Healthy Children

Healthy Children

There is a lot you can do to help reduce your children's risk of developing heart disease later in life. Follow these guidelines from the AHA for children ages 2 to 19:

• Serve your children a wide variety of foods.

• Set a heart-healthy example. select, prepare, and eat foods low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol.
• Keep their saturated fat to less than 10 percent of total calories.
• Total fat should be an average of no more than 30 percent of total calories.
• Encourage physical activity, such as running, swimming, and dancing.
• Plan a fitness vacation. Instead of lying on the beach, spend your days hiking, biking, or exploring by canoe.
• Play basketball or softball with your kids as often as possible.