We don't have much time to prepare food. The Tecumseh blood pressure study conducted in Michigan tracked children from age 6 to their 20s. The food is quick and inexpensive, but the fat content is much higher than what is recommended in national dietary guidelines. Studies have demonstrated that fat content in food away from home, including school lunches and snacks, tend to be at least 10 percent higher in fat content than food eaten at home. This is why Nesbitt recommends feeding children at home as often as possible.
Children often consume foods high in fat and sodium - hamburgers, pizza and lunchmeats for example.
Parents can help lower fat and sodium intake by buying low-fat snacks and foods and by limiting the quantity their children eat. The recommended diet for any child older than age 2 is to have a total fat content of no more than 30 percent of total calories. Health-threatening high cholesterol can develop in early childhood. These children are more at risk of developing heart disease early on. Children don't manifest high cholesterol at the same rates as adults.