Back-to-school fever reaches a high pitch this week. Minds will turn (yes, some reluctantly) from swimming to sums, from camps to compositions. For busy parents trying to fuel all this learning without ducking at every turn for the easy-out — i.e. fast food — the responsibility is challenging.

When there are school-age children at home, this time of year offers a fresh opportunity to reboot a household’s food philosophy. Instill a better habit, awake a new taste bud, wean the family off its most ruinous food fixations.

The fundamentals are well-known: Try to hit three well-balanced meals of average size per day; serve fewer fatty foods; try to bake, broil or steam rather than fry; lean meats, lots of vegetables, more fruits. Somehow, though, it all seems easier said than done.

An over-zealous revamp is likely to draw howls, of course, but maybe one quiet switch at a time? Your crew may not be willing to give up the salty, fat-laden crunch of potato chips for kale, but how about air-popped popcorn? Three cups of the popcorn contain only about 100 calories according to prevention.com. Three cups of chips can pack more than 400 calories, says fatsecret.com — 60 percent of them courtesy of fat.

Occasionally turn burrito night into fajita night by stuffing savory fixings into two 6-inch corn tortillas rather than one 10-inch flour tortilla. You’ll save about 450 mg of sodium, says cookinglight.com. When it comes to chocolate, try dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate; it has about half the sugar. And you can sidestep some of those full-fat ice cream occasions by substituting favorite fruits from time to time. In other words, improvements in what we eat don’t have to be earth-rumbling. Small steps a journey make.

It should go without saying that the grocery shoppers of America wield plenty of power. Buy the junk, and the junk will be consumed. Aim for a balance. And if you aren’t doing it already, get in the habit of routinely checking nutrition labels. That can be a real eye opener. Good luck, moms and dads. Hopefully, some of today’s snack ideas can come in handy. School bells are ringing.

PB&J APPLE ROLL-UPS

Servings: 2

2 whole wheat flour tortillas

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

4 teaspoons jam of choice

1 apple, cut into thin wedges (remove apple skins)

1 teaspoon melted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon