Low fat diets are a bad idea for children

[sarahmichigan]

Growing children need fat, including sat fat, in their diets. Up to 35 percent of calories from fat is perfectly fine for toddlers and even teenagers. And adult women have a slightly higher need for fat in the diet than men do. Interesting stuff in this age of hysteria over dietary fat:

http://www.nutritionj.com/content/6/1/19/abstract

Comments

[custardfairy.livejournal.com]

Gah. Anything diet that is anything other than "well balanced" is bad for children. I've heard from parents that kids get stuck in food ruts where they'll only eat things that are orange, or will only eat plain pasta, or whatever, but that over a year it will balance out with other foods they eat. I wonder if this is because kids are more easily able to listen to what their bodies tell them or just because they like orange. No idea. At any rate, the idea that fat is bad is so goofy. Too much of anything is bad for you, or has the potential to be. Fat isn't inherently evil. I'm going to get off my soapbox now and go praise fat in the form of fig newtons. :)

[synapsomatic.livejournal.com]

No time at the moment to read the article, but I'm nodding my head with a resounding "YES!" It's like some people forget that children's bodies cannot at all be compared to adult bodies, because they are growing and developing. (I'd like to say "common sense", but it seems like an oxymoron!) But, for the most part, people have been utterly brainwashed by fad diets, and don't do the research. I worked at a health food/supplement store for a few years once, and I just could not believe how dumb some people are about this kind of stuff. I remember trying to explain to some woman that our bodies do need some fat and cholesterol, because it's essential to certain systems and functions in the body, and without which, those systems and functions would be all out of wack, etc. And she looked at me with such surprise and amazement and disbelief, and all I could think was, "Um, didn't you ever take biology?" lol. And try to explain why carbs are necessary for proper brain function to people on low carb diets...well, clearly they can't understand because they've impaired their brain function! Hahaha. (Okay, that was kind of mean, but I'm in that kind of joking mood.) Anyway, yeah, the general population is pretty confused about healthy eating. And Europeans look at us, utterly confused, shaking their heads, muttering under their breath that they just just don't get it, what's with us, etc. ;)

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

Gah. and I had a longing for baloney yesterday so I bought some, and just for kicks I looked at the ingredients on a package of low-fat baloney. Yuck! It's got more *carbs*, more calories, more sodium and more sugar, just what kids *don't* need. I'll take my high fat meat and be happy about it...