According to organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Heart Association, overweight issues and obesity are serious and rapidly growing problems among children. The risks for heart disease, diabetes and other conditions increase with weight gain. Reducing the fat content of children's food is one way to combat health problems. Making their favorite foods with less fat is a great way to help your children stay healthy.
Baking vs. Frying
Many fried foods are filled with saturated fats, which have soaked into the food and breading during the cooking process. Baking foods instead of frying them allows you to provide the crunch and crust of kids' favorite foods like chicken tenders, potato chips or French fries with much less fat.
Less Animal Fat
Meats like sausage contain up to 60 percent calories from fat. When they cook, they release fat, which is absorbed into other foods in the same pan or pot, such as vegetables, potatoes or rice. Low-fat cooking uses smaller portions of meats to flavor other dish ingredients, eliminating the protein as the centerpiece of the dish, without eliminating the flavor. Experiment with smaller amounts of meat in kid favorites like spaghetti, pizza and chili.
Protein Choice
Not all meat is created equal when it comes to fat. In general, the more expensive the beef, the more fat it contains, often referred to as marbling. The opposite is true when selecting ground beef; the cheaper the beef, the more fat. Turkey, often recommended as a low-fat alternative to beef or chicken, has the least amount of fat in the breast. Certain fatty fish, like salmon, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help raise "good" cholesterol (HDL) levels. Use them to make fish tacos, which kids can build using baked tortillas, lettuce, tomato, onions and salsa (skip the cheese, sour cream and guacamole). Low-fat cooks choose lean cuts of beef, like flank steak, which may be tougher but can be marinated prior to cooking to make them tender. Use low-fat cuts of beef and low-fat cheese for Philly cheese steaks. For kids' burgers, consider ground turkey breast, or use smaller portions of leaner ground beef, with more lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
Fry Smart
If you're going to make kid favorites like fried chicken, use less oil by using newer cookware. Cast iron and copper pans, long favorites in the kitchen, usually require more oil to help foods cook. Authentic Chinese woks, Teflon-coated pans and other new products allow you to cook at high temperatures with less oil.
If you'll be deep frying staples like French fries, chicken fingers or fish and chips, use monounsaturated fats, such as those found in oils like olive, canola, sesame, macadamia, soybean and walnut oils. Remember that all oil is fat, and that using "good" oils is not a green light to use extra amounts. Drop foods in the oil for 30 seconds, then lift out for one minute, to create a crust. Drop the items back in the fryer until they float or turn golden brown and they won't absorb as much oil. After you remove items from the fryer, place them on wire racks or other devices that allow fat to drip off the food. Don't place them on towels or napkins, which can only absorb so much liquid.
Got Soup?
Serve low-fat vegetable soups by making your own. Substitute vegetable stock and fat-free milk for meat stocks and cream. Compensate for the loss of fat flavor with seasonings like curry powder (to mellow, not heat), cilantro, pepper, ginger and thyme. Puree your own vegetables in a food processor for kid-friendly soups like tomato, potato, bean or onion.
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