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Byline: Jill Wendholt Silva
KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference in a child's diet:
Whole-wheat bread instead of white.
Real fruit instead of a fruit snack.
Skim milk instead of whole.
Too often we make healthy eating an all-or-nothing proposition, a system of rewards and punishments, but even minor dietary changes can add up quickly. "People are too extreme," says Shelly Summar, nutrition program coordinator for Children's Mercy hospitals in Kansas City. "On the one hand there's truth, and on the other hand there's reality."
The truth is nearly 9 million children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered overweight. The number of children ages 6 to 11 who are overweight has more than doubled in the last 20 years.
The reality is that many families know they should eat healthfully, but studies…