Cholesterol and Children - Monitor what your Kids are Eating

• As a parent, consider it your responsibility to make sure that your children eat three proper meals a day which include food that is low in fat and high in nutrients. Reduce the amount of sugar and fat your children eat and limit the intake of junk food.

• Become involved in your child’s school food program or cafeteria. Many schools offer unhealthy school lunches as well as having vending machines full of sugary and fatty foods.  At a number of schools though, parents have come together to force school boards to provide better food choices for their students. Use this as an inspiration to make sure that your child can make healthy food choices at school too.

• If you are worried about what your children are eating, consider taking them to a nutritionist who can help by teaching them what they should be eating.

• Even if your child has an elevated level of cholesterol, realize that growing children still need more fat and nutrients than adults. Don’t simply put your child on a very low-fat diet. Consult a pediatrician to come up with a diet plan which can help your child grow whilst keeping the cholesterol under control. A diet which is too low in fat may affect childhood development.

• Educate your children about the dangers of smoking. Smoking is a high-risk factor for cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol.

• Get your children to exercise as much as possible. Nearly all health experts agree that North American children don’t exercise enough. This has a disastrous effect on cholesterol levels and on overall health. One of the best things that you can do to keep your children away from the dangers of high cholesterol is to get them to do a little exercise each day. Find an activity that they enjoy and encourage them in it.

• If your child smokes, is overweight, or has at least one parent with a cholesterol level of more than 240mg/dl, he might be at an increased risk of high cholesterol - even at an early age. Take your child to the doctor - do so especially if your child has more than one of the risk factors - for a complete check-up and a cholesterol check.

Now go to the next step for Lower Cholesterol Secrets