Between 2001 and ’09, a new study published in the journal Pediatrics shows, teens became model health citizens. According to a national survey involving 9,000 students in grades six to 10, adolescents were more physically active, enjoyed more fruits and vegetables, ate breakfast, limited dessert and watched less TV. And all those healthy habits paid off.

While body-mass-index (BMI) measures (an indication of body fat using weight and height) of U.S. adolescents grew between 2001 and ’06, it remained stable from 2006 to ’09, suggesting that average BMI readings among teens are leveling off.

Weight stabilized for both boys and girls although there were slight differences between gender.