How to Prevent Heart Disease in Kids

Reduce your child’s intake of salt., Try to avoid feeding your child junk food., Reduce the amount of bad fats your child consumes., Feed your child foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids., Give your child foods that are high in fiber., Reduce...

7 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Reduce your child’s intake of salt.

    If bad eating habits are started at a young age, there is a good chance they will carry over into adult life.

    Try to keep your child’s intake of salt to a minimum, as salt has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. 0 to 12 month old should get a maximum of 1 gram of salt each day.1 to 3 year olds should get two grams of salt each day.y.4 to 6 year olds can eat 3 grams of salt each day.y.7 to 10 year olds can eat 5 grams each day.y.11 years and older can get 6 grams of salt each day.y.
  2. Step 2: Try to avoid feeding your child junk food.

    Teach your child that junk food is bad at an early age.

    Junk foods like chips, candy, and fried foods are all empty calories that lack almost any nutritional value.

    They are also generally high in salts, sugars, and bad fats. , Bad fats are saturated fats and trans fats.

    These kinds of fats can raise your child’s lipo protein, or bad cholesterol, levels.

    This could result in heart complications later on in life.

    Bad fats can be found in foods like processes cakes and cookies, deep fried foods, candy, and whole fat dairy products. , Omega-3 promotes a healthy heart, and has been shown to reduce the chance of heart attacks and blood clots.

    Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include: sardines, salmon, soybeans, flax seeds, walnuts, tofu, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, shrimp and winter squash. , Fiber can help to lower your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol levels) which in turn can protect you against heart disease.Fiber can be found in grains, fruits, and vegetables. , Obesity can either be hereditary, or linked to eating a lot of bad foods.

    Being obese can increase your child’s chances of heart disease and stroke later on in light.

    Foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat should be avoided in order to maintain your child’s healthy weight.

    High saturated fats and sugar foods include: chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks, ice cream, biscuits, crisps, fast food such as chicken nuggets or burger and other processed foods such as hotdogs and breakfast cereals that contain additional sugar. , Eating meals as a family can help you to keep track of what foods your child is eating.

    Cutting out bad foods needs to be a family-wide change, as children often learn by example; if your child sees you snacking on a candy bar, she will be much more likely to snack on such foods herself.

    Eating together can help you to monitor how much your child is eating, as well as what sort of foods she is eating.
  3. Step 3: Reduce the amount of bad fats your child consumes.

  4. Step 4: Feed your child foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

  5. Step 5: Give your child foods that are high in fiber.

  6. Step 6: Reduce the amount of sugar and fat your child gets in order to prevent obesity.

  7. Step 7: Eat meals as a family.

Detailed Guide

If bad eating habits are started at a young age, there is a good chance they will carry over into adult life.

Try to keep your child’s intake of salt to a minimum, as salt has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. 0 to 12 month old should get a maximum of 1 gram of salt each day.1 to 3 year olds should get two grams of salt each day.y.4 to 6 year olds can eat 3 grams of salt each day.y.7 to 10 year olds can eat 5 grams each day.y.11 years and older can get 6 grams of salt each day.y.

Teach your child that junk food is bad at an early age.

Junk foods like chips, candy, and fried foods are all empty calories that lack almost any nutritional value.

They are also generally high in salts, sugars, and bad fats. , Bad fats are saturated fats and trans fats.

These kinds of fats can raise your child’s lipo protein, or bad cholesterol, levels.

This could result in heart complications later on in life.

Bad fats can be found in foods like processes cakes and cookies, deep fried foods, candy, and whole fat dairy products. , Omega-3 promotes a healthy heart, and has been shown to reduce the chance of heart attacks and blood clots.

Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids include: sardines, salmon, soybeans, flax seeds, walnuts, tofu, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, shrimp and winter squash. , Fiber can help to lower your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol levels) which in turn can protect you against heart disease.Fiber can be found in grains, fruits, and vegetables. , Obesity can either be hereditary, or linked to eating a lot of bad foods.

Being obese can increase your child’s chances of heart disease and stroke later on in light.

Foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat should be avoided in order to maintain your child’s healthy weight.

High saturated fats and sugar foods include: chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks, ice cream, biscuits, crisps, fast food such as chicken nuggets or burger and other processed foods such as hotdogs and breakfast cereals that contain additional sugar. , Eating meals as a family can help you to keep track of what foods your child is eating.

Cutting out bad foods needs to be a family-wide change, as children often learn by example; if your child sees you snacking on a candy bar, she will be much more likely to snack on such foods herself.

Eating together can help you to monitor how much your child is eating, as well as what sort of foods she is eating.

About the Author

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Andrea Thompson

Andrea Thompson is an experienced writer with over 1 years of expertise in advertising. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Andrea creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.

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