The earlier we work to instill in our children positive eating habits, the more healthy they will be later in life. The typical problems with the American diet are well-documented elsewhere, so I won't go into them. But a huge number of Americans never have fresh produce, never learned to cook, and rely overwhelmingly on frozen, preservative-heavy foods and quick meals from take-out or drive-thru restaurants. Needless to say, all of this contributes to the American obesity epidemic.

These problems are often generational. People don't know how to cook because they're parents either never cooked or just didn't have the time to show them. I like to think that the American diet bottomed out a few years ago, and that we're now on our way to creating healthier and more sustainable dietary trends for all. That would be nice, anyway. In any case, we have to start with the kids.

Shopping: To get your kids involved with cooking, start at the grocery store or farmer's market. Show them how to choose good produce, educate them on which fruits are in season in which months, teach them about organic and non-organic, and show them how to know whether or not a piece of produce is local. One of the reasons why farmer's markets are great for kids is that the fruits and vegetables often look like they've just been pulled from the tree, or from the stalk or the ground. They still show dirt, and they don't have that polished and packaged look of vegetables in the store. Exposing your children to the farmer's market will give them a strong sense of where their foods actually come from.

Preparing: And once you get the produce home, encourage the child to help out. Many parents are uncomfortable putting sharp knives in the hands of children. But if you supervise them closely, letting them use the real cutlery can help instill a healthy sense of responsibility. Alternately, you can give them safety knives and let them cut the softer produce.

Baking: Baking is a little like performing chemistry experiments, except it can be much funner, and you get a tasty reward. There's something slightly magical about how you can just mix a bunch of powders and liquids in a bowl and, with the oven's help, turn them into a beautiful cake or cookies. In my experience, kids are fascinated by this process, but too many parents have their children go do something else while the grown-ups do the baking.

Education: If you don't know a lot about nutrition and healthy food habits, you won't be able to pass food-related wisdom down to your children. Learn as much as you can so that you can give your kids accurate information. In this day and age, there are always so many dietary trends and rumors swirling around that it can be hard to know what's accurate. Make sure you're not giving your children second-hand inaccurate information. Stay up-to-date, and keep an open and honest attitude about food and nutrition.

Support: When kids get older, they begin to develop their own tastes and food preferences. If you wish to keep them interested in being healthy, let them follow their own path. If they wish to be vegetarian, why not let them try? It may only be a phase, but if not, vegetarianism can be quite healthy. And if they're no longer interested in helping out after a certain age, it can be pointless to try to force them. Just continue to present healthy food options, and they should turn out okay.