Obesity in kids has reached epidemic levels.

April Richard is a mother of two children who are thankfully not overweight because she knows the consequences for heavy kids. "It's important for my children to not be overweight because first of all I don't want them to be made fun of in anyway, I don't want to affect their self esteem, and later on I don't want them to develop any health problems."

Pediatrician Dr. Eric Jones says that "there's a huge list of things that puts you at risk for the most important being high cholesterol, which then has it's own set of risks including heart disease."

Dr. Jones also says that it's not always about what you are feeding your children, but how much. "It's about portion size. So if you're scooping on an adult size portion onto a child's place you're really giving them 3 to 3 times more than they really need."

Dr. Jones also explains that of course it's important to keep your children active and that doesn't mean actively watching TV. "Most of the time when you're sitting in front of the TV you're munching, so you eat some Cheetos and you play some play station and that's not a lot of exercise. Take them to the park, throw Frisbee or play catch."

Weight problems can be very hard to fix, so it's important to prevent the problem from happening in the first place.

Some other tips to help keep your kids eating healthy: Eat meals together at the dinner table at regular times. Avoid rushing to finish meals. Avoid other activities during mealtimes like watching TV. And of course, avoid buying foods that are pre-packaged, sugary or high in fat.