Eating Sweets: How-to incorporate them into your daily diet.

Many parents fall into the dessert/sweet/treat reward for eating all the veggies and/or cleaning the plate. It doesn't have to be that way.

Sweets have a place in our daily diets -- even as adults! You don't have to give up your favorite cookies, cakes or chocolate treats. A vital part of the process includes cutting down on, or even eliminating, sugar from other sources, such as high fructose corn syrup.

It boils down to eating them at the right time of day to keep the pounds off and prevent them from coming back. Sweets should be enjoyed as part of a meal, or directly afterwards, according to newly published research at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and not as a snack.

If you're having difficulty keeping maintaining a healthy weight once you've achieved your goal, read "8 tips for losing weight and keeping it off."

Remember that a proper diet has many deciding factors. The most successful weight-loss program depends upon good choices, exercise and more importantly -- moderation.