Nutrition

Should my children eat only low-fat, low-cholesterol foods?

Many Americans consume too many calories and too much fat, especially saturated fat, and cholesterol. These eating patterns are one cause of America's high rates of obesity and heart disease. If heart disease runs in your family, your child is at greater risk for heart disease in adulthood. To help protect your child from heart disease later in life, it's a good idea to help him or her learn healthful eating and lifestyle habits during childhood.

Most nutrition experts agree that childhood is the best time to start cutting back on total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. However, a low-fat eating plan is not advised for children under two years of age because fat is an essential nutrient that supplies energy, or calories, they need for growth and active play.

Between the ages of two and five, as children eat with their family, encourage them to gradually choose foods with less fat and saturated fat. By age five, their overall food choices, like yours, should be low in fat.

Good nutrition

Chances are that some of your child's favorite foods are higher in fat and energy (or calories) compared to the amount of nutrients they provide. Any food that supplies energy and nutrients can fit into a nutritious eating plan for your child.

Follow this nutrition advice: Offer your child many different food-group foods. Be flexible; what children eat over several days, not one day or one meal, is what counts. Help your child eat sensibly.

Here are ways to be sensible about fat, saturated fat and cholesterol in food choices:

Food Group. . .	Most Days. . .	Some Days. . .
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta	bagel or English muffin	doughnut or danish
	pretzels, baked chips	regular corn chips
	graham crackers, crackers, fig bars, vanilla wafers	chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes
Vegetable	baked potato	french fries
	raw vegetables	creamy cole slaw
Fruit	fresh fruit and juice	?
Milk, Yogurt and Cheese	reduced-fat cheese	cheese
	low-fat frozen yogurt or ice cream	ice cream
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts	baked and grilled chicken	fried chicken
	baked fish	fried fish sticks

Parent tip: forget "forbidden" foods

Forcing children to eat food doesn't work. Neither does forbidding foods. Foods that are "forbidden" just may become more desirable for children.

It's important for both children and adults to be sensible and enjoy all foods, but not to overdo on any one type of food. Sweets and higher-fat snack foods in appropriate portions are okay. Just make sure your child is offered wise food choices from all the food groups.

Caution:

Teach good habits by example

Children learn more from ACTIONS than from WORDS. Practice what you preach. Your actions will make you healthier, too!