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A twisted knee might have been a blessing in disguise for Tara Smith .

The 15-year-old Winston-Salem resident loved to play sports, but the injury slowed her down. Life became a little more sedentary. Finally, that became a problem.

Her blood work didn’t look good. It was time for a change. Actually, a lot of changes.

So last year, Tara and her family began participating in a program at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem aimed at facilitating healthier habits.

It’s not a diet.

It’s a lifestyle change, one aimed at the whole family.

That meant eating out less and eating together at home more. Getting more activity. Cutting down on unhealthy foods.

Some of it was tough, Tara said. After all, french fries are popular for a reason.

“It was hard at first,” she said. “Then it got easier. As the weight dropped, it got easier to be more active.”

It isn’t easy for anyone. The pace of American life — working more, shuttling the kids to activities — makes a slow-paced, home-cooked meal seem like a luxury.

“Our society today takes away from that,” said Brad Smith , Tara’s father. “The thing is trying to find time we’re all going to be here.”

But family support is crucial, said Dr. Joseph Skelton , who heads the Brenner program.

“Often times, there’s a parent who doesn’t really want to change,” he said.

They don’t want to give up sodas, so they keep buying them — and everyone keeps drinking them.

One fix is that even the emptiest calories don’t have to be eliminated entirely.

“We’re not taking away anything,” he said. “I have a weakness for salt-and-vinegar potato chips. So I buy a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips one day a month.”

In the end, for the Smith family, everyone’s habits changed.

“The big thing for us was eating as a family and quit doing quick fixes — 'Let’s just go out and eat something quick,’ ” said Tara’s mother, Paula Smith . “We were junk-food junkies.”

There are a few tricks. You can’t get bothered when you slip. Each day is a fresh start. And everyone has to be involved.

That’s not to say it’s easy. Time can be an issue.

“When you work, if you dedicate too much time, two hours to cook and sit down, it’s 8 or 8:30 by the time you’re getting done with it,” Paula Smith said.

Still, in the end, the choice was easy, Brad Smith said.

“You just have to do it.”

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com