Fahmida Hashem :
Most parents probably don’t think about what cholesterol means for their kids. But high levels of cholesterol are a major factor contributing to heart disease and stroke, and medical research shows that cardiovascular disease has its roots in childhood.
And with the dramatic increase in childhood obesity, more and more kids are at risk. So it’s important to know your child’s cholesterol levels, especially if there’s a family history of high cholesterol.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines, the ranges of total and LDL cholesterol for kids and teens 2-18 years old are: acceptable<170, borderline 170-199, high >200.
The relationship between children and cholesterol is clear – a high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle in children could cause heart disease later on in life.
The American Academy of Paediatrics offers these suggestions for kids-Serve a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains for your child. Offer your child whole-grain cereals and breads, low-fat dairy and healthier starches such as potatoes, rice and pasta. Skip high-fat toppings, such as butter.
Instead, top foods with low-fat c cheese, low-fat yoghurt.
Feed your child lean, healthy proteins, such as skinless poultry, beef, and fish. Avoid fats in cooking. Grill or bake. Do not fry.
Pack a healthy lunch for your child to take to school. For school lunches, pack low-fat or fat-free lunchmeat sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. Low-fat cheese can be added, but a better choice would be tomato slices and lettuce. Vending machines can be a dilemma. Help you child choose the lower fat versions of chips or teach them to avoid ‘food in machines’ entirely. Avoid using soda machines.
Children younger than 2 years of age should not be restricted from foods containing fat or cholesterol. Their rapid growth and development require high-energy intakes from food. Children 2-5 years through 18 years of age should gradually adopt a diet that contains no less than 20 per cent and no more than 30 per cent of calories from fat. Less than 10 per cent of total calories should come from saturated fat. As children eat fewer calories from fat, they should replace those calories by eating more grain products, fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk and other calcium-rich foods, beans, lean meat, poultry, fish, or other protein-rich foods. Children should be given a wide range of foods to make sure they receive all the nutrients they need from a variety of foods.
Encourage plenty of exercise. Exercise helps boost HDL (good chol) levels in the blood. Kids and teens should be physically active at least 60 minutes a day. Plan family activities that involve exercise, such as walks, hikes, games, and organised sports.
See if your child is interested in team sports. Parents should also limit sedentary activities, such as watching TV, playing video games and using the computer. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends that TV time should be limited to less than two hours per day.
Do not scare your child. Present the facts about high cholesterol in an age-appropriate way. Ask your health care professional for advice. Discuss ways to help your child improve his or her health.
Do not present it as treatment for a disease. Monitor what your child eats. Pay special attention to cholesterol and fats in foods.
Identifying high cholesterol now will let you and your doctor work together to make changes that will lower your child’s risk of developing heart disease later.
Current guidelines recommend that all kids be screened for high blood lipids at least once when they’re between 9 and 11 years old and again between 17 and 21.
Children with high cholesterol levels should receive individual nutritional counselling that focuses on reducing dietary fat and cholesterol and increasing physical activity. Sometimes counselling with a health care professional or registered dietician helps the family adjust. This eating pattern requires careful planning to make sure your child is getting the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. If you help your child reduce total cholesterol levels and LDL, you can greatly lower the risk for coronary heart disease.
Kids are kids, and you will have trouble denying fun foods at birthday parties and school events. High-fat foods such as hot dogs, ice cream, fries, and pizza can still be part of your child’s diet. When balanced with other healthful foods the same day and during the rest of the week. Not ever reward children with high-fat foods as this can develop into a life-long dietary habit.
So, diet and exercises monitored by a parent are so important in lowering cholesterol levels, treatment is a family affair. n
(Fahmida Hashem is a
nutritionist)
Most parents probably don’t think about what cholesterol means for their kids. But high levels of cholesterol are a major factor contributing to heart disease and stroke, and medical research shows that cardiovascular disease has its roots in childhood.
And with the dramatic increase in childhood obesity, more and more kids are at risk. So it’s important to know your child’s cholesterol levels, especially if there’s a family history of high cholesterol.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines, the ranges of total and LDL cholesterol for kids and teens 2-18 years old are: acceptable<170, borderline 170-199, high >200.
The relationship between children and cholesterol is clear – a high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle in children could cause heart disease later on in life.
The American Academy of Paediatrics offers these suggestions for kids-Serve a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains for your child. Offer your child whole-grain cereals and breads, low-fat dairy and healthier starches such as potatoes, rice and pasta. Skip high-fat toppings, such as butter.
Instead, top foods with low-fat c cheese, low-fat yoghurt.
Feed your child lean, healthy proteins, such as skinless poultry, beef, and fish. Avoid fats in cooking. Grill or bake. Do not fry.
Pack a healthy lunch for your child to take to school. For school lunches, pack low-fat or fat-free lunchmeat sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. Low-fat cheese can be added, but a better choice would be tomato slices and lettuce. Vending machines can be a dilemma. Help you child choose the lower fat versions of chips or teach them to avoid ‘food in machines’ entirely. Avoid using soda machines.
Children younger than 2 years of age should not be restricted from foods containing fat or cholesterol. Their rapid growth and development require high-energy intakes from food. Children 2-5 years through 18 years of age should gradually adopt a diet that contains no less than 20 per cent and no more than 30 per cent of calories from fat. Less than 10 per cent of total calories should come from saturated fat. As children eat fewer calories from fat, they should replace those calories by eating more grain products, fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk and other calcium-rich foods, beans, lean meat, poultry, fish, or other protein-rich foods. Children should be given a wide range of foods to make sure they receive all the nutrients they need from a variety of foods.
Encourage plenty of exercise. Exercise helps boost HDL (good chol) levels in the blood. Kids and teens should be physically active at least 60 minutes a day. Plan family activities that involve exercise, such as walks, hikes, games, and organised sports.
See if your child is interested in team sports. Parents should also limit sedentary activities, such as watching TV, playing video games and using the computer. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends that TV time should be limited to less than two hours per day.
Do not scare your child. Present the facts about high cholesterol in an age-appropriate way. Ask your health care professional for advice. Discuss ways to help your child improve his or her health.
Do not present it as treatment for a disease. Monitor what your child eats. Pay special attention to cholesterol and fats in foods.
Identifying high cholesterol now will let you and your doctor work together to make changes that will lower your child’s risk of developing heart disease later.
Current guidelines recommend that all kids be screened for high blood lipids at least once when they’re between 9 and 11 years old and again between 17 and 21.
Children with high cholesterol levels should receive individual nutritional counselling that focuses on reducing dietary fat and cholesterol and increasing physical activity. Sometimes counselling with a health care professional or registered dietician helps the family adjust. This eating pattern requires careful planning to make sure your child is getting the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. If you help your child reduce total cholesterol levels and LDL, you can greatly lower the risk for coronary heart disease.
Kids are kids, and you will have trouble denying fun foods at birthday parties and school events. High-fat foods such as hot dogs, ice cream, fries, and pizza can still be part of your child’s diet. When balanced with other healthful foods the same day and during the rest of the week. Not ever reward children with high-fat foods as this can develop into a life-long dietary habit.
So, diet and exercises monitored by a parent are so important in lowering cholesterol levels, treatment is a family affair. n
(Fahmida Hashem is a
nutritionist)
