The Mediterranean diet for kids. New research shows how beneficial it can be to get your children eating a whole-foods based diet when they are young.
In fact, the Mediterranean diet could be beneficial to children’s heart health, according to a new study.
The Mediterranean diet has been linked to many health benefits for adults. Now, a new study suggests it could be beneficial to children’s heart health as well.
Mediterranean Diet for Kids
A recent analysis shows heart health improves with a Mediterranean diet for kids.
An analysis of nine earlier studies including 577 participants from the ages of 3 to 18 has found incorporating the Mediterranean diet for at least eight weeks had a significant association with lowering blood pressure and total cholesterol, according to the study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The research further supports that incorporating healthy dietary habits early in life can help prevent cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which often originate in childhood, researchers say.
“Early dietary habits significantly influence long-term health outcomes,” said lead study author Dr. José Francisco López-Gil, a senior researcher with One Health Research Group at the University of the Americas in Quito, Ecuador, in an email.
“The key takeaway for parents is the importance of promoting a diet rich in whole foods and healthy fats to optimize their children’s health and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.”
Knowing the benefits the Mediterranean diet has for adults’ cardiometabolic health, the findings are not surprising but provide further emphasis on the importance of having a diet of unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish for all stages of life, said Dr. Stuart Berger, division head of pediatric cardiology at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Berger was not involved with the study.
Here’s how parents and guardians could help their children benefit from the Mediterranean eating plan, according to experts.
Should kids eat the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that includes plant-based cooking with an emphasis on healthy fats. Fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts, whole grains, lean meats and fish are all contributors to the dietary plan.
Not every child needs to adopt a Mediterranean diet, but it is important to increase “real foods” in children’s diets and decrease highly processed foods that have added sugars and sodium, said Dr. Natalie Muth, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who was not involved with the research.
“We know that calories from ultraprocessed foods make up about 70% of a typical teenager’s intake. Any change that can lower intake of things like chips, cookies, and sodas and increase intake of fruits and vegetables is a big win,” said Muth, a pediatrician and registered dietitian at the WELL Clinic at Children’s Primary Care Medical Group in San Diego, in an email.
But it is always important to keep in mind a child’s preferences and to incorporate cultural traditions into any guidance around food choices, Muth added. For those looking to shift to the Mediterranean eating plan, following age-appropriate dietary plans and exercise recommended by a child’s pediatrician is also key, said Berger, who is a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Click here to read more about a Mediterranean diet for kids.
