Friday, April 14, 2006
Ten Worst Foods for KidsIf you have young children then you know how difficult it is to get them to eat healthy. But you must try to steer your kids away from fatty, salty, sugary foods.
Here's a list of the top 10 worst kid foods, according to kids.com.
#1 Chicken nuggets.
Any fast food that's breaded and fried is bursting with fat but nuggets and their dipping sauces also have loads of sodium.
#2 Chips.Giving your child a handful of chips at lunch on occasion is fine, but keep in mind that chips are mostly fat, sodium and empty calories.
#3 Donuts.
Most are packed with artery-clogging saturated fat, and trans-fatty acids.
#4 French fries.
Your kid probably loves them but they're extremely high in fat and have few vitamins.
#5 Fruit leather.
Most rolled-up dried fruit has a dab of fruit and a tiny bit of fiber, few vitamins and lots of sugar. Serve fresh fruit instead.
#6 Hot dogs.
Regular dogs are high in fat and don't provide much protein for the calories. They're also a choking hazard for children three and under.
#7 Juice flavored drinks.
Most are no more than 10-percent juice; the rest is water and sweeteners.
#8 Prepackaged lunches.
Sure they're convenient but they also tend to be high in saturated fat and sodium. Most also are nutritionally unbalanced because they contain no fruits or veggies.
#9 Soda.
The average can supplies almost ten teaspoons of sugar, which can contribute to obesity and tooth decay.
#10 Toaster pastries.
These contain lots of fat and not much fruit. Instead, make a piece of raisin toast for your child, and serve it with jam.
But even if you're thinking -- the 10 worst list is all your kid will eat... that's nonsense -- they can learn to eat healthy. Just remember, you're in charge -- not them.
