Fruit is a great snack.

1. Take stock. Inventory your pantry. Have each family member (you, too) keep a diary of what and how much he or she eats for a week. Analyze the results for high-fat foods and oversize portions.

2. Learn the basics. Find a good book on how to eat healthfully. Cut fat from your diets by choosing lower-fat alternatives.

3. Reduce fat. Children as well as adults should aim for a diet in which around 30 percent of the calories coming from fat. Children over two years of age can eat the same lower-fat foods as the rest of the family. Just make sure they aren't losing weight.

4. Read labels. Pay special attention to the fat content. For a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, hold the fat to less than 65 grams.

5. Improve on your favorites. Many of your favorite foods can be cooked using alternate methods. Instead of frying, try broiling, grilling, or roasting.

6. Plan healthful snacks for kids. Choose low-fat cheese, wheat crackers, skim milk, and fruit, for instance, and offer them several times a day to keep up with children's high-energy lives.

7. Plan ahead. Map out a week's menu at a time and make out a grocery list. Last-minute fast-food solutions will be less enticing.

8. Be realistic. It takes a while to break old habits. Begin by eating on a regular schedule -- no meal skipping. Snack only at designated times. If weight loss is a goal, aim at no more than five pounds a month. Activate the E word: Exercise at least three times a week.

9. Expect setbacks. Everybody has times when they don't want to think about eating at all -- never mind how healthful. That's okay. Keep a positive attitude and move forward.

10. Reward yourself and your family. Anything from splurging on a new, exotic fruit for dessert to going to a movie can reward you for helping one another to eat right.