advance. This can help prevent opting for an easy, less healthy option when nothing else is available.
• Keep plenty of healthy ingredients on hand so that it's easy to prepare a quick, healthy meal at home.
• While it's good to include some of the family's favorite foods and dishes in your meals, it's also important -- especially for children -- to try new foods and develop new tastes.

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