When our precious babies are tiny, we feed them the very best - either mother’s milk or formula containing exactly what little bodies need to grow and be healthy.

When our babies begin eating cereals and solid foods, we continue to feed them the most nutritious foods available - whether we cook vegetables and fruits and turn them into nutritious mush for little mouths or buy baby food made from all natural, nutritious ingredients.

Then our babies become toddlers and the poor things begin eating the foods that the rest of the family eats! In many cases, that last jar of baby food is the last time our children eat such a nutritious meal - a meal specifically designed to keep them healthy and growing strong.

Families are so busy ... always on the run. Moms who work outside the home often simply don’t have time to prepare a nutritious dinner. Stay-at-home moms are often so busy as well, that they too seldom have the time to prepare complete, nutritious meals. Too often, the only "vegetable" our children eat on any given day is French fries!

What can a busy mom do to make sure her family eats right?

"Eating right" means eating "healthy." A daily diet high in fruits and vegetable is recommended by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Years ago the ACS’s primary campaigns focused on finding a cure for cancer. Today, the ACS’s number-one message is prevention through a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

How many servings of fruits and vegetables did you and your children eat yesterday? The ACS recommends seven servings of vegetables and fruit per day for optimum health benefits. Did you come close?

How can a busy mom make sure her family eats the minimum (or more) servings of fruits and vegetables per day?

Write a weekly menu plan that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. Write a grocery list from that menu. Stick to your menus as best you can so that fruits and vegetables are eaten while they are fresh.

Breakfasts at home or even in the car on your commute to work can be as simple as an apple or banana and a whole-grain cereal.

Brown-bag school lunches can be made nutritious when you prepare roll-ups loaded with lean turkey, lettuce, and thinly sliced veggies. Round out this simple, nutritious meal with carrot sticks, fruit juice, and a chocolate-chip oatmeal cookie. Another great choice for lunch is a large, leafy salad loaded with raw veggies, whole-grain rolls, and fruit dessert.

Keep your dinner menus concentrated on vegetables and fruit. Fresh and raw is best for good nutrition, but frozen vegies are better than none!

Making sure your family eats right is all a matter of planning ... Planning your menus in advance, planning your shopping list, and planning to actually eat what’s on the week’s menus while the fruits and vegetables are at their best.

Plan to keep your family healthy by making sure they eat right!

While continuing to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, I have found a simple way to ensure that my entire family receives the full nutritional benefits of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables every day - even on those days that our busy schedules force us to eat "on the run."

And when the kids want a special "treat," they reach for delicious fruit and vegetable Gummies. We try to get those fruits and vegetables in every way possible!

Do what you can do to ensure that each member of your family has a minimum of seven servings of fruits and vegetables every day!