The Good, The Bad and the Unfortunate

Children need dietary fat. Fats are essential to the growth and development of a child’s brain and nervous system, pituitary glands, skin, and more.

• Building blocks of hormones.
• Insulate nervous system tissue in the body.
• They serve as energy stores for the body. Fats are broken down in the body to release glycerol and free fatty acids. The glycerol can be converted to glucose by the liver and thus used as a source of energy.
• Helps absorb some vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K, can only be digested, absorbed and transported in conjunction with fats.
• Serves as a functional buffer towards a multitude of diseases. This helps to protect vital organs, until such time as the offending substances can be metabolized or otherwise removed from the body.

However not all fats are created equal, and there is no doubt that fat can make you fat, or worse, make you unhealthy, and children are no different. So as a parent this can be confusing and a little daunting. We don’t want our children to be fat, but we don’t want to retard their development either. Here we break down the facts on fat.

Did you know that 1 out of 9 school aged children in the US is considered to be morbidly obese. There are whole generations of children that will not outlive their parents. This will be due to illnesses directly related to obesity: heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Teach your children about healthy fats and their consumption, for their sake.

A word of caution when shopping for your family, don’t be fooled into thinking that “low-fat” and “fat-free” products are always the best choice. READ the labels. Lower in fat doesn’t mean lower in calories. Sometimes the food manufactors have to up the sugar content to maintain a taste quality. The calorie count goes up and you may have only saved yourself 1 gram of fat. 

As always, this is not meant to be a subsitute for the advice and expertise of your pediatrition or family doctor.  For more information on what your child should be eating each day, check out Your Child's Individual Needs.