Heart Healthy Eating For Children

Is your child eating a healthy diet?? Eating a variety of healthy foods is one of the most important influences on your child's overall health. A balanced diet including foods from each of the Five Food Groups will help your child grow up tall and strong, be healthy and have energy for school and play.

Your role as a parent, is to not only provide a variety of healthy foods for your child but to also model healthy eating habits yourself. From your example, your child will develop their eating habits which will continue throughout their life. For that reason, the earlier you encourage healthful food choices for your child and the whole family, the better.

Most children are very good regulators of how much food they need. There is usually not a reason to count calories for them. Eating a variety of healthy foods will give them the nutrients they need to provide for normal growth and development and to maintain a healthy weight. Restrictive diets are not recommended for children, even if they are a bit overweight. Often for these children, making healthful changes in their diet and increasing their activity levels will help them resume a healthier weight for their size.

GETTING STARTED:

The Food Guide Pyramid is a simple tool to help you plan meals and snacks for your child. Foods from each group should be eaten daily to provide adequate nutrients to provide for his/her growth and development. Children should eat 3 meals per day and may need up to 3 snacks in between meals depending on their activity level.

The Pyramid is divided into 6 Groups:

• The Breads and Grains Group
• The Vegetable Group
• The Fruit Group
• The Milk Products Group
• The Fish, Poultry, Lean Meat, Beans, Nuts and Eggs group
• The Fats, Oils and Sweets Group

SUGGESTED SERVINGS PER DAY AND PORTION SIZES FOR CHILDREN :

BREAD GROUP (6-11 servings/day )

VEGETABLE GROUP (3-5 servings /day)

FRUIT GROUP (2-4 servings/day)

MILK GROUP (4 serv/day ages 2-5, 3/day ages 6-8, 4/day ages 9+)

MEAT GROUP (2-3 servings/day)

BREAKFAST - A GREAT WAY TO START THE DAY !

Breakfast is your child's most important meal of the day. It starts your child off with enough energy to learn and play during the morning hours until lunch time.

How can you plan healthy breakfasts for your child when you are short on time? Planning the night before is helpful. Before bed, put out the bowls, utensils, cereals or breads. In the morning, add some milk, juice and fresh fruit to your meal and you have a quick but healthy breakfast.

A healthful breakfast can include 2 servings from the Bread Group, a serving from the Fruit Group and a serving from the Milk Group. Some good breakfast foods to choose from include bagels, cereal bars, frozen waffles, cereal, toast, fresh fruit or juice and low fat milk or yogurt. Even "unbreakfast foods" such as peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla, english muffin pizza and grilled cheese can provide healthy breakfast options.

SMART SNACKING FOR CHILDREN:

Healthy snacks in-between balanced meals can provide the extra energy growing kids need!

Bread and Grain Group:

• Whole grain pita bread and bagels
• Fortified lightly sweetened or unsweetened ready-to-eat cereals
• Low salt pretzels (not recommended for kids under 4 due to choking)
• Graham and animal crackers
• Rice cakes
• Low fat whole grain crackers and baked chips
• Fruit filled fortified breakfast bars ( i.e. NutriGrain)

Vegetable Group Snacks:

• Baby carrots (over age 4) and other bite sized servings of vegetables
• Broccoli or cauliflower with low fat dip or salad dressing
• Vegetable quesadillas with low fat cheese

Fruit Group Snacks:

• Banana chunks
• Fresh apple or orange slices
• Strawberries with low fat yogurt to dip
• Cubed melon
• Canned fruit with no added sugars- only natural fruit juices
• 100 % fruit juice and juice fortified with calcium
• Frozen juice pops made with calcium fortified orange juice

Dairy Group Snacks:

• Low fat milkshakes and smoothies made with low fat milk and fruit
• Low fat plain or flavored yogurt
• Low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt
• Low fat cheese and mozzarella string cheese

Meat Group Snacks:

• Peanut butter on low fat crackers
• Lean deli meat in a pita pocket
• Hard boiled egg cut into pieces
• Mini sandwiches cut out with cookie cutters

HEALTHY OPTIONS AT FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS:

Most convenience foods can fit into a healthy eating plan. Children can eat fast foods occasionally as long as the majority of their food choices come from the food pyramid recommendations.

• Choose low fat milk or 100% fruit juice instead of soft drinks
• Order a baked potato on the side rather than fries
• Consider sharing an order of fries with your child
• Balance high fat choices with low fat choices - order a small hamburger and a side salad or the salad bar with reduced fat dressing
• Choose grilled items on the menu rather than fried or breaded
• Order pizza with cheese and lots of vegetables
• Choose low fat frozen yogurt for dessert rather than pies or cookies
• Order deli sandwiches made with lean meats, cheese and fresh vegetables

FAT FACTS FOR CHILDREN:

For children, fat in their diet is a source of energy to provide for their growth. Infants and children up to age 2 should not be restricted in their fat intake as they are going through enormous growth and development. Between the ages of 2-5, it is recommended that you start gradually reducing the amount of fat that your child consumes. As they consume less calories from fat, they can get more energy from nutrient-rich foods that are naturally low in fat, such as grains, fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products and lean meats.

By age 5, children should be limiting their fat intake to no more than 30 % of their total calories as older children and adults should. This guideline applies to your child's food intake over the course of several days. So, if your child consumes moderate amounts of higher fat foods occasionally that is okay.

To calculate the % of calories from fat for a specific food item, look at the nutrition label on the food. Divide the CALORIES FROM FAT by TOTAL CALORIES and multiply times 100 to get the percentage of calories from fat for that serving of food.

Example: A food with 70 calories per serving has 20 calories from fat listed.
20/70 x 10 = 28.6 % Calories from Fat

WHAT IF YOUR CHILD HAS A HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVEL or ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL RUNS IN YOUR FAMILY?

If you are told that your child's cholesterol level is elevated or other family members have high cholesterol, then you need to know what foods in the diet might be contributing to this condition so the whole family can work towards making heart healthy changes in their diet.

If you are told that your child's cholesterol level is elevated or other family members have high cholesterol, then you need to know what foods in the diet might be contributing to this condition so the whole family can work towards making heart healthy changes in their diet.

Foods high in Cholesterol include animal foods such as poultry, meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Foods that are high in Saturated Fats include butter, cheese, cream cheese, whole milk, ice cream, fatty meats, poultry skin, coconut and palm oils and hydrogenated oils.

The fats that do not cause an increase in our cholesterol levels are the monounsaturated (ie. Olive and canola oil) and polyunsaturated fats (ie. Safflower, corn, cottonseed, soybean and sunflower oils). Although these fats do not cause our cholesterol to increase, it is advised that we still limit these fats in our diets since they will just add extra calories and may contribute to the risk of heart disease.

The easiest way to make changes in your diet to make them more heart healthy is to modify your current recipes to make them lower in fat and cholesterol. Substituting lower fat foods in your favorite recipes can provide delicious and healthy meals for your family.

TIPS TO LOWER THE FAT AND CHOLESTEROL IN YOUR CHILD'S DIET:

• Choose lean cuts of meat - sirloin and round are good choices. Remember to trim any visible fat from the meat and drain any extra fat off after cooking.
• Serve skinless poultry and fish. Avoid breadings and fried coatings when cooking.
• Avoid serving bacon or sausage. Choose lean ham or Canadian bacon or lowerfat turkey bacon/sausage.
• Baking, broiling, grilling and boiling are the best ways to cook your meats.
• Use nonstick cooking sprays to cut down on added fat.
• Choose 1% dairy products- milk, sour cream, cottage cheese.
• When buying cheese, look for the ones made with skim or 2% milk.
• hoose soft tub margarine instead of stick margarine or butter.
• Limit the amounts of mayonnaise and salad dressing that you use - instead choose reduced fat versions.
• Avoid sauces made with cream, sour cream, butter, whole milk and cheese.
• Limit your intake of eggs to no more than 3 per week. You can use egg whites or egg substitutes in cooking also to help lower the cholesterol content.
• Limit your child's intake of high fat commercial desserts such as cakes, pies, ice creams.

WEIGHT CONTROL TIPS FOR OVERWEIGHT CHILDREN:

If the doctor has identified your child as being overweight, what should you do? Because children's bodies are growing and developing, weight loss diets are not the best approach for most children. Instead, for most children, it is best to let their height catch up with their weight by adopting healthful changes in their diets and increasing their activity levels.

• Seek professional advice from your Doctor or Registered Dietitian to help you plan a healthy approach to achieving a more acceptable weight for your child.
  
• Encourage your child to become more physically active each day.
  Taking a walk with your child, taking a bike ride, dancing to music, and playing tag are ways to increase your child's activity level.
  
• Schedule regular meal times.
  Without scheduled mealtimes, children will get hungry and may snack all day on convenience foods which are high in calories, sugar and fat.
  
• Stock up on healthy snack options.
  Fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products and lean meats. Avoid potato chips, candy bars, and snack cakes.
• Avoid foods with added sugar.
  Sugar sweetened cereals, juice drinks, regular sodas, canned fruit with syrup and fruit rollups add extra calories.
• Tailor the child's portion sizes to their needs.
  Follow the guidelines in the Food Pyramid for their age.
• Plan and prepare meals together.
  By being involved, children learn to prepare nutritious meals. They can learn about healthy food choices which will help throughout their lives.
• Make a point not to miss meals.
  Skipping meals may lead to unplanned snacking and unhealthful eating patterns.
• Avoid labeling food choices as good or bad.
  Help your child see how all foods fit into a healthful eating pattern.
• Avoid being members of the "clean plate club".
  Children should learn to eat until they feel full, then they may stop.
• Make meals last longer than 15 minutes.
  To feel satisfied, our bodies need time that comes with eating slowly.
• Avoid using food to reward your child.
  Choose fun activities to praise your child such as playing a game with them or going to the park.

TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:

Are you helping your children learn about healthful eating and physical activity? Here are some tips to help you guide your child to a healthy lifestyle.

• Eat lots of different kinds of foods from the Food Pyramid
• Choose more whole grain breads and cereals, and eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day
• Keep moving to stay in good physical shape
• Start each day with a healthy breakfast
• Eat healthy snacks
• Remember, all foods can be part of a healthy eating plan
• Make healthy eating and exercise a fun family activity!

CHILDREN'S BOOKS ABOUT FOOD:

• Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French
• The Edible Pyramid, Good Eating Every Day by Loreen Leedy
• This Is The Way We Eat Our Lunch by Edith Baer
• What Food Is This? Rosmarie Hausherr
• Eating Fractions, Bruce McMillan
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

WEBSITES ON NUTRITION:

• American Dietetic Association
• Kid's Food
• Kellogg's Nutrition Camp
• National Dairy Council
• Pyramid Café-Pyramid Explorations
• Family Food Zone
• Kid's Food Cyber Club