Even very young children can have high cholesterol levels and plaque buildup in their arteries that can lead to health problems when they get older. This is especially significant when a parent or grandparent has a history of high cholesterol, heart disease or stroke. A heart-healthy diet for children, which follows the same basic guidelines as a heart-healthy diet for adults, can help prevent the development of heart disease in later years.
Starting Young
Heart-healthy eating can begin in infancy with an introduction to nutritious foods and healthy eating habits. Babies and young children usually eat just the amount of food they need, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Forcing children to eat more than they want to eat causes them to take in more calories than they need, which could result in excessive weight gain and promote poor eating habits. Some children may refuse to eat certain foods at first but will eventually accept them if the foods are continually offered and become familiar.
Types
The AHA recommends the same types of foods for children and adults. Heart-healthy foods are any foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar. These include fruits; vegetables; seafood; fat-free and low-fat dairy products; and whole-grain, high-fiber pastas, cereals and breads. Children should get most of their fats from olive oil, vegetable oils, oily fish, nuts and other foods high in healthful monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, according to the AHA.
Portions
The amount of heart-healthy food children need to support normal growth and development varies by age, according to the AHA. Children ages 1 to 8 need 2 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, or equivalent dairy or dairy substitute each day, while children ages 9 to 18 need 3 cups. A 1-year-old should have about 2 oz. of whole-grain foods a day while the average teenage boy should average 7 oz. All children should have at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal and as with other foods, the actual amount needed increases with age.
Fats
Children, like adults, need some fat in their diets but after the age of 2, they need less. Up to the age of 2, 30 to 40 percent of a child's diet should consist of healthful fat. From age 2 to 3, 30 to 35 percent should come from fat. From ages 4 to 18, children should be getting between 25 and 35 percent of their total calories from fat.
Considerations
Childhood obesity is a problem that can eventually contribute to heart disease. That's why it is important to know how much food a child should eat in a day, and make sure that regular exercise is just as much a part of a child's daily lifestyle as a heart-healthy diet. The average 1-year old needs to consume about 900 calories a day while the average teenage girl requires 1,800 and the average teenage boy needs 2,200. Eating a diet that consists mostly of heart-healthy foods, and following the MyPyramid guidelines for kids and preschoolers established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, can help children control their weight.
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