We all know that a high fat diet can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes or even cancer and, although there are more low fat and nonfat foods available these days, the consumption of high fat foods is actually on the rise, especially among children, and combined with lots of television, video games and computer time, our kids are really getting off on the wrong foot. So it's up to us as parents to role model healthy eating habits and healthy exercise habits!
Make a game out of reading food labels with your kids, especially for staying away from all foods containing partially hydrogenated oils, also known as trans-fats, because the body can't really process them and also pay attention to so called serving sizes because they can be misleading in that what you might normally eat is much higher than what is suggested on the label.
Keeping fat out of your diet is ideal. Dan Eaton has some suggestions.
Fat does serve a positive purpose in that it does give us energy and helps maintain our body temperature, as well as protecting our internal organs but some fats are definitely better than others!
Good types of fat are olive oil, canola oil, avocado and oils found in most nuts and seeds. These fats are also called monounsaturated fats and are the primary fats that are responsible for the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet!
Bad fats are called saturated fats and they're typically solid at room temperature, like butter and other whole fat dairy products, margarine, or the fat that's in red meats and it's a good idea to cut back on these or substitute other low fat options.
Omega 3 fatty acids are another type of fat that are really important to our overall health and you can find that in things like salmon, tuna, soy products and nuts and seeds, especially walnuts.
A well rounded, low fat diet also emphasizes lots of whole grains, beans and plenty of fruit and vegetables but keep in mind that, if you have very young kids, they need more fat for normal growth and development so, for kids under two, you don't need to substitute low fat foods. And also keep in mind that the most important thing that you can probably do as parents is to set a good example as far as exercise and eating habits.