Information overload and scary medical studies got you down? Here's what you need to know to keep your family fit and healthy—and even help boost your kid's IQ.When Claudia Huot, a Philadelphia lawyer, reads the health headlines, she can't help but see her husband and three school-age kids. Do children really inherit picky eating habits from their parents? Her husband, Joe, acts like he's allergic to salad—and so do Charlie, 13, Peter, 11, and Olivia, 9. Does sleep really affect a child's IQ? Hmm, what time did Peter go to bed last night? From diabetes to dieting, fitness to fatigue, the deluge of landmark medical studies is often more confusing and contradictory than constructive. What to believe? Dismiss? The future of the Huot family's health may depend on these new findings—but who has time to weed through what's out there? Luckily for Claudia, and you, we do. After much research and consultations with some very smart family health experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), we've come up with ten of the latest family health breakthroughs and must-knows. It's important information for you, the family health manager—a role most working moms assume as the person in the household who schedules the doctors' appointments, picks up the prescriptions, plans the menus and drags the kids away from Wii long enough to attend hockey practice. With all of that—not to mention a career—your time is limited. So here's a crib sheet on new research, what you need to know and how you can use this information to boost your family's health, now and in the future.Picky Eating Is Genetic Children's aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited, according to University College London research (August 2007). What You Need to Know It's no secret that children can be fussy eaters and that parents are constantly looking for new ways to deal with food battles. But the reason your kid turns his nose up at whole-grain noodles might be traced back through your family tree. The study found that unwillingness to try new foods (a condition called neophobia) is 78 percent genetic and 22 percent environmental. What You Can Do Our experts caution that it's not worth turning the dinner table into a battleground in order to get a child to try new foods. But continue to introduce, serve and eat healthy foods in all the food groups—and that means eating broccoli if you want your children to eat broccoli. With persistence and patience, you can win this food war. When your child resists trying something new, back off and then, days later, introduce it again?and then again. "One day, it will happen," says Jeffrey H. Lamont, MD, general pediatrician with the Marshfield Clinic in Weston, WI, and a member of the AAP's Council on School Health. "It takes time for kids to develop tastes for things." Another strategy: Invite your picky eater to prepare the meal, advises Linda M. Grant, MD, medical director for Boston public schools and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine. "Imagine how much more invested the child will be in trying a pea pod or a salad if he actually helps you plant a garden, goes with you to shop for the ingredients or stands at the kitchen counter and helps you prepare the dish."Breakfast Boosts Brain Power Eating well improves learning and memory in schoolchildren, according to an Australian and Indonesian study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October 2007). What You Need to Know Earlier studies have reported that students perform and behave better in class if they eat well, but this research also indicates that nutrition helps kids learn more efficiently, boosts memory skills and has a beneficial impact on test performance. What You Can Do Don't let the kids leave the house with an empty stomach. "I can't stress how crucial breakfast is," says Dr. Grant. "Whole grains in the morning, including a balance of protein and carbohydrates—it's so important. It's the food that fuels your mind so that you can get through the aca-demics." An ideal breakfast? Whole-grain toast or cereal (the carbohydrates); an egg, cheese or yogurt (protein); and milk or orange juice. (See Healthy Child) Provide healthy food choices at every meal and think twice before you slip that little bag of cookies into the lunchbox. Limit sugar products, says Dr. Grant. They can have an adverse effect on a student's ability to concentrate. Say no to vending machines that offer only sugary colas and sports drinks. Petition your kids' school to provide healthier choices such as milk, fruit juice and water. And talk to your kids about how much sugar they are allowed to have. "I am sometimes in the school trying to check a child's weight and BMI [body mass index], and in the background there's a candy fund-raiser," she says. "Such a large percentage of these children are overweight, yet there they are wolfing down candy instead of eating better food."Not All Calories Pack the Same Punch Nutrition can mean the difference in body fat distribution in adult women, according to experts at the Framingham Nutrition Studies (August 2006).What You Need to Know Certain eating patterns, such as opting for desserts and refined grains found in white bread, may pack pounds on the midsection, a tendency that's reported more often in people with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The research showed that women who ate almost 400 fewer daily calories but chose the least nutritious foods still had a higher risk of abdominal obesity than those who ate that many more calories but made better choices.What You Can Do Calorie counting is important in terms of overall weight management. But you are what you eat, so pick a bowl of high-fiber cereal with fresh fruit instead of a bagel. A diet rich in fiber and antioxidants (found in fruits and vegetables) seems to keep the ab fat down. Also swap out steaks and full-fat dairy products for lean protein found in low-fat yogurts, fat-free milk, chicken and fish, and avoid trans fats (found in baked goods and chips). Obesity Can Be Contagious Weight gain may spread among family and friends, says a Harvard Medical School study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (July 2007).What You Need to Know Researchers found that people were 57 percent more likely to become obese when a friend or relative became obese. What You Can Do Friends don't let friends get fat. Richard Suzman, PhD, director of the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the National Institute on Aging, which financed the research, says one implication of the study is that it may be much easier to lose weight as part of a group or network than by yourself. So grab your chubby friend or husband and diet together. Set up regular workout times and motivate each other to get in shape.Eat an Apple a Day A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that apples (along with pears and red wine) decreased the risk of mortality for both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease among postmenopausal women (March 2007).What You Need to Know Apple eating really can help keep you healthy—and keep the doctor away. What You Can Do Incorporate these and other foods that may help fight off certain diseases and keep the doctor at bay, including blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate seeds and white grape juice. While doctors contend that there really is no such thing as a "superfood," it can't hurt to follow the hottest fruit or vegetable fad—whatever it takes to get in more fruits and veggies. Workouts Wane When You Have Kids A study by the University of Pittsburgh concluded that parenthood reduces physical activity (May 2007).What You Need to Know Researchers tracked 525 participants for two years and found that those who remained childless lost only a half hour of physical activity per week, while those who had children lost about three and a half hours. Men were affected more than women. What You Can Do Turn baby-and-me time into a workout that counts. Go out for a brisk walk with your little one in a stroller and move steadily for 20 to 30 minutes; that'll get your heart rate up. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise (walking briskly, raking leaves, dancing, swimming, bicycling on level terrain) five or more times a week, or engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity (jogging, high-impact aerobic dancing, swimming laps continuously, bicycling uphill) at least three days a week for 20 minutes or more.Kids Need More than PE Class Research published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that 50 overweight middle school kids lost more weight when they cycled, skied cross-country and walked with pedometers than when they played sports during gym class (October 2005).What You Need to Know You need to take more responsibility for how much exercise your kids get, because physical education classes at school are practically an endangered species. Today, a mere 4 percent of elementary schools and 8 percent of middle schools provide daily physical education, says the CDC. What You Can Do Encourage your kids to play outdoors and to get involved in afterschool sports. Also plan get-up-and-go family activities like biking, hiking or canoeing rather than more passive outings to the movies or the arcade. And practice the five-two-one food-and-fitness formula: "Eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day, engage in no more than two hours of television or sedentary computer time a day, and exercise for one hour," explains Dr. Grant. "It isn't a prescription for ending obesity or guaranteeing activity, but it is a gateway to healthier thinking about how you want to live your life." Weight Matters There's been a big increase in obesity in children and adults in the last three decades, according to the CDC (July 2007).What You Need to Know Over the past 30 years, the obesity rate has more than doubled for adults, rising to 33 percent from 15 percent. Even more disturbing, it has more than doubled for children 2 to 11 and tripled for tweens and teens. (A person is considered obese if her BMI is 30 or higher. To calculate BMI, visit cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm.) Of course, this isn't just about what people look like at the beach. Obesity has been linked to cancer and to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Plus, physicians now think that obesity, already linked to the onset of type 2 (insulin-resistant) diabetes in adults, may be contributing to a rise in the disease in kids. And it's been linked to "double diabetes," in which children with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes also develop type 2 diabetes. "It's a double whammy," says Dorothy Becker, MD, chief of the division of pediatric endocrinology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.What You Can Do When it comes to weight management, there are no tricks or magic bullets. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; avoid sugars, fats and processed foods. Exercise more. Set a good example for your children, especially if obesity tends to run in your family. "There are over-weight adults who have type 2 diabetes and rotten teeth—and they're saying to their kids, 'You don't want to be like me.' But they come into the exam room with their bottle of Mountain Dew and it's like 'I can't be without this.' That's a power message that goes out to kids, who watch and model," says Dr. Lamont. Dr. Becker has particularly harsh words for parents: "It shocks me that parents tell me their children won't eat vegetables. They can learn to eat healthy foods, and it starts young." The CDC calculates that the current generation of kids will be the first to die younger than their parents. Parenting Can Be Fattening Adults who live with children consume more fat—the equivalent of a six-inch pepperoni pizza every week—than adults who don't, says a study by the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan (January/February 2007).What You Need to Know The study of more than 6,600 adults found that grown-ups living with kids ate about 4.9 more grams of total fat than those without children in the home. Busy lives combined with kids' food picks (think Oreos, fish sticks and Happy Meals) can be disastrous for parents' waistlines. What You Can Do Be conscious of how many nights a week you toss in a frozen pizza because homework and laundry are calling, says Dr. Lamont. And remember, fast food doesn't have to be junk food. There are lots of healthy options on a takeout menu and in the frozen food aisle. Choose salads, grilled fish or chicken over hamburgers; have your baked potato plain, not drenched in butter and sour cream; pick low-fat cheese and whole-wheat crust for pizza, and load it up with vegetables. Also, don't feel compelled to finish the food on your child's plate just because it's there.Lack of Sleep Can Affect a Kid's IQ Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System believe that sleep disorders can impair a child's IQ as much as lead exposure can (March 2007). What You Need to Know Children who snore nightly scored significantly lower on vocabulary tests than those who snore less often. The vocabulary differences associated with nightly snoring are equivalent to the IQ dissimilarities attributed to lead exposure—and "even at nontoxic levels, lead exposure can reduce a child's IQ by more than seven points," according to Paul M. Suratt, MD, a pulmonologist who directs the University of Virginia Sleep Laboratory. Deep sleep patterns are necessary for healthy development, he adds, and snoring frequency has so far proven "to be the most reliable predictor of intellectual impairment and behavioral problems."What You Can Do See your pediatrician if your child snores chronically or otherwise can't sleep well. Be sure kids under 5 get a total of 12 hours of sleep; everyone else, eight to ten hours, says Dr. Grant, adding, "Teenagers are notorious for not getting enough sleep." Oh, and practice what you preach.Sneak AttackMissy Chase Lapine's first daughter delighted in caviar, Japanese seaweed salad and asparagus spears while still a toddler, so the culinary expert and publisher assumed she was destined to have "good eaters." Then along came her second daughter, who very quickly passed along her inclination to be a picky eater to her older sister. So Missy tried hiding healthy foods in the dishes she cooked. The girls' favorite mac 'n' cheese? Missy added an orange and white puree of cauliflower, zucchini, yams and carrots. And those beautiful cupcakes with icing? Bursting with pureed blueberries, spinach and wheat germ. Having discovered peace at the dinner table, Missy turned her tricky cooking techniques into a book called The Sneaky Chef, a New York Times bestseller that includes recipes and strategies for packing more fiber, whole grains, vitamins and antioxidants into a family's diet. The Sneaky Chef, Missy says, "helps lighten up the whole subject of childhood nutrition, which makes all us working moms feel guilty. I believe in being a guilt reliever when it comes to nutrition. I hope moms are smiling all the way to the dishwasher." Missy's recipes are based on her 13 specific methods to help make family eating more nutritious. The first method is to puree vegetables and fruits and then use the nutrition-packed purees in recipes. Magic Meatballs, for instance, contain green puree (spinach, broccoli, green peas). The four basic purees—green, orange, purple and white—can be made in less than ten minutes each, then used immediately or stored in the refrigerator or freezer.Missy also explains how to substitute nutritious liquids for water (try pomegranate juice in Jell-O; cook rice in chicken or veggie broth), combine foods that are nutritional complements and use healthy ingredients to reduce the effects of toxins and fats.