Low Fat - Meat Based Main Meal Products For Children

The issue of children's eating habits and their effects on obesity is constantly researched and discussed by food scientists.A nutritionally well balanced diet develops growth and can also reduce / prevent the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and some types of cancer.

Low fat diet

High-fat diets are linked with increased hazard of several serious medical conditions consisting of obesity, cancer, and heart disease. As a result, current public health recommendations highlights the importance of reducing total fat consumption to no more than 30% of total calories, or 60 grams of fat per day in an 1800 calorie diet.

The type of fat is also very important. Saturated fats in foods such as meats products raise cholesterol more than unsaturated fats, which are found in olive, peanut, canola oil or polyunsaturated fats in safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed oils. Consumption of saturated fats to no more than 10% of daily calories is recommended.

Although cholesterol is important for rapid growth, children over age 2 should consume it in moderation.

Meat products provide protein, and vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, iron and zinc.

General recommendations to achieve a healthy diet in meat products are:

Basically one serving of meat per day is suitable for normal growth and development. It is suggested that serving meat more than twice a day is inappropriate / excessive.
Choices with the least fat include lean meat, poultry without skin, fish, and dry beans and peas.
Serving more fish and poultry and fewer red meats is recommended as red meats contain highest extent of cholesterol
Serving bacon, sausages, spareribs, pastrami and some other high content fat meat products should be avoided / reduced.
It should be remembered that red meat has an important role in building muscle mass and strengthening.
If children's favourite foods are high in fat, they should be taught to eat small portions and to balance the rest of the day's food choices with lower fat items.

Recipe ideas for healthy / adequate diet especially aimed at eight year old child (F. Dibakhan 2004):

Beef with pasta and peas in tomato sauce; Minced beef 3 Tbsp, Pasta 1 cup, Peas 1/4 cup. This can be accompanied by one sliced pear and consumed at lunch time.
Steamed rice (1/2 cup) and roasted chicken (skinless) drumstick (1) is suitable as a main course and can be accompanied by 1 bowl of vegetable soup as starter and 1 sliced apple as dessert for a perfect/ healthy dinner.

Labelling / Nutrition information

The label must include information about saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, fibre, sugar, calories from fat, and other important information.

Health claims, such as "light" or "low fat," must meet strict legal requirements so that they are correct and consistent from one food to another.

A food claim is often made by the manufacturer on the front of the package - for instance, "fat free" or "no cholesterol."

Reduced fat has 25% less fat than the same regular brand.
Light means the product has 50% less fat than the same regular product.
Low fat means a product has less than 3 grams of fat per serving.

Discussion

It is unlikely to cause any harm to healthy adults eating a varied and well-balanced diet, assuming they eat appropriate level of essential fatty acids, especially the omega 3 fats.

Conclusion

Although there have been developments of children food (including low fat meat-based meals) in food industry but still great deal of efforts and improvements should be made to help children grow best and protect them from potential diseases / hazards by creating and marketing healthy and safe foods with reasonably cheap price.

Fereshteh in an expert in Human Nutrition and Food Science, she achieved her degree from Caledonian University in Glasgow.

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