When it comes to health and nutrition, fat should not be a bad word. Without fat, we couldn’t live – we all need some body fat. Fat helps to keep our bodies functioning properly.

• Fats build smarter brains. Fats form the structural components of nearly 60% of the brain and nervous system. The fat insulates nerves, which allows for your brain to relay messages to other parts of your body.
• Fat provides reserve energy. Children are active and fat is the body’s largest source of fuel. It stores energy until we are ready to use it.
• Fats help vitamins. Fats in food help our bodies to absorb essential vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Fats build healthy hearts. Common perception shows that fatty foods can increase incidents of heart disease, however, people, such as Eskimos, who eat a lot of fatty seafood rich in Omega-3 oils have a lower incident of heart disease.
• Fat protects our insides. Fat cushions our heart, kidneys, and intestines, protecting them from injury.

The important thing to remember is that there are Bad Fats and Good Fats. Make sure your children don’t establish a fat phobia as they age by following thee simple steps.

1. Avoid Low-Fat foods. Fat helps to make foods taste good, causing the manufacturers of Low-Fat foods to add more sugar or sugar alternatives.
2. Introduce fish into your child’s diet at an early age .They will develop a liking for fish that contain valuable omega-3 oils,
3. Choose homemade meals over packaged-food. Packaged food typically contains more fat than a home-cooked, lean meal.  By taking control of the amount and types of fats your child eats from an early age, you are influencing the amount of fat the body innately craves.

Some great foods that contain Smart Fats include:

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Flax Oil
• Olive Oil
• Canola Oil
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Soy Foods
• Egg Yolk

How have you integrated healthy fats into your family’s diet?