LittleStomaks

Five For Fridays – Jul 3, 2009

by TwinToddlersDad on July 2, 2009

Happy 4th of July! If you haven’t yet entered my Independence Day Giveaway, don’t miss out on a chance to win a $50 Target card! It is open until midnight EST tonight (July 3rd).

Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

30 states have 30% or higher childhood obesity rates

Scary statistics, and nothing to be proud of in my opinion. This data comes from a new report called F as in Fat – How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009 published by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Mississippi got the top honor for its 44% childhood obesity rate – that is nearly 1 in 2 children 10-17 years old is either overweight or obese. 8 of the 10 states with highest rates of childhood obesity are in the South. Another study of children 2-5 years old in low income families shows that nearly 15% of these children are obese compared to about 12% nationwide. It is not that we don’t know the reason for this trend – children eat junk food, they spend too much time watching TV or in front of a computer, they don’t exercise, and schools are not up to standard when it comes to providing healthy meals. Still, nothing is being done about it, and seems like we have no control over the expanding waistlines of our children. Clearly, childhood obesity is a problem we need to confront with all our creativity and resources since it has terrible implications for the long term health of our nation.

Animal fats linked to pancreatic cancer

In another study linking saturated and trans-fats to cancer, researchers from the National Cancer Institute found positive association between pancreatic cancer and fats from red meat and dairy food sources. Why the cancer of the pancreas and not any other? One theory blames the enzymes produced by the pancreas in the digestion of these fats. Another idea is that diets high in saturated fats lead to insulin resistance and increase in the risk of Type 2 diabetes, which in turn increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. There is no reason to panic and stop eating fats – in fact there are healthy fats that I have written about recently. Unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids are good sources of fats and should be a part of your daily diet in the right amounts. Same goes for children since these healthy fats are needed to support their growth and brain development. Besides red meat and dairy sources, saturated and trans-fats are present in many of the packaged foods, so you should check the label carefully before buying them.

Walnuts can cut cholesterol

Researchers from Harvard’s Nutrition department analyzed data from published trials which compared the effect of walnut-rich diets against control diets to conclude that walnuts can decrease the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol(”bad”) even over a short period of time. Other benefits were antioxidant and anit-inflammation capacity without any negative effects on body weight. Granted that this is based on a limited number of trials and subjects, and that there may be other factors involved. Still, can’t argue with the fact that walnuts are an excellent source of unsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids, so overall they are very healthy. We usually add walnuts to our salads at dinner each night, which is one way we have been able to include them in our daily diet without much preparation. Do you have a favorite walnut recipe you would like to share?

Try this nutty 4th of July fruit salad

I really liked this recipe for a coconut fruit salad from Jenna on her Food with Kid Appeal blog. The red (watermelon), white (coconut) and blue (blueberries) colors are quite appropriate for a July 4th celebration! Coconut meat (the white inside part of a mature coconut) is one of my favorites since I grew up on desserts made from it. It is soft, sweet and very chewy with a rich texture. Coconut milk is also very delicious; you may have heard about it being used extensively in Thai recipes. She provides a lot of great details about the nutritious value of coconuts even though they are high in saturated fats and suggests to use in moderation. Coconut oil is very rich in these fats; it is widely used for cooking and even skin care in India. Because of its nutritional value, coconut is part of almost every major religious ceremony in India and considered to be a a valuable fruit.

Good health comes in small bites

Another great article by one of my favorite bloggers and Pediatrician Dr. Ayala. In Small Bites for Health, she writes about a recent study which looked at the effect of bite size and the chewing time on the amount of food eaten in one sitting. Small bites resulted in lower food intake, in fact large bites resulted in volunteers eating nearly 100 g more (or about 100 extra calories in the chocolate custard used in the study) before they felt full. Also they ate more when they ate faster so that the each bite spent only 3 seconds in their mouth compared to the 9 seconds in the slow eating group. We are a fast-food nation where food is eaten on the go and big portions disappear in our mouths within seconds while driving at 60 miles an hour! No wonder an average American consumes 300 more calories today compared to 25 years ago. We seem to “need” to eat a lot more than actually needed before we feel full and satisfied. A simple trick like a small bites and good chewing can help us reduce the amount we eat. Grandma’s advice eat slowly with small bites is still so correct after all!

Enjoy your holiday weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source - Spiralz on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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The Power of Family Meals: Tips for Feeding Toddlers

by TwinToddlersDad on July 2, 2009

in Helpful Tips

This is a guest post by Dr. Kathleen Cuneo. She is the founder of Dinner Together, LLC, which provides education, consultation, and coaching to families with concerns about their children’s eating behaviors. Over the last 2 decades, Dr. Cuneo has helped parents and children of all ages including those with special needs. Follow her on Twitter @dinnertogether.

When I am asked by parents about what they can do to raise healthy eaters, my recommendations focus on the “how” of eating rather than the “what.” Feeding children takes place in a relationship, most often a parent-child relationship. Feeding is parenting. It can be confusing and overwhelming at times, but it is so important. What you do as a parent and how you approach your feeding relationship with your child can help set the stage for them to develop a healthy relationship with food and maintain a healthy weight, as well as to maintain a healthy relationship with you.

Mastering the “how” of feeding your children involves a number of factors, but one of the most important is getting in the habit of eating together with your children. Research has shown family meals to be associated with better nutrition and academic success in children. Frequent family meals have also been associated with lower risk for obesity, disordered eating, and substance abuse in children and adolescents.

Despite its importance, many parents struggle with getting the family together for meals regularly. The reasons are numerous and varied. Work schedules, children’s after school activities, and parents’ discomfort with eating and/or cooking are all potential obstacles to family meals. Another potential obstacle, especially for families with younger children, is the child’s mealtime behavior. Some children are picky eaters who can make mealtimes unpleasant, especially if their pickiness gets enacted by whining, complaining, or throwing food. Some kids can’t sit still at the table and make it challenging for the rest of the family to enjoy a sit-down meal together. Other children can disrupt the family meal with boisterous, overly-active, or other uncooperative behaviors.

I formed Dinner Together, LLC in any effort to help families find solutions to some of the obstacles they face in having successful family meals. My experiences as a psychologist and as a parent to three children help me to help other parents. Families with toddlers can face special challenges with feeding because this is both an exciting and frustrating time of learning and growth. As your toddler is learning motor skills and trying to find their independence, you may find yourself feeding a very different child than the baby who sat patiently with an open and eager mouth waiting for you to spoon feed her. Parents need to adjust their feeding expectations for this “new” little person developing before them. A toddler will not likely be able to sit still and focus on eating (or anything else for that matter!) for more than ten minutes. A toddler will likely reject many foods. They may like something one day and reject it the next. This is all normal and to be expected.

So what is a parent to do? In a nutshell, my best advice is captured in three tips.

First, have patience. Raising a successful eater takes time. There will be ups and downs along the way, but stick with it, don’t give up, and have faith. Try not to get too discouraged with your toddler’s rejecting ways and don’t stop offering all those healthy foods you want him to eat.

Second, relax about the nutritional content of individual meals. Your child’s health is not determined by the nutritional value of a single meal. Look at patterns in food intake over a period of time – more like a week’s work of meals

Finally, understand the division of responsibility in feeding. Familiarize yourself with Ellyn Satter’s classic work, stating that parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of feeding, while children are responsible for whether and how much.

For more information and ongoing tips, recipes, and strategies for cooking and feeding, sign up for my free e-newsletter at www.dinnertogether.com and follow my blog at www.dinnertogether.blogspot.com. Currently, I am running a gift card giveaway and recipe contest which expires July 12, 2009. Read more about it at my blog.

Photo Source – www.dinnertogether.com
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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Global Toddlers – Tristan from Lemoore, USA

by TwinToddlersDad on July 1, 2009

in Global Toddlers

Mom	Nicole
Mom’s Nationality	American
Lives in	Lemoore, USA
Brothers/Sisters	None
Favorite Foods	Fruit – melon, berries, bananas
	Vegetables – peas, green beans, corn, carrots, brussel sprouts
	Cereal – oatmeal, kix, life, corn flakes
	Dairy Products – milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt
	Meats – chicken, red meat, fish
	Snacks – trail mix, pretzels, crackers
	Fruit juice – orange, apple, grape
	Vegetable juice – tomato
Mom’s Favorite Recipe	pasta with canned tomato sauce
Nutritional Supplements	No – have not found anything adequate
Mom’s top concerns	Other
Gets advice from	Pediatrician, Internet, Books/magazines
Question/advice for other moms/dads	None at this time

To find out more about Global Toddlers click here.

You can complete a short online survey if you would like to showcase your toddler’s profile. The only criteria is that you should have at least one child between the ages of 2 and 5.

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10 Child Nutrition Questions You Need Answered By An Expert

by TwinToddlersDad on June 30, 2009

in Ask The Expert, Helpful Tips

On my Ask The Expert column each week, I have featured a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Here are the 10 questions answered so far, check them out and let me know what’s on your mind.

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

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Five for Fridays – Jun 26, 2009

by TwinToddlersDad on June 26, 2009

in Five For Fridays

Happy Friday! Here are 5 interesting nutrition stories of the week that caught my eye. Enjoy and drop a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.

Clues to the Mediterranean diet

It is now well accepted that the Mediterranean diet has good health benefits. But why it works so well and how important are the individual components in providing this health benefit has not been so clear. In a new study Anatomy of the health effects of Mediterranean diet, researchers have found that low to moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, high consumption of vegetables, fruits, olive oil and legumes are the main factors which contribute to the healthfulness of this diet. It is tempting to break down a diet into its specific components to explain why it works or why it does not work. That is what Michael Pollan might call classic nutritionism - a tendency to break apart foods into components to explain effect on health. But, diet is only one of the factors for overall health and longevity – lifestyle and culture, as well as good healthcare are also critical. Still, I think that studies like these are useful, as long as we don’t lose sight of the big picture.

**Now a sweetness enhancer rather than an artificial sweetener**

Consumers want low or zero calorie sweeteners, no after-taste and naturally sourced ingredients in their food and beverages. That is why there is a lot of buzz about Stevia extract,which is being touted as the real, natural sweetener since it is produced from a plant. But it does give an after-taste, something the food companies are trying fix by adding taste masking ingredients in Stevia formulations. Taking a slightly different approach, Redpoint Bio – a company I wrote about recently in my article on salt reduction technologies – has now discovered a totally natrual sweetness enhancer RP44 that can work with almost any type of sugar. What it means is that this new ingredient can allow a dramatic reduction in the level of sugar needed in beverages or baked foods. They still have to get FDA approval, so it will be a while before it begins to appear in processed foods. I am not necessarily thrilled by this invention because it does nothing to reduce our reliance on processed foods. But it does show that specialty food additive industry is busy at work trying to help the food processing industry meet new customer expectations.

Food industry asks Obama to create a Presidential Commission for fighting obesity

In a letter to the President, several organizations, industry experts and academics are urging a creation of a Presidential Commission on Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives to combat the obesity epidemic. The idea is to coordinate the activities of the Department of Human Health and Services, USDA and other agencies involved in food and health policy. Sounds like they want more bureaucracy on top of an already monstrous bureaucracy – this is insane! I feel bad saying this because there are some very decent organizations behind this – the American Diabetes Association, American Public Health Association, Shape Up America, United Fresh Produce Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and a few others. Food companies who are the purveyors of sugary-salty-fatty foods are notably missing from this list. I really don’t believe that more regulation will have that big an impact – I think policy should shift towards consumer awareness and incentives for prevention so that consumer demand forces food industry to innovate and move away from these unhealthy foods. It is beginning to happen, but not at the scale at which it can be sustained at the grassroots level.

**Grocery stores going back to basics for recession-struck shoppers**

The middle aisles, where you find canned veggies, fruits, cereals, pasta and sauces, is bringing the dough for grocery stores and supermarkets in the current recession according to this Wall Street Journal story. Private label and store brands are selling well and filling more shelves in these stores as consumers go for basic food staples for dining at home. I was amazed to learn that a store can make nearly 70% of its profits from these middle aisles! They are also providing more coupons for items in these shelves and bundling ingredients for home-cooked meals. Seems like low cost packaged food is winning the race in this recession and the fresh produce along the outside aisles is falling behind. Have you noticed a change in your grocery store? How has your shopping changed in the current environment?

Six ways to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table

Here are some great tips from Pediatrician Dr. Joanna Dolgoff to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table with you and not run around the whole house or in the restaurant! We struggle with this problem too since our twins are now out of their high chairs and insist on enjoying their new freedom while we try to eat dinner. My favorite tips from her article are – bring activities to the table (coloring, reading), and engage your child in a conversation. Check out her post and share your tips in the comments below.

Enjoy your weekend! And let me know what you think.

Photo source - Spiralz on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

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The Full Plate Club

by TwinToddlersDad on June 25, 2009

in Having Fun, Helpful Tips

I have signed up for a 4-week nutrition and physical activity program at work! I am so excited about this program that I wanted to share it with you. It has been only a week, but I am already beginning to see a change in my daily diet and level of physical activity. So check it out, and if you want to give it a try, feel free to modify it to suit your needs.

The Program

First, we had to select a team of 4 and register at our Fitness Center. You could do this as a family, or find a couple of friends to join you. Select an inspiring team name to make it real and interesting.
Each team has an “empty” plate at the beginning of the week. After completing the activities assigned for the week, teams can earn “portions” to fill their plate. To get a “full” plate, each member of the team must complete these activities to a certain level.
Teams earn raffle tickets based on how full their plates are at the end of each week. There is a bonus raffle ticket if a team earns all four full plates at the end of the program. After it is all over, they will be able to win “fun and exciting” prizes in a raffle.

The Activities

There are 6 “portions” on a plate with different goals/activities for the week:

Fruit – all 4 members must eat breakfast within 2h of waking at least 4 times per week
Meat/Bean – Complete a nutrition trivia worksheet each week
Grain – all 4 members must complete at least 30 minutes of exercise (or 10,000 steps) on 4 days of the week
Vegetable – at least 2 members must eat 7 or more servings of fruits and veggies 3 days of the week
Dairy – at least 2 members must eat 1 or more of the healthy food items marked with the Full Plate Club logo in the cafeteria
Oil – different activity for each week: complete health profile; take a group fitness class; find the nutrition fact sheet for at least 1 meal at your favorite restaurant; complete one of the 12 online program on stress management, nutrition or weight management

Why I am excited

The main reason I am excited is that I am now eating more fruits and vegetables each day! And I am realizing that it is quite hard to get 7 servings in a day – you really have to eat a fruit and/or vegetable at each meal.

Second, I am regularly eating salad with dinner, which I used to do in the past only occasionally. One trick we use is that we add some of our favorite fruits – strawberries, peaches, blueberries, mango slices, even pieces of cantaloupe or watermelon – in the salad. We also throw in almonds, sunflower seeds or walnuts! In short, everything goes, because that’s the way we can get it all in one meal.

Third, I can now mix walking with my workouts to complete the physical activity requirement. I usually go for a run or light strength building workout 3 times a week. But that is not enough since I am told we need to maintain a good level of physical activity at least 5 times a week. Now I can just go for a long walk on the days I can’t hit the gym and complete my 10,000 steps. I have also signed up for yoga once a week!

Why it works

I don’t think that winning a prize at the end of the 4 weeks is the driver for me. I think here are a few reasons it is working so well -

Being in a team encourages you to complete your activities, after all you don’t want to “let your team down”
The program is quite flexible and comprehensive
It is only a 4 week program, not going to last forever
It is educational – you need to look up nutrition information online to do those trivia worksheets
It is fun to see your team’s plates “fill up” on the board
It gives you something different to talk about with your friends and co-workers around the water cooler!

So wish me luck that I can stay with the program for 4 weeks and get used to the 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day!

This program is designed for adults, but I am sure you can tweak it to work with your young kids if you like. Share your ideas and opinion in comments below.

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Global Toddlers – Maureen from Baltimore, USA

by TwinToddlersDad on June 24, 2009

in Global Toddlers

Mom	Kayris
Mom’s Nationality	American
Lives in	Baltimore, USA
Brothers/Sisters	One brother, Johnny
Favorite Foods	Fruit – bananas, apples, sometimes melon
	Vegetables – green beans, corn, peas, beans
	Cereal – Cheerios, Kix, Raisin Bran
	Dairy Products – milk, yogurt, cheese
	Meats – chicken, sometimes beef
	Snacks – string cheese, yogurt, Kashi crackers, Kashi cereal bars
	Fruit juice – apple, OJ
	Vegetable juice – none
	Other – nuts, eggs, peanut butter, various grains
Mom’s Favorite Recipe	Chicken thighs with skin removed, one pint tomatoes (or one larger tomato, sliced), 2 pounds red potatoes, chopped into chunks, 2 Tbsp water, drizzle olive oil, 1/2 cup Sun of Italy pesto. Place all into a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, at 425 for 45 minutes.
Nutritional Supplements	Yes – Nature’s Plus Vegetarian Vitamin and Mineral Supplements–chewables
Mom’s top concerns	Too much sugar, not enough fruits and veggies
Gets advice from	Internet, Books/magazines
Question/advice for other moms/dads	We follow the 80-20 rule. If 80 percent of what they eat is healthy and wholesome, I don’t worry about the other 20 percent.

Kayris writes a blog The Great Walls of Baltimore about her family life and kids. She also frequently contributes to API Speaks – the blog of Attachment Parenting International.

To find out more about Global Toddlers click here.

You can complete a short online survey if you would like to showcase your toddler’s profile. The only criteria is that you should have at least one child between the ages of 2 and 5.

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Ask The Expert – Stop Your Child From Overeating

by TwinToddlersDad on June 23, 2009

in Ask The Expert, Helpful Tips

This week, Registered Dietitian Laurie Beebe recommends a simple method to stop your child from overeating and develop long-term healthy eating habits.

Laurie Beebe

B.S. in Clinical Dietetics from the University of Florida
M.S. in Clinical Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University
Expertise in weight management
Experience: As a registered dietitian for over 25 years my resume includes clinical dietitian positions in hospitals, dialysis centers and doctors offices; appointments at universities teaching nutrition and dietetics; and writing and speaking to groups of both lay people and professionals to educate a range of clients about nutrition and health.
Website: http://www.mycoachlaurie.com
Twitter: @lauriebrd
LinkedIn Profile
Contact: via email laurie@coachlaurie.com

Question: How can I model healthy eating behavior for my kids without emphasizing ‘dieting’ at this young age?

Answer:

Recently, a client of mine asked me this question:

“My husband and I are both active and in good shape, but sometimes I eat a bit too much, especially in the evening, and go to bed feeling bloated. I notice that my 3 year old and 5 year old also want second helpings sometimes and afterwards there are times they complain of a stomach ache. How can I model healthy eating behavior for them without emphasizing ‘dieting’ at this young age?”

In my opinion, one of the best things you can do for your children is to teach them healthy eating habits while they are growing up. They don’t need to have any information about what eating too much will do to their future health at this age; only that it might give them a tummy ache! Just as you need to discover that the signal “you are full” does not reach your brain for 15 minutes after you really have had enough, this is something you can teach them, too. Show them that you are setting a timer for 10 minutes when they ask for second helpings (especially if you allow them extra portions of foods that are low in nutrient-density, like desserts). Let them know that their body needs time to realize they are full and if they keep on eating their only signal is a tummy ache when it is too late. Assure them that if they still want more food in ten minutes then it is theirs, but you want to be sure they don’t get sick from eating too much. (You don’t need to remind them in ten minutes by asking, “Did you still want more macaroni and cheese?” but do give them a small amount if they come to you for more when the timer goes off.) Chances are, they will be distracted by some games or toys and forget about the desire for more of the tasty food when the impulse passes.

This is a healthy lesson they will learn for life and they will grow up, not with an idea that “food that tastes good is bad and makes us fat and sick”, but merely “I need to stop and think whether or not my body feels hungry before I take an extra helping”.

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Healthy Fats for Children

by TwinToddlersDad on June 22, 2009

in Science of Food

The word “fat” has become such an awful thing that everybody wants to get rid of it! Believe it or not, we can’t live without it even though so many of us are walking around with so much of around our waistlines. That is why, when one of my readers asked me to consider writing a post on healthy fats for children, I was immediately hooked on the idea. Here is a summary of what I found in my research from various sources. Leave a comment if you would like to know more about anything specific or if you want to suggest a topic for me to research and write about.

Why fats?

Fats are a very important part of diet, especially for growing children, because they serve many functions -

supply energy (2 times as many calories as carbohydrates and proteins for the same weight)
build tissues, especially brain tissue which is 60% fat
dissolve vitamins A, D, E and K for absorption in the body
protect the body from shock, maintain temperature
maintain healthy skin and hair
all cells have a fatty outer layer which controls what goes in and what goes out

What are fats?

Chemically, fats are long, chain-like molecules containing a “backbone” of glycerol and “side-links” of fatty acids. They are also called triglycerides.

A triglyceride molecule (wikipedia)

Glycerol, commonly known as glycerin, is a small molecule containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It has three hydroxyl functional groups, which make it soluble in water. The fatty acids, on the other hand, are longer chains containing carbon and hydrogen with an acid functional group at the end. They are not soluble in water. When glycerol and fatty acids combine, the acid group from the long chain fatty acids attaches with the hydroxyl groups on the glycerol to make a strong chemical bond. Because glycerol has three hydroxyl functional groups, three chains of fatty acids can combine to form a triglyceride. You can imagine a triglyceride molecule in the shape of a capital letter E as shown in this molecular model. You may have heard your doctor talk about the amount of your triglycerides after doing a blood test.

The exact chemical nature of the long-chain fatty acids linked to the glycerol backbone determines the overall nature of the fat molecule. Fats can be solids or liquids, saturated or unsaturated, trans or cis depending on the size and structure of these chains. You may have heard these different types of fats:

Unsaturated fat – the chemical bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chains in unsaturated fats are double bonds. Double bonds are less stable, which means that unsaturated fats can be “broken” more easily by oxygen. Since the fatty acid chains can have a lot of carbon atoms, there can be one or more double bonds in these chains. Generally, unsaturated fats are in a liquid form at room temperature, that is why they are also known as oils. Oils from plants and nuts contain mostly unsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated fat – these fats have only one double bond.
Polyunsaturated fat – these fats have more than one double bond.
trans fat - when double bonds are present in a fat molecule, the structure of the fatty acid chains can be either straight or kinked because of the arrangement of carbon and hydrogen atoms around the double bonds. In trans-fat, the chain is more straight compared to the other type called the cis-fat. As a result, the trans fats have a higher melting point and are usually solids at room temperature or even body temperatures. Cathy from A Life Less Sweet has written an excellent post on trans fats if you would like to learn more.
Saturated fat – when there are no double bonds in the fat molecule, it is called a saturated fat. Dairy and meat products contain some of the natural fats. Most of the saturated fat in food products comes from hydrogenation of unsaturated fats.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids – these are called essential fatty acids because the human body cannot make them, therefore they need to come from the diet. Example of omega-3 fatty acids are: ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Linoleic acid is an example of omega-6 fatty acids.

How much fat?

Here are some guidelines from the American Heart Association and the USDA -

Children under the age of 3 should get about 30 – 35% of daily calories from fats
Children between 4 – 18 years old should get about 25 – 30% of daily calories from fats
Adults should get about 20 – 35% (preferably closer to 20%) of daily calories from fats

Each gram of fat contains about 9 calories, so a 2000 calorie diet should not have more than 67 g of fat for the 30% requirement. Active kids between 2 – 5 years old, who need about 1600 daily calories, should get about 55 g of fat.

Even though both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential, too much of omega-6 and too little of omega-3 is also not good. In the modern meat-rich diet, the ratio of the two is about 20 to 1, which is much higher than the 2:1 recommended ratio.

What types of fats are good?

Simply put, select foods with unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids and stay away from saturated fats and trans fats.

Here are a few sources of “good” fats -

Monounsaturated fats – nuts, olive oil, canola oil, avocado

Polyunsaturated fats and fatty acids – plant oils (watch out for partially hydrogenated oils, see below), nuts, fish, flax seeds or powder, sunflower seeds, grass-fed beef

What types of fats should I avoid?

Some saturated fat is ok (about 10% of daily calories), but trans fat is a big no-no. The best way to check if trans fat is present in the food is to look for “partially hydrogenated” oils in the list of ingredients. Don’t fall for the zero trans fat on the nutrition facts panel because FDA allows it if the level of trans fat is less than 0.5 g per serving.

Here are a few sources of saturated and trans-fats- Cheese, beef, whole milk, baked foods, margarine, chips, fried foods, eggs, poultry.

Here are a few good resoures for further reading if you are interested:

Fear not the healthy fats – Seattle’s Child Magazine

2005 dietary guidelines for Americans – USDA, Dept of Health & Human Services

fat, trans fat, omega-3 fatty acid, essential fatty acid – Wikipedia

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← Previous Entries

Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition

Five For Fridays – Jul 3, 2009

30 states have 30% or higher childhood obesity rates

Animal fats linked to pancreatic cancer

Walnuts can cut cholesterol

Try this nutty 4th of July fruit salad

Good health comes in small bites

The Power of Family Meals: Tips for Feeding Toddlers

Global Toddlers – Tristan from Lemoore, USA

10 Child Nutrition Questions You Need Answered By An Expert

Five for Fridays – Jun 26, 2009

Clues to the Mediterranean diet

**Now a sweetness enhancer rather than an artificial sweetener**

Food industry asks Obama to create a Presidential Commission for fighting obesity

**Grocery stores going back to basics for recession-struck shoppers**

Six ways to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table

The Full Plate Club

The Program

The Activities

Why I am excited

Why it works

Global Toddlers – Maureen from Baltimore, USA

Ask The Expert – Stop Your Child From Overeating

Question: How can I model healthy eating behavior for my kids without emphasizing ‘dieting’ at this young age?

Answer:

Healthy Fats for Children

Why fats?

What are fats?

How much fat?

What types of fats are good?

What types of fats should I avoid?

Have a 2-5 yo toddler?

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Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition

30 states have 30% or higher childhood obesity rates

Animal fats linked to pancreatic cancer

Walnuts can cut cholesterol

Try this nutty 4th of July fruit salad

Good health comes in small bites

Enter to win a $50 gift certificate from Target to celebrate the Independence Day!!!!

3 simple ways to win (choose one or more if you like)

Full disclosure a.k.a The Fine Print

Clues to the Mediterranean diet

Now a sweetness enhancer rather than an artificial sweetener

Food industry asks Obama to create a Presidential Commission for fighting obesity

Grocery stores going back to basics for recession-struck shoppers

Six ways to get your toddler to sit at the dinner table

The Program

The Activities

Why I am excited

Why it works

Question: How can I model healthy eating behavior for my kids without emphasizing ‘dieting’ at this young age?

Answer:

Why fats?

What are fats?

How much fat?

What types of fats are good?

What types of fats should I avoid?

Have a 2-5 yo toddler?

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