Childhood obesity is a rampant epidemic in the U.S. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 20 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. As a parent, you have a unique opportunity to be part of a solution to this growing concern, meeting the problem of childhood obesity head-on and taking measures to avoid the potentially lifelong consequences surrounding this condition. Here are six ways you can lay a solid nutritional foundation for your children:

1. Establish motivation for your children to eat well. Help identify motivators with your family that are personal and individualized, and use these to encourage healthful food choices.
2. Make good foods easily accessible for children. When children head to the pantry or refrigerator for a little something to eat, more often than not, they will reach for the first thing visible.
3. Establish a regular schedule for meals and snacks. Sticking to scheduled meal and snack times encourages a healthy attitude toward food and an understanding of its purpose.
4. Get children involved in grocery shopping.
5. Get children involved in cooking. This can result in a bit of extra cleanup, but when children become more familiar with simple meal preparation, they learn that healthy cooking can be easy and fun.
6. Limit your child's beverage menu – especially sodas and juices. At 100 to 150 calories and nearly 30 grams of sugar per can, sodas boast no nutritional value whatsoever and can contribute to cavities, childhood obesity and diabetes.

Remember, teaching your children the fundamentals of proper nutrition is just like teaching them how to ride a bike – once they learn, they never forget.

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You've got the savings account, the checking account, the 401k – maybe even the investment fund or the college savings account. Now consider joining the 3 million Americans who have invested in a health savings account (HSA).

With the future financial stability of Medicare in question and the cost of health care rising exponentially, the outlook is bleak, at best. You can protect yourself against these risks using a health savings account to gain tax-free savings for future health care expenses.

The tax advantages of HSAs are what sets them apart from other tax-advantage programs. Not only is the money deposited into the account tax-deductible, but the interest earned and any qualified withdrawals also are all tax-free. Moreover, the HSA, unlike a standard health insurance plan, in which your premiums are "lost" forever, ensures that your money goes into a savings account. You choose which providers you see and what health care you use, as long as HSA funds are used only for "qualified expenses."

If you want more control over your health choices, get the facts on how a health savings account works and how it could help protect your future. Remember, a HSA isn't right for everyone, so find out more from your health insurance representative today.

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Never settle for second best, right? Then you shouldn't settle for the cheapest, easiest or fastest option when it comes to nutritional supplements, either. Because of changes in agricultural procedures over the past several decades, eating a well-balanced diet no longer adequately supplies adequate amounts of life-sustaining minerals.

In addition to purchasing organic foods and eliminating processed and synthetic foods from your diet, you can improve your health by choosing the right nutritional supplement. Four basic kinds of vitamins are sold today:

• Natural. A "natural" vitamin is a concentrated nutrient derived from a quality natural source, with no artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives.
• Synthetic. Although synthetic vitamins are inexpensive, they can cause toxicity and are far less effective than natural vitamins.
• Organic. These whole-food-derived nutrients minus the insecticides, pesticides and herbicides can suffer less-than-optimal absorption due to the technology used to press them into tablets.
• Carbon-bond organic. A carbon-based organic supplement has living carbon wrapped around its nutrients, which is cold-processed to preserve the living matter in the product. These supplements may derive the maximum nutritional benefit, with no known risks or side effects.

In many cases, it's better to take no supplement at all than to take a poor one. Follow these guidelines for choosing a nutritional supplement and you too can find the best source of vitamins and minerals for your body.

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