Most parents probably do not think about what cholesterol means for their kids. But high levels of cholesterol are a major contributing factor for heart disease and stroke, and medical research shows that cardiovascular disease has its roots in childhood.
With the dramatic increase in childhood obesity, more and more kids are at risk. So it is important to know our child's cholesterol levels, especially if there is a family history of high cholesterol.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) guidelines, the acceptable ranges of total and LDL cholesterol for kids and teens between 2 to18 years of age are: below 170 - acceptable, 170-199 - border line, above 200 - high. A high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle in children could cause heart disease later in life.
The American Academy of Paediatrics offers the following suggestions regarding diets for children:
a. Prepare a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and whole grains for the child;
b. Offer the child whole-grain cereals and breads, low-fat dairy and healthier starches, such as potatoes, rice and pasta;
c. Skip high-fat toppings, such as butter. Instead top foods with low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt;
d. Feed the child lean, healthy proteins, such as skinless poultry, beef, and fish;
e. Avoid fats in cooking. Grill or bake and do not fry.
Children should be given a healthy lunch for school. For school lunches, low-fat or fat-free lunchmeat sandwiches made with whole-grain bread will be ideal. Low-fat cheese can be added, but a better choice would be tomato slices and lettuce.
Vending machines can be a dilemma. Children should be guided to choose the lower fat versions of chips and avoid "food in machines" entirely.
Children younger than two 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 from 2-5 years through to 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 taking 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 their foods.
Plenty of exercises should be encouraged. Exercise helps boost HDL (good cholesterol) levels in the blood. Kids and teens should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.
Family activities that involve exercises, such as walks, hikes, games, and organized sports should be planned to see if the 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.
Children should be made known about the facts of high cholesterol in an age-appropriate way. Health care professionals may be consulted to discuss ways to help a child improve his or her health. What the child is eating should be monitored and particular attention should be paid about cholesterol and fats in foods.
Identification of high cholesterol in child's foods will let us and our doctors work together to make changes that will lower the child's risk of developing heart diseases later.
Current guidelines recommend that all kids be screened for high blood lipids at least once when they are between 9 and 11 years old and again between 17 and 21 years.
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 healthcare professional or a registered dietician helps the family to adjust.
This eating pattern requires careful planning to make sure that the child is getting the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. If we help our child reduce total cholesterol levels and LDL, risk of coronary heart diseases can be greatly lowered.
It is natural that parents will have trouble denying their children 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 healthy foods on the same day and during the rest of the week.
The children should never be rewarded with high-fat foods as this can develop into a life-long dietary habit.
Diet and exercise of the
children should be carefully monitored by the parents because it is vitally important in lowering
cholesterol levels of their
children.
The writer is a Nutritionist,
BCA department of Labaid
Hospital, Dhaka.
fahmida@labaidgroup.com
Healthy child, healthy world
Fahmida Hashem | Published: February 07, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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