Making Heart-healthy Food Your Kids Will Love
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
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We all know that poor eating habits can lead to weight and heart problems, and the incidence of high cholesterol in children is growing. But how can we get our kids to eat food that’s good for their health and their hearts?
“The goal is to make healthy eating fun and easy for everyone,” says Elizabeth Wright, a clinical dietitian in the Cardiac Center and the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “You want to have food on hand that’s good for your kids, and prepare meals that are both tasty and appealing to look at. Over time, your kids will grow to prefer the healthy options.”
To understand what makes a heart-healthy diet, Wright offers three simple guidelines: “Cut down on saturated fat and sugar, and push more fiber.”
Saturated fat contributes to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Sugar affects the body’s metabolism, contributing to fat storage and weight gain, which in turn affects heart health.
Fiber, which is found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans, naturally helps remove unhealthy cholesterol from the body.
“Once you understand the basic guidelines of heart-healthy nutrition,” Wright says, “the key is shop for those foods ahead of time so they are on hand for snacks and meals, and to keep unhealthy foods out of your home. Then you want to prepare and present those healthy foods in fun and tasty ways. And you want to engage your kids in shopping and preparing meal so they come to prefer healthier options.”
CHOP’s Nutrition in the Kitchen guide has a number of healthy and delicious recipes, and the Clinical Nutrition Department offers many helpful resources. Here are some ideas for heart-healthy snacks from CHOP’s nutrition experts:
Contributed by: Elizabeth L. Wright, MS, RD, CSP, LDN, FAND
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