When was the last time your whole family sat down together for a leisurely evening meal with no interruptions or distractions? Aside from being a great opportunity to share your day and keep in touch with what's going on in each other's lives, meals together are a golden opportunity for you to get healthy food options in front of your child.

Making Meals Family Time

Placing a priority on meals eaten together also shows your child that you value time spent together. As children grow older, their extracurricular activities can cut into family meals, as can a hectic work schedule and other commitments for adults. Try to remain flexible in your quest for family meals. Make dinner earlier or later to accommodate family members, as necessary. When meals are moved later, make sure you have healthy snacks (raw veggies and dip, fruit slices) on hand to keep hungry kids happy while they wait. When family schedules make regular dinners together logistically impossible, then try focusing on breakfast instead. It may mean getting up an extra half-hour or hour early and getting your child into the early-rising routine as well, but the benefits gained are well worth it. For children who traditionally haven't been big breakfast eaters or who rely on prepackaged grab-and-go breakfast snacks, instituting a family breakfast is an excellent way to replace bad habits with healthy new ones.

Getting Kids into the Cooking Act

Cooking with your kids can get them more excited about family meals and about healthy foods in general. A self-professed veggie-hater who gets the opportunity to clean and cook her own can rarely resist at least trying the final result. You may find a more adventurous eater on your hands as you allow your children to play a part in choosing recipes, shopping for ingredients, and preparing foods.

As your children grow older, they may be less excited by the prospect of helping mom stir ingredients or setting the table. Move them up a level to menu planning — let them select recipes and even prepare a meal solo (or with you, under their direction). It's also a great way to teach them how to plan a well-balanced meal.

The Right Atmosphere

Retire the TV trays, and the television, at dinnertime. Conversation among family members should provide sufficient entertainment. If the phone rings during dinner, let your answering machine or voice mail pick it up. Better yet, turn off the ringer. Same goes for cell phones, beepers (unless you're on call for a heart transplant), and any other communications devices. Don't read the paper, work on your laptop, program your PDA, or introduce any other distraction to mealtime. Consider the family dinner the same as an important meal with a client or a first date. You wouldn't ignore your fellow diner in that situation, so keep your focus on your family and enjoying a healthy meal together.