More Fruits and Vegetables in Kids Diets Means Lower Risk of Early Heart Disease, Say Experts

Photo courtesy of The Tehran Times Daily Newspaper.

We all know that adding more fruits and vegetables to our family’s diet is important, but it’s good to remember why. Besides improving our own health, we also teach our kids healthy eating habits that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Between lives that run at a frenzied pace and media marketing of high fat meals, in recent decades healthy eating has dropped dangerously low on people’s priority lists. And, there’s a price for this.

Around the world, and especially in America, people are getting heavier and heavier, developing more and more health problems, and teaching their children the same bad eating habits – consequences are children developing early risk factors for heart disease by the time they reach puberty.

Heart disease is when enough blood can’t circulate to the heart muscle, which slowly damages its ability to function.

The American Heart Association just published a study which said that children as early as nine years old were showing precursors to heart disease, including  obesity, elevated blood pressure, and high Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is the bad kind. Teen smoking was also considered a risk factor.

The study found that, “Obesity in children and young adults has been associated with decreased arterial elasticity,” which means that the arteries become stiffer making it harder for the heart to pump blood.   

“These findings suggest that a pattern of not eating enough fruits and vegetables is related to arterial stiffness in young adulthood,” said Dr. Mika Kahonen, a senior study author and chief physician for the department of clinical physiology at Tampere University.

Dr. Thomas Klitzner, professor of pediatric cardiology at Mattel Children’s Hospital, agreed and added that, “Obesity and high blood pressure are becoming more prevalent in children and young adults. By introducing the concepts of regular exercise, good nutrition, and avoiding smoking, children can make heart healthy habits part of their lifestyles for the rest of their lives.”

Julia Zumpano, a dietitian with the Prevention Cardiology Center at the Cleveland Clinic, adds her own recommendations for a heart healthy diet, saying, “You want everything to be in its natural form just the way it comes out of the ground. The less processed the better.

“Whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, fatty fish, and teas are important. They offer all sorts of complex heart-protective nutrients.”

In addition, one of the best guidelines to follow for a heart healthy diet is the Mayo Clinic’s Eight Steps to Prevent Heart Disease. It’s in easy to understand chart form, telling which kinds of fats and foods should and shouldn’t be eaten.

Among the clinic’s recommendations is that oils such as olive and canola should be preferred over butter, lard, and bacon fat. Other recommendations relate to protein sources, grains, and vegetable choices.

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