Grill meats instead of frying them in their own grease.

Enjoy the flavor of your meats without all the unhealthy fats. Grill them on a grilling rack instead of broiling or roasting in a pan that leaves roasts, ribs and burgers swimming in their own fat. There are many roasting pans with racks on the market. If you want something a little more compact, you can invest in a tabletop or counter top grill to cook your meats to perfection.

Serve fresh fruits for breakfast, desserts and snacks.

Melon and pineapple are great snack foods and make wonderful breakfasts and desserts. Take some of the tedium out of the peeling, slicing and wedging with a melon slicer that's designed just like an apple corer, but a whole lot bigger. You can slice cantaloupes, honeydews, even watermelons, with one easy motion, making it a lot easier for you to serve healthy fruits to your family.

Control what goes into your family's foods by making supermarket staples at home yourself.

The peanut paste scare drove home what a lot of us have know for a long time, you can't control what goes into everything your family eats, especially if you are serving store-bought foods. Pick up a few specialty appliances to make homemade foods that your family loves, some options are a peanut butter maker, a yogurt maker or a food dehydrator to make your own fruit leather, yogurt and peanut butter.

The most important things to keep in mind when trying to make your family's diet healthier are these:{relatedarticles}

- Whole foods are generally better. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and nuts will go a long way toward improving your diet.

- The more refined something is, the less healthy it is likely to be. Skip white breads and white rice and avoid snacks made with white sugar.

- You can almost always make it healthier if you make it yourself.

Sandy Darson is a freelance writer who writes about cooking tips and tools, often discussing specific topics such as kitchen supplies.