I'm sure a little bit of junk food here and there can't do any long-term harm, but we need to get our kids on healthy diets from the very start. More and more data are indicating that our early childhood diet (as early as when we were still in our mothers' wombs) have a huge impact on our health as adults. In a study published in the current Journal of Physiology (London), researchers found that "adult rats who were reared on the high protein diet as packed on much more weight and body fat than the rats who had 'grown up' eating the high-fibre diet, who put on the least amount of weight and body fat."

"My research has shown that the food we eat changes how active certain genes in our body are - what we call genetic expression. In particular we believe that our diet has a direct influence on the genes that control how our bodies store and use nutrients," says Reimer.

"I believe this study clearly shows that the composition of early childhood diet may have a direct lifelong impact on genes that control metabolism and obesity risk," says Reimer. "This study clearly indicates that diet composition alone can change the trajectory of circulating satiety hormones and metabolic pathways that influence how we gain weight or control blood sugar as adults."

Get them on good start. Start them early on healthy eating.

For more on this study, including a Q&A with its author, read further from the University of Calgary press release.