The greater availability of fatty foods, coupled with a decline in physical activity, may be putting your children's health at risk. As of 2008, obesity affected as many as 20 percent of children and adolescents, compared with just 6 percent during the 1970s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the same period, the number of fast-food restaurants doubled. Your children may have an increased risk of developing heart disease and other serious illnesses because of excessive fat in their diets.
Fatty Food Sources
High-fat youth diets typically include a lot of meat, whole or 2 percent-fat milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream, snack chips and deep-fried foods. When combined with the rest of his daily diet, just one fast-food meal of a burger, fries and a milkshake can upset a child's caloric balance. He will wind up with far more calories than he can expend. Additional foods high in fat and calories include tacos, biscuit breakfast sandwiches, fried chicken and fish sandwiches, fried corn dogs and fried fruit pies.
Recommended Daily Limits
Portion sizes figure into excessive fat and calorie counts in kids’ meals. Larger sizes and double meat or cheese on sandwiches push the totals upward. Consider the 15 g of fat and 271 calories in a small order of french fries, compared with 19 g of fat and 539 calories in a large order. Of the 1,000 to 3,100 calories in an average child's diet, no more than 35 percent of her calories should come from fat.
Effects of High Calories
Fat nutrients in foods provide more calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates and noncaloric vitamins and minerals. Children and adolescents who sustain high caloric intake over the years can gain weight, a risk factor for many diseases. A study published in 2005 in “The Lancet” showed that young adults who had eaten fast foods twice a week for 15 years had gained an average 10 pounds. Becoming significantly overweight makes children more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease early in life and to mature into overweight or obese adults. Persisting in a high-fat eating pattern into adulthood raises the risk of arthritis, gall bladder disease, cancer and premature death.
Effects of High Saturated Fat
Saturated fat, in particular, creates cardiovascular problems that may strike during youth. Children and adolescents who eat a lot of fatty meats, chicken, fish and dairy products may be getting too much saturated fat, which should account for only 10 percent of all their daily calories. Saturated fat can affect the arteries, causing high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure in the short term. These conditions can eventually lead to heart attack and strokes.
Member Comments