Genetics aside, only cigarette smoke outweighs poor diet as the most preventable cause of death. Leading the list is fat in the diet. Yes, even very young children are in danger: 5 year olds have been known to have enough cholesterol to worry a pediatric cardiologist and one quarter of American kids are considered obese.

Fast Fat Facts

• According to the Food Information Council, one in five children are overweight, a number that increased by 50 percent over the past two decades.
• Just because your child is thin doesn't mean his cholesterol or fat intake is within acceptable guidelines. Basing cholesterol or heart health on looks alone is a dangerous assumption many people make.
• There is an overwhelming chance that your overweight child will become an overweight adult (and therefore more likely unhealthy) unless you help him change his eating habits starting today.
• Fat is a necessary part of our child's development: but there is a difference in the kind and quality of fats. Avoid foods made with palm kernel or coconut oil. Eat little of saturated fats (found in meat and dairy products as well as the aforementioned oils), serve those that have high omega-3. Olive oil is a safe and tasty bet.
• A child younger than age two needs more fat in his or her diet for the brain and to maintain proper growth. But just because your baby needs fat, it doesn't mean it should be undesirable fats (see above). After age two, start cutting the fat content down to what the rest of the family eats.
• If you want to visualize how much fat you are serving your child, close your eyes and picture 9 loaded up teaspoons of fat. That equals 36 grams.
• Cholesterol and fat are not the same thing. Cholesterol is a fat substance found in animal products: meat, poultry, fish, dairy. Plant foods do not contain cholesterol.
• By the time your child is a typical teenager, one third of their "vegetables" will be culled from fatty french fries and greasy potato chips.

Making the Diet Switch?

• Become a label-reading junkie. Let your eyes go first to the fat content of foods. Then read to see what kind of fat is used in the food.
• This is an easy one: start using low- and no-fat dairy products. If the family balks, mix the whole milk you've been serving with the nonfat milk you've just bought. Then gradually reduce the whole milk in the mixture.
• Make your own french fries at home: parboil potatoes, slice them in sticks (the older kids can help the younger ones do this) and put in the oven brushed with a little olive oil. Substitute yams for regular potatoes they are delicious without any oil at all. Also, start buying the baked not fried variety of potato chips.
• Teach your kids to spray oil on their salads rather than pour it on. Always err on the sparing side when it comes to using oil.
• Use butter (and mayonnaise) only as a treat: instead use the whipped margarines available in tubs and preferably listing a liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient, as the USDA recommends. Better yet, serve a variety of healthy spreads that your children can use on breads such as hummus (a middle eastern bean dip), tahini (sesame seed spread), ricotta cheese, or even mustards. As a bonus, these spreads can become lunch.
• Substitute gravy, high-fat salad dressings, and creamy sauces with low-fat versions.
• On your next visit to the mall food court, ask for whole beans rather than refries on the burrito. Leave off the sour cream.

What Else Can You Do Right Now?

• Don't use fast food visits as a reward for your child for a clean room, doing their homework, not fighting with each other—or anything else. Visits to fast food places should be infrequent and viewed as an occasional "something different to do, not as a carrot to dangle in front of their susceptible taste buds. Take them for a run through the local dollar discount store as a reward system instead.
• There is nothing wrong with fast food (i.e.: foods that are quick). Sushi, wraps, soups, salads, steamed rice dishes, freshly made sandwiches may all be served in short notice and are quite healthy. The next time you promise the kids a fun meal in a hurry, look for alternatives to the notorious franchises (you know the ones).
• Let your school district know that you want to make sure the students are not being fed a high-fat school lunch or being offered high-fat snacks in their vending machines. Educate the children in your kids classrooms as well as the teachers, principal and other staff. Get involved in a school lunch overseeing committee (while the USDA has finally okayed foods made with soy products as a substitute for meat, it is up to each school district to decide if they will use it or not. Most are not). If things do not improve, make sure your child at least has a nutritious lunch to take to school each day.
• Stop eating "food on the run." If your child's source of dinner comes from a bag handed to them by someone at a window as you drive by, it is guaranteed that they are not paying any attention to what is going into their bodies (and you probably aren't either). Slow down, sit down and enjoy every bite of your low-fat meals.
• With many kids today, what goes in does not get worked out. In other words, kids are not only eating more fatty foods but they are exercising less. Teach your children when young about the fun side of exercise: take them on hikes, get them swimming and involved in sports. Turn off the TV and hide the CD-ROMS.