Low-Fat Diet for Kids

Before your child grabs another snack cake or heats up a frozen pizza, take a look at the nutrition label. If you see "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" or "palm oil" as an ingredient, put it back--these two ingredients are indicators of so-called bad fats such as saturated fat and trans fat. Instead, feed your kids healthier foods like fruits, veggie sticks, nuts or low-fat yogurt.

Dietary Recommendations

The National Institutes of Health's Dietary Guidelines for Americans set out a special plan for kids' diets. In terms of fat consumption, toddlers and growing teens need a bit more fat than young school-age children. The government recommends keeping your 2- or 3-year-old's fat consumption at 30 to 35 percent of her total daily calories. For kids between 4 and 18, keep fat consumption 25 to 35 percent of their daily caloric intake.

Types of Fat

Not all fats are bad; in fact, some are actually good for you. Saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol belong in the unhealthy category, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids can be heart-healthy in small amounts. MayoClinic.com cites a number of sources for unhealthy fats, including partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, coconut oil, and animal products. Try to give your child fewer fats from that category and more from healthier sources such as avocados, nuts, pure vegetable oils and cold-water fish such as salmon and mackerel.

Benefits

Keeping your child on a low-fat diet does more than prevent obesity. Saturated fats and trans fats are linked to high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. According to a 2005 Consensus Statement issued by the American Heart Association, atherosclerosis of the heart and arteries develops during youth, even if risk factors like plaque don't show up until the child is in her 30s or 40s. The statement also notes that after a series of low-fat intervention diets aimed at young children, absolutely no adverse effects were reported, the children made healthier food choices and LDL or "good" cholesterol rose consistently.

Healthy Switches

According to the Dietary Guidelines, making sensible switches to low-fat or non-fat versions of your child's favorite foods can save multiple grams of saturated fat. They recommend swapping regular cheese for low-fat versions, cooking with extra lean ground beef instead of regular and drinking low-fat instead of whole milk. Serve healthier low-fat versions of dairy products such as butter, margarine or ice cream. In terms of meat, avoid anything fried in favor of baked or roasted items.

Foods to Avoid

Most snack cakes, cookies, pies and crackers are made with a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil---a primary source of trans fat. According to the American Heart Association, this category also includes many kid-friendly favorites like doughnuts, pizza dough and fries. In terms of saturated fats, avoid fatty cuts of meat, chicken with the skin on, cream, butter, lard, pre-packaged muffins and oils from palm or coconut kernels.