Feeding your children right might seem to be one of life's greatest challenges, but it's a lot easier than you think. According to Elizabeth Somer, registered dietitian and author of The Food & Mood Cookbook, any child can eat healthier. She’s here to share some of her secrets. 1) What are some basic tips for getting out kids to eat right?

THE most important factor in making sure your child eats vegetables that you must be eating them and liking them at every meal. You model the behavior that your child will imitate, and if you or your spouse turns up your nose at broccoli, you can bet those "little trees" won’t ever grace the lips of your child.

Another most important rule to remember when it comes to food and kids is that it is the parent's job to prepare and offer nutritious foods, but the child is responsible for how much and even whether she eats. You can’t force your child to eat right. Your job is merely to offer only nutritious foods. Let your child pick and choose which of those foods he/she wants to eat. That way to avoid the power struggle that never works for getting your kids to eat better.

Of course, that means not stocking the kitchen with potato chips, cookies, toaster pastries, cheese whiz, Lunchables, soda, and other junk. If all you child has to choose from is nutritious foods, he/she automatically will make good choices.

2) Vegetables are the big problem. You say kids aren’t getting enough of these nutritious foods. So how do we get out kids to eat more veggies?

There are a few tricks of the trade I've used to coax a few more vegetables into my fussy son's tummy. Keep in mind what works for one child, may not work for another, but keep trying, your efforts will pay off in the long-run.

*a. Try fresh fruits. They're packed full of the same vitamins and minerals as vegetables. For example, a handful of dried apricots have the same or more vitamin A and iron as a half cup of cooked mustard greens. Often a chin-dribbling strawberry or orange slice is more tempting than a green bean.

b. Serve vegetables in different ways. If your child won't eat steamed carrots, try serving baby carrots with a dip or shredded carrots in a taco. Keep portions very small, such as 2 baby carrots or a teaspoon of grated carrots.

*c. Add vegetables to your child's favorite foods. I can get an extra serving into my daughter in her lunch by adding green peas to the chicken noodles soup in her thermos.

*d. Use your child's sweet tooth to your advantage. Drizzle a little maple syrup over baked winter squash or top ice cream with fresh fruit, rather than chocolate syrup.

e. Hide vegetables. Puree vegetables and add to stews, soups, or sauces. Add grated zucchini to muffins or spaghetti sauce.

f. Most kids love cheese. Try melting a little Cheddar cheese over steamed broccoli.

3) It’s probably not a good idea to coerce your child into eating vegetables by promising him dessert, right?

Never use food as a reward. When you tell your child she can't have dessert until she finishes her spinach, you're teaching her that spinach is a punishment and sweets are rewards, which can lead to using sweets to sooth moods later in life.

4) You have some good ideas for healthy snacks for kids. What are they?

Kids and snacks go hand-in-hand. Snacks already contribute about one-quarter of a child's calories each day, so they'd better supply equal amounts of vitamins and minerals. Parents can't take snacking lightly. Children are eating worse today then children did 20 years ago, with up to 50% of them eating less than one vegetable a day, obesity is in epidemic proportions, and many children are drinking soda pop instead of milk at meals. Make snacks work in your favor. Why buy chips or candy bars when there are lots of nutritious, kid-pleasing snacks that are easy to prepare. The secret is to keep nutritious snacks handy, easy to reach, and fun.

* Keep apothecary jars on the kitchen counter in easy reach of little hands. Fill the jars with nutritious snacks, such as nuts, dried fruit, fat-free crackers, dry cereal (Cheerios), low-fat fruit bars, dried vegetable snacks, low-salt pretzels, and other healthy snacks.

* Keep nutritious snacks at arm's reach in the freezer and fridge. When kids are hungry, they can reach for nonfat yogurt, baby carrots, cut up fruit, celery sticks filled with peanut butter and raisins, sting cheese, frozen fresh fruit pops, frozen yogurt (top with fresh fruit). Or freeze blueberries or grapes. My kids have been know to nibble away up to 1 cup of frozen blueberries while watching TV or studying, which supplied them with half their vitamin C needs a third of their fiber.

* Keep the cupboards stocked with nutritious munchies: soft microwave pretzels, raisin bread to dunk in apple-spice yogurt, whole wheat pita bread to fill with fat-free cream cheese and peaches, microwave fat-free popcorn, canned tomato soup to be made with nonfat milk.

* Bring foods with you. Keep a bag of air-popped popcorn in your purse or glove compartment. Pop the popcorn in the daycare's microwave while you're gathering up your child's backpack and lunchbox. It'll be ready for a quick snack by the time you are.

* Place a bowl of cut up fruit, such as oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, or more exotic fruits such as papaya or mangos on the table after a meal or while kids are doing their homework. Kids can chow down two or more servings, and even one orange or a half cup of honeydew melon will supply their entire day's worth of vitamin

* Have an assortment of nutritious snacks, such as fat-free bean dip and chips, a jug of orange juice, fruit and yogurt dip, on the table when the kids get home from school. Or, pack an extra snack of crackers, cheese, fruit, etc. in the lunchbox for those kids who are in after-school programs.

5) Many kids have a sweet tooth. Any suggestions here?

Every child has a sweet tooth. But that doesn't mean parents have to give into every sweet whim. Parents must limit sugary foods and other low-nutrient foods to ensure a child saves room for the fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, and protein-rich items they need for growth and health. Limit desserts to a few every week and avoid serving high-sugar items as snacks. Instead, let the sweet tooth work to your child's nutritional favor. There are lots of nutritious "sweet" treats.

o "whipped cream mountain" (a parfait glass loaded with layers of different colored fruits and topped with a dollop of low-fat whipped cream and a cherry)

o "peanut butter candy sandwiches" (mix equal parts wheat germ and peanut butter sweetened with honey and spread over whole wheat bread) The nutrients most likely to be low in a child's diet are iron, calcium, and zinc. 1/4 cup of wheat germ supplies 25% of iron needs and 50% of zinc needs of a 6yo.

o Use:

a. fruit canned in natural juices (not heavy syrup),

b. 100% fruit juices, preferably OJ. (Watch out for "Fruit Drink" or "Fruit Punch" or "Made with fruit juice" are all signs that the beverage is primarily sugar. Even juices made from apple or pear juice are more sugar than fruit.)

c. low-fat muffins packed with fruit instead of cupcakes

*d. graham crackers (plain or topped with peanut butter) instead of cookies.

*o Sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon sugar for a sweet taste.

o Make fruit smoothies with milk, a banana, a handful of strawberries whipped in a blender.

*o Mix low-fat kiwi-strawberry yogurt with 1 chopped fresh kiwifruit.

6) Is sugar really all that bad for kids?

Sugar may have been found "not guilty" when it comes to causing hyperactivity in children, but sugary foods replace more nutrient-packed foods in a child's diet at a time when nutrient needs are at an all-time high. Kids are guzzling more sugar today than any child has ever eaten in the history of the planet. That sugar load is contributing to the obesity epidemic, which will jeopardize overall health today and in the future, not to mention the toll sugar takes of developing teeth. So take advantage of your child's taste for sweets and provide a variety of naturally sweet, healthy alternatives.

For more of Elizabeth Somer's nutritional advice or to ask Elizabeth a question, visit her website by Clicking Here