High Cholesterol in Children

[momof3ds]

I would focus on healthy fats in both situations. Olives, olive oil, use real butter when cooking but don't go crazy with it.

Check out flax seed. Grind it up and mix it into oatmeal or spaghetti sauce.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

To the mom of the boy with low cholesterol, just make sure you buy wellshire farms or applegate farms bacon, peperoni, hot dogs, etc. They do not contain nitrates, nitrites or anything harmful. They are made of meat only. Read your labels and yes it is worth the extra cost of these items if your child is going to be eating a decent amount of this kind of food.

Not all food is created equal. Some hot dogs contain a few ingredients while others contain 20. There is a big difference. Good luck with your son and do not let anyone tell you he will have a heart attack for eating bacon. There are children who cannot gain weight and are put on high cal/high fat diets and studies show at a young age it is not detrimental to health. Do make sure however that your child also eats lots of fresh fruit and veggies to develop an appreciation for these tastes as these will be what gives him health and energy throughout life and he needs to get in the habit of eating them now.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

You might want to research grass fed beef and farm eggs if you would like to keep those in your dd's diet. You can purchase those through places like Whole Foods and the prices are reasonable if you watch for the sales. Also, Craigslist might have someone advertising their eggs in the Farm and Garden section.

http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm

I agree with PP who suggested ridding your pantry of "junk" and having a very real conversation with your dd about her health and the importance of eating well and exercising for her heart. This is life and death (not imminent, but you get the picture) and it is up to you to make the right choices for your dd. It sounds like that is what you plan on doing and good for you!

 

[thebeesknees]

OP, is it possible your insurance will cover a visit to a nutritionist for you to go over your DD's particular case? I am sure they would have some great ideas for kid-friendly foods, as well as the things that have already been shared. We are trying to do better with cholesterol here at our house, too, since DH has had his go up and down over the years and his father died fairly young of a heart attack. I make up my own "instant" oatmeal baggies for the mornings. That allows me to cut the sugar drastically (actually, I cut it nearly completely and then let the kids put one shake of sprinkles over it when it comes out of the microwave!), throw in some extra dried apples, raisins or blueberries, and still have the quick microwave convenience. My kids really love taking things to school for snacks like berries (especially blueberries and blackberries), grape tomatoes and colorful peppers with hummus, pretzels, air-popped popcorn, etc. Too bad I can't get DH to eat them, too -grr! Oh, and we switched from ground beef to ground turkey for the recipes that call for it. We all adapted pretty quickly to the flavor of it, and I found that if you put in a shake of steak sauce when you are cooking it, it makes it taste more "beefy". Good luck to you and your DD.