From Vincent Iannelli, M.D.,
Your Guide to Pediatrics.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

Understanding the amount of Total Fat in the foods you eat is important so that you can provide your kids with a low fat diet.

Also keep in mind that unsaturated fats are more healthy than saturated fats and trans fats.

And remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that everyone 'older than 2 are urged to limit their fat intake to 30 percent or less of daily calories, and to keep saturated fat to no more than one third of total fat, or 10 percent of calories.'

So reading the above food label, you should realize that this isn't the most healthy food for your child to be eating. In addition to being very high in Sodium (which we will discuss later), about 44% of its calories are from fat (110 Fat Cal/250 Calories per serving). Plus it is high in saturated fat, which you just learned you are supposed to limit.

Bad Fats

In general, solid fats contain a lot of saturated fats and/or trans fats. These include many animal products and hydrogenated vegetable oils, including butter, beef fat, chicken fat, pork fat (lard), stick margarine, and shortening.

Most vegetable oils (except coconut oil and palm kernal oil), on the other hand, contain more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Trans Fats

Although the amount of trans fats isn't yet listed on most food labels, you can often identify that they are in a food if it lists 'partially hydrogenated vegetable oil' on the ingredient list.

In 2006, the amount of trans fats will be listed on food labels.