Best Eating Habits: The Top 10 List for 2010

   Healthy habits start at home. Here is a countdown of tips for the New Year to keep you and your family healthy at the start of this new decade, and for decades to come.

10. Start 2010 off right, right from the very start: Eat breakfast. A healthy breakfast provides energy and nutrients for the day ahead at work or school. An added bonus: People who eat breakfast are more effective at losing and keeping extra weight off.

9. Get more vitamin D. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently doubled their recommendation for vitamin D intake to 400 IU. There is emerging evidence linking it to heart health for adults, too. Food sources include salmon, tuna, eggs, fortified milk and orange juice.

8. Make menu planning a team effort. Talking through a few meal options (all healthy, of course) with the kids and incorporating their input gives them more ownership of mealtime. And the more involved they are, the more likely they are to be interested and to try new foods.

7. Drink less sugar. Eight out of ten kids and two out of three adults in the U.S. drink a sugar sweetened drink every day. Kids are in the process of developing their taste preferences, so training taste buds to prefer less sweet flavors early on is smart. Offer water, sparkling water with a bit of 100 percent juice, or low fat, no-sugar-added rice, soy, almond, oat, or even regular cow's milk.

6. Take the stress out of mealtime. You pick the food that goes on the table, so make it healthy and go for variety. Let kids choose what and how much to eat from your offerings. Don't over accommodate picky eaters-a lot of the fuss is about their asserting their independence. They won't starve and will learn to be flexible.