SHOULD KIDS EAT A LOW FAT DIET

Children should not be put on restrictive diets. Despite all the bad press, fat and cholesterol play an important role in brain development in young children, so fat intake should never be restricted in under two-year-olds. Having said that, it’s true that most British kids eat too much fat so, from the age of two, you should be aiming for your child’s fat intake to provide about 30 per cent of her total calorie intake. To achieve this, you can:

- Choose cooking methods that allow fat to drip away such as grilling or roasting on a rack. Avoid frying where possible.

- Offer naturally low-fat foods such as lean meats, whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and choose low-fat dairy products.

- From two years old, you can start giving your toddler semi-skimmed milk. Fully skimmed milk isn’t suitable as a main drink until they’re five years old, because it doesn’t contain enough calories for a growing child.

- Restrict fat-laden snacks and fast foods. A bag of crisps has 10 g of fat and a chicken nugget from a typical fast-food chain contains nearly 60 per cent fat.

- Cut back on mayonnaise, butter and margarine.