As we focus on the importance of kids' health, nutrition and fitness as part of our Fit Kids initiative, it is clear that a big part of kids' health has to do with what they eat. Time Warner Cable News’ Healthy Living reporter Jill Urban looks at what healthy foods children should be eating, and which ones they should avoid.

When it comes to improving kids’ health and nutrition, the best place to start is at the supermarket.

Many parents go shopping with the best intentions, but some do not realize that foods they think are healthy for kids may actually not be.

“I think it’s really important for families to really learn to read the labels of the products they are buying for their family. It will pay back in spades in the end because you will feel much more confident that you are making the right decisions,” says Dr. Dyan Hes of Gramercy Pediatricts.

Dr. Hes is a pediatrician and child obesity specialist. She helped us debunk some common myths. For example, just because it is organic does not necessarily mean it is healthy.

“A common mistake parents make is that they spend a lot of money or organic products because they think it’s healthy. But if it’s organic sugar, it’s still sugar and your child doesn’t always need that much sugar,” says Dr. Hes.

Another common mistake is parents opting for light or fat-free products. She says often times when manufactures remove fat, they replace it with sugar or salt to maintain the flavor - so be careful. In addition, there is a misconception that whole wheat is best.

“I find that some of the whole wheat bread is so processed now that there is almost no fiber left in it, so I recommend parents buy whole grain,” Dr. Hes says.

Yogurt is one of the first foods parents give to babies, but she says many parents do not realize that many brands marketed to kids are loaded with sugar. Therefore, she recommends buying plain yogurt and blending or mixing in fresh fruit instead.

Many families serve juice, which she says is one of the leading causes of childhood obesity. Even all-natural juice is water from the fruit combined with sugar. She says it is better to serve the whole fruit because of the fiber.

So what should parents look for in labels?

“Look at serving sizes. Is a serving of cookies one cookie or is it two cookies. You should to see if there is fiber, what the sugar content is and what the sodium content is,” says Dr. Hes.

Also, read the listed ingredients and pay attention to their order. The first ingredients make up the majority of the product, so even if the second ingredient is organic cane sugar, that is a lot of sugar. 

So what staples should parents always have on hand? Check back for my next report in which Dr. Hes offers up her picks for healthy, hearty snacks.