6 Tips To Reduce Fat And Cholesterol In Your Children's Diet

Children can have high cholesterol levels, too, although it's rare. This may happen because of genetic reasons or be caused by underlying causes, such as obesity. Childhood obesity is a widespread phenomenon, and a great reason for concern. When the child’s diet is filled with unhealthy foods, young ones can develop a lot of problems as they grow up, from heart disease to hypertension.

1. Know the limits

Tracing a child’s cholesterol levels is done through a test called a lipid panel, which provides information on the four most important factors that influence fats in the bloodstream: total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.

There are certain medical guidelines which indicate the correct interpretation of the test results for children between the ages of two and 18:

• The best results are depicted by total cholesterol levels which are 170 mg/dL or lower, with an LDL of less than 110 mg/dL.
• Total cholesterol levels that are between 170 and 190 mg/dL, and LDL of 110 to 129 mg/dL is considered borderline high.
• When the total cholesterol level exceeds 200 mg/dL, and LDL levels are over 130 mg/dL, the results are interpreted are very high.

2. Avoid sugar as much as possible

It’s no secret that you can bribe a child into doing almost anything with a huge bar of chocolate. However, sugar exposes children to the dangers of high cholesterol. That doesn’t mean that parents have to forever eliminate sweets and desserts from a child’s diet. Instead, they can be replaced with super tasty and nutritious snacks, such as a combination of low-fat yogurt and fruit, sherbet and sorbet, or even home-made cereal bars with honey.

3. Make fruits look attractive

Everyone knows that if a child feels their food looks funny, they won’t eat it. One clever way to make your children eat more fruit is to cut it in bite-sized pieces and create playful patterns on their plates. You can feed your child grapes, pineapple slices, pieces of grapefruit or orange, apple slices, bananas, or strawberries.

Feel free to mix small pieces of fruit with low-fat yogurt for a refreshing and healthy snack. You can also feed your child with dried fruit mixes, which are way better compared to eating chocolate or biscuits.

4. Work your way around fast food

One fast food meal per week is OK, but even then there are certain tricks that you can turn to for healthier eating:

• While not exactly healthy, try to always pick foods that are in the children’s menu. The portions are smaller.
• If the meal includes a drink, opt for something other than soda. A lot of children menus have freshly-squeezed orange juice, or at least some alternative that doesn’t pack tons of sugar.
• Try to avoid giving your children sauces and dressings. Stuff like mayonnaise contains a lot of oil, salt, and many sauces are made with sugar.
• Replace those fries with a salad, or a healthier alternative, like carrot sticks.

5. Learn to replace instead of eliminate

• Replace trans fats and red meats with lean meat portions. For example, choose tenderloin chunks and remove any fat from it. Cook it without oil (boil it, use it in stews, or bake it).
• Eggs are very nutritious and good for growing children. However, eggs yolks are high in cholesterol. You can make omelets by using only egg whites.
• Instead of purchasing whole milk for your child, opt for skim milk. Also, keep in mind that whole milk actually contains a lot of minerals that are good for your child, while fat-free version doesn't. Make sure that your kid gets those missing minerals and nutrients from other foods. 
• If your child is a fan of chicken, opt for chicken breast. Avoid the skin at all costs, because it’s very rich in fat.
• Everybody loves a good ice cream, but ice cream packs calories which are not good for a child with high cholesterol. Instead of giving your kid ice cream, make your own healthy and tasty versions. You can mix yogurt and fruit chunks (keep them in the freezer for a colder and more refreshing taste), or feed them homemade ice cream which contains low-fat dairy.

6. Make exercising fun

One of the main recommendations that adults with high cholesterol receive from their doctors is to make exercise a daily or weekly routine. Since forever, children have always been attracted to the idea of having "fun in the sun", but a lot of busy parents now prefer to leave their children in front of a YouTube video or cartoons on the TV, so they can have time to do something else.

This is one of the worst parenting mistakes, not just because you’re robbing yourself of the chance to spend more quality time with your beloved little one, but also because children drift further apart from the notion of having fun outside. Needless to say, sitting in front of a computer screen or the TV prevents them from exercising.

Conclusion

In modern society, parents often neglect important aspects of their children’s lives, not because they are bad parents, but because they are so absorbed by work and providing a future for their children. In this tornado, it’s easy to lose track of what your child eats or how much exercise they get, both causes that lead to childhood obesity. Keep in mind that the most important thing is having a healthy child, because health is something that, in a lot of cases, money can't buy.