My Son

I'm assuming you have already talked to your son's pediatrician since you know he has high cholesterol. Did he happen to recommend a dietitian? Something like this requires healthy eating habits and not a short term diet.

Fresh foods such as fruits and veggies are a good choice. Buy meat that is lean and cut off any visible fat before preparing it - skinless chicken is good. Cook with no or as little butter/oil as possible. Limit sweets and processed foods. Serve low fat milk such as 1% or skim. Whole grains are supposed to help lower cholesterol, so Cheerios and oatmeal are good. Switch to whole grain bread, crackers and pasta. Avoid frying foods.

Check out this website for some recipe ideas and cooking methods. If you like what you see you can sign up for their newsletter. http://lowfatcooking.about.com/

Hope this helps.

Why not make an appointment with a nutrionist? I know our health plan allows for so many visits a year. That way they can tailor a plan specifically for your family.

Dear A.:
I can only suggest that you either take this matter to his pyshician or a diet counselor for a better idea of how to control this situation. However, for the time being, I would stick to very small portions-a lot of fruit and veggies. I do not know how you feel on "meat" but no portion should be bigger than the size of their palm. Naturally "meat, fish, eggs, and peanuts/peanut butter" shouldn't be given to children under the age of 3, due to the fact that their bodies have difficulty digesting such food and as well developing allergies as they grow older.
I am a small/med. mom with big children. My eldest who is 9 weighs 68 lbs. my middle guy,6, weighs somewhere in the 40's and my two year olds weighs around 25-27lbs each which is close to high average for children's weight.
Due to development and food issues, I substain from sugared flavored juice and stick to whole juice cut with water. A lot of fruit and veggies-use flavor to aid such as minimal amt.s of butter, or dressing. Another trick-is to use small plates to give them an idea of eating a lot but really just enough for him. I would avoid fried foods, soda, even going out to eat-such as Mc Donalds and Burger King.I as an ex-employee worked at a such place for a time and I would not want to terrify you with what goes on behind the counter. It's all a state of mind with children. But again, I offer this as a stepping stone until you can see a nutitionist on more guidance.I also suggest walking and getting him to do some more activities such as out door play to also assist in the issue. This is a situation that cannot be controlled with just "fixing" food alone, Excercise is also a necessity.
Best of luck.
Mother of 4.

I would definately talk to your child's doctor about exactly what you should be feeding your child. I suspect that the doctor will tell you what I would advise as well. Putting a child of that age on a "diet" is not the answer. Feeding your child healthy meals and snacks is the answer. Stay away from fast food. The calories in fast food is outrageous. The other thing to get away from is processed food. (This is food that comes mostly prepared you just add water or milk, or whatever) These foods are also high in calories. Soda' in my opinion are also a big NO! Not only are they loaded with calories, but most are loaded with caffeine, also not good. I would make the change gradually and include everyone in the family. My husband and I have been eating healthier, and we have been introducing healthy meals to are children as well. Things are a little slow going with the children because they are picky, but they are eating healthier. I have learned not to completely take away favorites, but have found ways to either change them a bit or give less of a serving of it. Good Luck

A 2 year old at 64 pounds! Get professional help. Start w/pediatrician.

hi
i would say add flax seed meal to his meals
like when you give him yogurt,applesauce,anything liquidy you can mix it in and they never can tell the stuff works great to lower his cholesteral
i do it to my kids stuff and they cant even tell

A.,

This is a touchy subject, and I'm going to hope you know I am only asking to help your son: are you and your husband modeling healhty eating for your children?

Get online and start reading about nutrition. Kids will eat what you do. My 4 year old's favorite meal is salmon and spinach. His favorite lunchtime treat is going to a salad bar. He snacks on cut up veggies dipped in hummus, fruit dipped in a mix of nonfat plain yogurt and all natural no sugar peanut butter. Whole grain crackers with string cheese sticks. NO SODA! Not even diet soda, artificial sweeteners really mess up your metabolism over time. How often do you really see thin, fit people drinking a diet soda?
You have to make the changes step by step and really commit to it.
Get him out and running around as much as possible. Put on music and dance around the house with him. Buy a cheap mini tramp (Walmart has them very affordable) Help him jump on it to fun music.
His very life may depend on you teaching him HOW to be healthy. It's ok if you aren't sure how, the info is out there and people who are willing to help. It won't be easy. But a mother's love can accomplish A LOT!
Before you decide to put your 2 yo on a cholesterol lowering medication, do your research. Look for websites on research of med side affects that are NOT sponsered by a drug company that MAKES and profits from the sale of those drugs!
If I can help you find any info, email me.
Best wishes to you and your family.

First off, I would ask his doctor this question to make sure that there isn't something else going on... but with that said, I'm guessing you have talked with the doc since you know he has high cholesterol.

It is hard to comment since you didn't say what kind of food he is eating now.... does he like fruits, veggies, or does he eat fast food a lot?

A cookbook that is awesome is jessica seinfelds Deceptively delicious. There is another cookbook out like it, but I can't remember the name...someone at the bookstore would (it's fairly new). If you are unfamiliar with it, it is a cookbook that has healthy meals for your entire family (but very kid friendly...) Anyways, you put pureed fruits and veggies into foods and your kids get their fruits/veggies w/o even knowing it and the food tastes good too.

Also, do "physical" activities with him like playing tag, kicking a ball back and forth etc....

And lastly, remember, he is young and will probably grow out of it. But please talk with your doctor.....

As a side note, my oldest when he was about 5 months old weighed 25lbs and I was very worried! He ended up only being about 28-30lbs at 1 year. Also, he has a very tall dad (6'3) and I'm not that short either (5'7-5'8). But, boys are generally more "dense" than girls.... and by that I mean bone mass! But he is now almost 12 and a string bean...but with that said, his weight is very deceiving.... Not an ounce of fat on his bones, but I could never ever pick him up!

Best of luck!

37y.o. mom of 3 boys 11, 9, and 4. Work in healthcare fulltime and also sell southern living at home on the side. Married 13+ years to my best friend.

WOW. I believe that you need to talk to your doctor. You are feeding these children WAY too much! Vegetables and fruit are always good choices and stick to 3 meals a days with a few healthy snacks in between. What are you feeding them now? I am surprised your ped didn't say anythign to you about the weight of your children. This is not healthy for either of them and if you don't get the problem fixed now you will have obese kids in your home that will turn into obese adults. Get on the phone with the doc today! Good luck!!!

I would talk to your pedi and get both kids tested for any type of disorders. At 9 months your daughter she be bigger than 23 inches.

For the food, I would cut out all junk food. Offer veggies, fruits and a healthier option. Jessica Seinfield has put out a good cookbook about healthier meals. Also by taking your son for walks around the neighborhood is a good idea.

Hi,

All of my husband's male ancestors died with heart-disease by 50. My husband's father has lived into his 60's by extremely healthy living--no salt/meat, walks 10 miles a day--and he still has to take meds for his cholesterol. My husband was a bit indulgent in college--just an average American diet--and he got type 2 diabetes--

so, we have been REALLY careful with my 2 yr old sons diet--

He has a pint of blueberries/blackberries for breakfast--

for lunch, lean organic meat--chicken breast or ham (which is leaner than you think if you cut all of the visible fat off of it) or 92% fat-free gound sirloin--and more fruit.

Dinner is some more meat--which we cook at home--and usually mushrooms and black olives. also, Green beans (the only veggie he'll eat).

If we give him any processed food it is whole grain organic bread--but just a bit.

All snacks are fresh fruit.

Only milk to drink, no fruit juice.

He's never had prcoessed food or candies and so he doesn't miss them.

I'm really proud of how healthy his diet is--the hope is that if he never develops bad eating-habits, his adult health won't be compromised, like my hub's is.

Just don't keep any crappy food in the house, and he can't eat any.

I should mention that both my hub and his dad are on cholesterol drugs because no matter what they do with diet and exercise, it won't come down on it's own. and that may be the path you end up with your son. but that's for you dr to decide.

good luck. the healthier you train them to eat now, the longer they will live.

I agree that you should speak with a nutritionist or dietician. Is your son tall for his age? Have you spoken with his pediatrician about this? He should be tested. You should not put your son on a traditional diet...just give him healthy and natural foods. Read food labels and look for things like fiber and whole grains. Don't believe what the package tells you...just because they claim to be natural and made with whole grain doesn't mean they are good for you. Look at the ingredient list..the ingredients are in order by how much is in the product so if the first ingredient is sugar, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil or any of these things it is not good for you.

Look for the word "whole" as a first ingredient to make sure that it really is whole grain. Pasta is not whole grain if it's made with Enriched wheat flour as the first ingredient..it has to say whole wheat. Give your son fruits and veggies (fresh or frozen are best) without adding salt or fats to them. Your son may reject them at first but if he realizes that he has no choice he will warm up to them and his taste buds will eventually adjust.

Cut out juice and other unnecessary liquid calories. Children do not need juice at all and you can cut a few hundred calories per day by eliminating empty calories from drinks from his diet. Don't deprive him though...if there is something special that he really likes you can reward him at the end of the week for his good eating habits throughout the week just keep it within reason. Everything in moderation..he can have a treat now and then just make good choices overall. Look for foods high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Avoid foods that are high in sodium, sugar, saturated and trans fat. When you can, choose steamed, baked, broiled or grilled foods.

Also, I agree that you should get him moving. There are exercise videos for kids this age. Set a good example and get moving as a family. Go for walks, go to the park, play games, etc.

I have a 5 year old son that HAD high chol. until we put him on Super Shots! They are a yogurt drink made by Promise- full name is "Promise Activ SuperShots". They are in the yogurt section and you can look them up on Promise's website. When we put him on them his total chol. was 225 and his LDL(bad)chol was 144! After 6 months of drinking one EVERYDAY his total went down to 192 (33 points!) and his LDL went down to 106!!!! His good chol. even went up! The active ingrediant are "plant sterols" which naturally remove bad chol. from the body. I also have a list of other products that have plant sterols in them if you want (____@____.com). I got this info from CHOP in Philadelphia.

Are certain that he doesn't have a metabolic disorder? My son does and his cholesterol is chronically high. So are his triglycerides and platelets.

He is on a strict low-fat diet. That means no fast foods! You have to read labels. We eat foods that have 8 grams of fat or less. No chips or cookies from the store! We eat pretzels and oatmeal bars for snacks. If you want to make cookies, use low-fat cream cheese in place of shortening/butter. Use applesauce in place of oil in cakes. And use olive oil for cooking.

My son's health is improving and he is loosing weight. Also, swimming is a great exercise. I find that when I engage in physical activity with my son, he is more motivated.

I hope this helps! God bless you and your son!

D.

A better diet would help your whole family, not just your son. It sounds like he needs it badly though. It always starts by setting a better example and making healthy choices when shopping. Here are a few sites to help you consider some healthier choices for your son and your whole family. Good luck. www.milksucks.com www.goveg.com www.peta.org http://www.turtlemountain.com/ http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/

I would see a nutritionist because that is some serious stuff. Your child needs fat for brain development so you don't want to cut it out entirely. Healthy fats for children are usually found in nuts and dairy produce. All but one of my kids eat vegatbles and fruit as snacks. A balanced diet with portion size appropriate fort their age. You really need to see a nurtionist who can show you these things and help you.

I'd suggest that you talk to a licensed nutritionist as soon as possible. Also, you might want to sign him up for classes someplace like Gymboree. My concerns are less about the weight itself more about the problems it is and could be causing. The high cholesterol is especially worrisome. Until you can see a nutritionist to get help planning meals, I would recommend Cheerios or oatmeal for breakfast. Cheerios advertise the fact that eaten for breakfast along with a balanced diet can help lower your cholesterol up to 4% over a 6 week period. Oatmeal is another great food to help lower cholesterol.

Dr. Sears wrote a wonderful book on Family Nutrition as well. It may be a good resource for you to help in planning the family menu. I would have to check my different books and sources before I could guess at how many calories he should be having at this age. I know he should be eating about 5-6 small meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, of course. But also, 2-3 small snacks a day. Most of what he eats should fall into the fruit and vegetable categories. You should be avoiding fried foods and food loaded with fats. Also, you should limit high carb meals to only a couple of times a week. But these are just some of the guidelines for a basically healthy diet.

While these may help in the meantime, please check with a licensed nutritionist who can truly help you plan your family's diet plans so that you can get your son's cholesterol levels where they should be and avoid other risks like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems. Along with the diet, though, you need to get him moving a little more to help him burn extra calories to help him slim down to lower his health risks.

Good luck. I know from a lifetime of trying to lose weight how difficult this can be and wish you the best of luck.

There is alot of good advise here and I wish you luck with your kids. I'm sure it can be hard to hear some things, but just remember that you need to take care of your children. Use this as a time to fix any wrongs from the past and move forward to a healthier lifestyle, possibly for the whole family. I don't know many people who don't need to do that themselves - you're not alone.

I hope that your concern can be fixed with a new diet and excercize. Please talk to your doctor to see if there could be any other cause. I'm no expert on what is "normal", but my 11-year old sister is 64 pounds and my 1-year old son is now 22 pounds. I noticed that your daughter is that weight at 9-months. I've never been a fan of making babies go on diet, but it saddens me to see so many kids in our country that are overweight and dealing with health problems at such a young age. Hopefully you can work on this early and they won't need to suffer when they get older.

Hey, A.!
It's so good you realize setting his eating up well and fixing these issues now is important. You can do it! I have a two year old, and here is a sample of a normal day:
3-4 sippy cups of whole milk throughout day. Each meal (2-3 times per day) has:
1: A little protein(chicken, natural almond butter, egg, tiny bit of natural non chemical beef, fish) protein serving is very small since she gets a lot in the milk.
2: A veggie (as many varieties as possible-no salt added-I still use the baby foods when I don't have time to puree).
3: A whole grain item-cereal or organic whole grain bread.
4: A little fruit no sugar for dessert.
To drink she has dilluted natural juices or water.
I don't feed her any junk food at home, since later out in the world she'll have plenty. I occasionally let her eat a few smallpieces of french fries in restaurants but not many. For snacks she likes cheese or soy hot dogs or grapes etc. If you just focus on making sure he gets enough of every important food group-you won't have to deprive him, and you won't have time left to give bad foods.
It's easy! You will see a difference quickly. I don't know what he eats now, it may take time to adjust if he's used to sweets etc. But it's VERY worth it. My daughter is slim and healthy and very energetic. All her levels are normal. You can do it! You are the one in control of his health right now-so shop accordingly!
Good luck!

Hi A.!

This is such a sensitive subject but I had to reply. The challenge is to not seem judgemental and yet help you see the urgency. My son will turn 12 in March and he weighs 67 pounds. The comparison of their weight is alarming, as you already know. Yes, my son has always been on the low end of the growth chart, but he is healthy and looks it.

Clearly you have seen the pediatrician since you know the cholesterol results. If your doctor is not advising you to take measures to improve your child's health, please consider a new pediatrician! If that seems unnecessary, ask for a referral to a dietician. Your son is at a wonderful age to start good habits, healthy foods, exercise, etc. Even if this turns out to be a metabolic disorder, now is the time to pave the way to good health. Keep in mind that children typically need to eat a new food 15-20 times before they like it. It takes patience but is so well worth it. Oatmeal is a great food to help with cholesterol, but this calls for professional advice.

One other thing to keep in mind, health aside, is that his self-esteem will suffer when he realizes that people are staring at him, and when he gets to school, I fear that he will be teased. THis si the time to prevent all of that.

I wish you all the best!

D.

You and your son must meet with a dietitian. This issue is too serious to be fixed by a parent's message board. I work as a dietitian at Pediatric Alliance at Upper St Clair. You may also teach yourself a little about a low fat diet by visiting americanheart.org and mypyramid.gov