HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Every parent has experienced the challenge of getting their children to eat healthy. The statistics show it's such a problem in our area that childhood obesity levels continue to shoot through the roof!

Dieticians will tell you the solution starts with a healthy snack. It's the drive behind West Virginia's pick a better snack campaign.

In our Cover Story, we hit the kitchen and the grocery store aisles in search of the secret to getting your children to eat their fruits and veggies.

“Not healthy snack, healthy snack,” said Shai Smith.

For some, it's an exercise in futility. But, for Shai Smith, feeding her daughter healthy snacks is a daily adventure!

“What do you want to have pumpkin? Strawberries, carrots, yogurt.
There you go, let's get a plate... Alright?” said Shai.

Morgan is only three, but she's already well conditioned to fruits and veggies over chips and candy. Just look in the fridge!

“Carrots, celery, strawberries, Selbe loves tomatoes, yogurt, applesauce,” said Shai.

It's a process Shai has down pat for her children's own good.

“Pretty much from the time their feet hit the floor, they want a snack.
I'm here and I can give better alternatives. It's better for their diet, brain, growth and if I'm going to raise children, I want to give them the best things. It's a long day. It's a difficult time, but we try,” said Shai.

“We chose some things that are in season, strawberries are an easy snack. If you serve with a fat free yogurt dip, also grapes. We also tried to pick something you don't normally think of like sweet potatoes which are crunchy,” said Bridget Lambert with the WV Retailers Assoc.

It's all a part of the WV “Pick a Better Snack” campaign.

“We’re trying to work on the obesity epidemic. It’s staggering how it's getting in WW. We’re taking small steps to make WV healthier and that's what the “Pick a Better Snack” is all about -increasing fruit and veggie consumption and trying to help with cancer risk,”

For the Pauley sisters, this is healthy heaven!!!

“I like fruits and vegetables. They're pretty refreshing and good,” said Emily Pauley.

“I do feel like I bought too much junk food today and that was our goal when we came out we have a lot of healthy things at the house,” said Dena Browning, a mother.

For Dena, healthy versus junk food is a constant battle.

“I definitely try to get her fruits in, veggies are harder, I have to hide them in a meat dish to get her to eat those,” said Dena.

“You really have to make up your minds you're going to keep trying. It takes a minimum of 7-10 times for them to like. Just keep putting it in front of them. If they don't like asparagus, try berries, and so on. You have to stay on them and be adamant about introducing them to a lot of different things,” said Misty Buchanan, WV Nutrition Network.

Back to Shai, that's really been her key to success.

“We used to do fruit skewers, it's fun, they can sit there and take everything out and have fun,” said Shai.

They say variety is the spice of life, so let your children have fun with their food--use fun plates, let them come up with their own healthy grocery list and then let them pick out those items when visiting the grocery store. The more of a role you give them in the process, the more likely they'll enjoy eating good foods.
The WV Nutrition Network is a collaborative initiative made up of state agencies and private organizations all working toward decreasing obesity in the state.