A new study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says yes you can, even in preadolescents.  The results are valuable to parents because they not only support the theory that good habits can be taught at this age, but they also give us indicators of which food groups are most helpful in lowering cholesterol and overall body mass index (BMI).  For instance, you may be surprised to learn that girls and boys who consumed more dairy products were likely to have a lower BMI.  Also, children and their parents participated in a nutrition program with a behavior component, suggesting that good eating habits are truly a family affair.

Kudos to the NHLBI (part of the NIH) for sponsoring this study.  It is a terrific way encourage parents during a crucial time in their children’s lives.  It seems many of us think that by the time our kids are preadolescents, we have little control in teaching them better eating habits, but these results show it is possible.  We also see the effects of a food group they call the “desserts/snacks/pizza” group, which we already knew wasn’t the healthiest, but now we have evidence of cholesterol and BMI increases in our children.