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Make sure your kid's vaccinations are up-to-date before they return to school. With some parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, your child’s health is seriously at risk if you don't have them on schedule.

Why not make a back-to-school healthy habit commitment to eat vegetables every day of this month. One fun activity that the whole family can do is to create "blind taste tests" where you set up five centers with new vegetables under cups that you taste blind-folded. That way the vegetable's appearance won’t corrupt your willingness to taste it.

Getting more sleep should be a non-negotiable habit. The benefits are fewer colds since you will gain a healthier immune system, a trimmer waistline since chronic sleep deficit is one of the possible causes of weight gain, and lower your risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

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Find a rainbow. Study the cafeteria options this week and choose Technicolor produce - oranges, green beans, red peppers, yellow squash, blueberries, purple cabbage. These phytochemical powerhouses punch up mental performance.

Familiar with the parsnip? This pale colored vegetable is packed with fiber as well as vitamin K and vitamin C. The winter months are the best time to find them. Peel and dice and then add to salads, soups or stews.

You can also use them as potato side dish substitutes. Boil, peel and mash and top with some fresh herbs or a dash of salt and pepper.

Dr. Oz considers the pedometer a lifesaving tool. Measuring how many steps you take and getting inspired to walk more can improve your health profile and help you to either shed unwanted pounds, or simply maintain your weight. If you routinely wear a pedometer you will be acutely aware of just how much you are moving in a day.

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Cheese is full of saturated fat, but there are choices that offer less fat with robust taste. Consider using part-skim mozzarella, feta and other low fat cheeses in lieu of full fat. There are specifically low fat Jarlsberg, low fat Swiss, low fat cheddar, and even light Bleu cheese. Cheeses can also harbor a fair amount of sodium.

They say that a junk food diet will come back to haunt you later in life. Well, many adults never give up that "junk food diet mentality" and continue to turn to these foods as their go-to foods through life.

Not more econ or poli-sci. A class – to keep you active instead: yoga, hip hop dancing, Pilates, jujitsu, salsa or beginner tennis anyone.

Dr Oz's perspective on diabetes: