Food Ideas for a Lactose Intolerant 5 Year Old with High Cholesterol

What about instant oatmeal? You can make it with water. It may not be as tasty to you, but if you can get one of the slightly flavored ones, or even add a little jelly to plain, he'll love it. If you buy paper disposable bowls and plastic spoons, he could even eat it in the car if he's not too messy. But it's quick and easy to make, tastes good, and oatmeal is recommended for high cholesterol.

there are kids supplements out there that are fish oils that taste like fruit, and the omega 3s are very important to lowering cholesterol. They helped me drop my 'lousy' ldl and raise my 'healthy' hdl. Milk and other dairy products should be omitted from his diet to help drop cholesterol. Other proteins can be quick healthy breakfast, such as almond milk mixed with a rice milk protein powder w/some fruit into a smoothie that is great for on the go. Check the aisles at Whole Foods or Vitamin Shoppe if you have those stores, for something that does not have spenda/sucralose or nutrasweet/aspartame as their sweetener. He could also take the vitamin/probiotic powder made for kids by NewChapter Organics called EveryKid multivitamin powder. i get it at vitacost.com and it comes in mixed berry or awesome apple flavor. watch for hidden milk in things that can trigger an episode. almond butter and apple slices are also a great high protein breakfast that sticks. lots of off the shelf oatmeals have milk powders so make sure to read labels carefully.

Dear R.,

You've gotten some great advice here. I just wanted to second one recommendation and respectfully disagree with two others. First, I really agree with Leona -- five is awfully young for a high cholesterol diagnosis. I'd have that re-checked. A child that young needs some "good fats" in his diet (olive oil, avocado, etc.) for optimal brain development -- a "false positive" on cholesterol could actually be a cause for concern.

Second, the two things suggested below that might be problematic are soy milk and tuna. Most soy milk is made from genetically modified organisms, which have been shown to have a deleterious effect on the hormonal development of little boys. Some organic brands of soy milk are okay, but you might be safer with rice, oat, or almond milk. And tuna is VERY high in mercury. Fish is wonderful, but nutritionists recommend that everybody, especially children, consume the fish that are lower on the fish food chain -- tilapia, mackerel, herring, etc.

All the other suggestions (oatmeal, etc.) look wonderful.

Best of luck,

Mira

My 8 yr old is intolerant to cow's milk. We use almond milk (with Rolo flavoured Nesquik!). Almond milk is really low in fat and comes in varieties from the 40 calorie unsweetened (for scrambled eggs, etc) to the 120 cal chocolate flavour. (Brand name Almond Breeze for the shelf-type, and Brand name Almond Fresh for the kind in the grocer's refrigerator. I can get the shelf type at many different places, but the fresh is available only at Superstore that has a natural food aisle. Depending on how active he is, a bowl of fresh cut fruit and a glass of milk with a multivitamin may be all you have time for. I provide a granola bar for mid morning munchies when my son hasn't had time for a full breakfast.

Hi R., I would suggest that you give your child a high fiber breakfast. High fiber diets (more fruits/veggies and whole grain breads) that are low in sugar are great for lowering cholesterol. Try oatmeal with cinnamon and try to stay away from refined sugars. You can sweeten it with real maple syrup or use Stevia (an all natural sugar substitute that is not derived from chemicals) to make it sweeter. Or you can try whole grain cereals with soy milk (try the Silk brand in vanilla to get your child used to it--it tastes pretty good). If your child is not very active, try to incorporate some outside playtime too. Exercise is also very important. In general try to stay away from processed foods, especially trans fats!--I know its hard to do at times but you can make small changes week by week and it'll benefit your whole family. Good Luck I hope this helps!

I hope you go for a second opinion, because 5 is too young for high cholesterol. Make sure it was a fasting blood test and he didn't eat any high fat foods the night before, which is what really messes up my test results and it doesn't seem to matter what kind of fat for me. Just keep him on a low-fat diet and make sure he gets lots of exercise and he'll be fine. The key is lots of exercise. Get him to eat tuna, broiled salmon, lots of broccoli, veggies, and fruit....Also, unsweetened fruit juice is a good idea over sodas. Try to keep oils and fats to a minimum. You can get real leans meats like ham, turkey kelbasa, ground turkey, skinless chicken breasts and be creative.

We were just told My 5yr (almost 6 yr old) has high cholesterol too.
My son isn't to heavy either but his weight was a little high for his age.
I have been giving him more fruit for snacks and Cheerio's for bfast. I have heard Oatmeal is good for high cholesterol too.. Foods in high fiber are good.
In a month he has lost 4lb.
Good luck...
R

Hi R.
I am lactose intolerant, for breakfast I have Cheerios with OJ instead of milk. Lactaid milk and Silk soy milk are good substitutes for cow's milk, but I prefer Orange juice. Smart Balance also has a lactose free margarine. Read the labels.
Why is your son's cholesterol high? What are they saying is the cause? My husband has had a problem with his since before we were married, but it is the triglycerides that are out of whack. If he remembers to not eat foods that are fat sugars like donuts it has always come back down.
Reading labels is key.
God bless you
K.

Hi R. and welcome to my world. My ten year old is lactose intolerant and she gets really bad gassy stomach pains and diarrhea if your kid gets that too after ingesting dairy and there is nothing else physically wrong with him then he is indeed lactose intolerant! Hope this helps.

PS my daughter takes the lactaid pills and they work.

S.

Hi R.,

I've been in food service for the past 15-years and I have dealt with all with people from all walks of life with all kinds of dietary needs. But one thing I know for sure, your whole family have to change the way they eat. For example you need to adhere to the following

•Witch to Silk soy milk
•Fried foods twice per month
•No transfat, etc
•No soda (Motts 40% Lees sugar juice)
•By a juicer (do a lot of fresh green drinks sweeten w/ beets)

•Eat steamed or roasted vegetables (use promise spread)
•Eat a lot of fiber - bread, steel cut oatmeal, cheerios (as a snack)

•Drink a lot of water
•Take long walks
•Organic food, etc (Wal-Mart have great prices)

hi R.,
I see a lot of people have suggested oatmeal so I wanted to share with you the best istant oatmeal I've found, which is Kashi Heart to Heart apple cinnamon. Compared to Quaker brand it is far more nutritious -- less sugar, a lot more fiber, all around much better for a little boy in the morning. My son is 5 too, and he really likes it.

a lactose free milk, or deans easy is a good one fat free. a lactose free yogart and fruit with wheat toast,.oatmeal with fruit

My daughter & husband are lactose intolerant. From my husband's experience - he used to take the lactaid brand pills - which say that you have to take 1-3 pills depending on severity - every time that you eat dairy if it has been more than 30 minutes. Seriously???? I found a product for him that worked wonders - "Digestive Advantage" - you take one with breakfast and you are good to go for 24 hours! It is fantastic! When my daughter stopped nursing and we discovered that she is lactose intolerant - bad gas, serious rash, etc... we gave her lactaid milk - and had her drink it each time that she wanted to eat dairy as well and she was ok. BUT it is hugely inconvenient when you travel or are out of the house alot which we do and are. So.....finally Digestive Advantage came out with a children's chewable tablet - and it's also good for 24 hours. Revolutionized our lives! You can go to their website and print coupons. It has been hard for me to find, one of our Wal-marts had it and the other didn't - and now neither do, but Publix carries the adult one, and orders the kids one for me. I have read on the package though that my 6 year old can actually take the adult one now - and it is very tiny - so she actually does ok with it. Good luck!

Hi R.,

My husband is also lactose intolerant. Here are some suggestions for breakfast.
The best one because it helps lower Cholesterol is oats, you can make them with raisins and water or with rice milk (you can find it in any helth food store, we all love it and is a great option.
You could also get cereal like heart to heart or honey o's and give it to him with rice dream.
Fresh fruit, specially in the summer. There is a great type of bread called Ezequiel bread (you can get it in health food shops) it is great toasted with jam or egg whites. Sometimes we have it with veggies like tomatoes and greens.
Good luck,
D.

instant oatmeal-it is mixed with water, not milk and it may also help reduce the cholesterol.

Hi R.;

Protein is so important at breakfast time. I can suggest a really, really high quality whey shake (less that .1% lactose, so it's fine for people who are lactose intolerant.) It has trace minerals in it as well. It sounds like your son could stand to improve his nutrition right now and this will really help. And my own two sons really like the taste of the chocolate shake.

A.

Other people have addressed the cholesterol issue, but I'm lactose intolerant and wanted to make sure you knew about an over-the-counter pill that is made specifically for kids:

http://www.digestiveadvantage.com/prod_children_li.html

I used to take Lactaid pills but they stopped working for me and I was completely off dairy for several years. These pills changed my life. They work better than Lactaid, plus you only need to take one in the morning and you're set for the whole day. Of course, you should check with your pediatrician first to make sure they're okay for your son to take. They're available at CVS, other drug stores and supermarkets... I get them in bulk from Amazon. Hopefully this will make meal prep easier for you and save your son from feeling deprived of dairy products. :) Good luck!

(P.S. I have no connection to this company - just want others to benefit from a great product like I have)