Nutrition & Tradeshows: Low-fat Diets Might Deprive Kids of Vitamins

Low-fat diets might be fine for adults, but at least a recently released study suggests grown-ups using that approach for their families could be depriving young children of vitamins they need. University of Nebraska-Lincoln nutrition scientist Judy Driskell said her recent study of preschool children living in Lincoln found two-thirds of them lacking the recommended levels of vitamin E and one-third short on vitamin C — a finding attributed mainly to parents sharing their eating habits with their children. "Parents are eating a lot of low-fat and nonfat products, and we're finding they also give their children such things as skim milk," Driskell said. "The low-fat diet is probably associated with their being low in vitamin E." Nutritionists recommend young children regularly have whole milk, nuts and seeds, regular salad dressings, and whole-grain cereals fortified with vitamins to get vitamin E. They also recommend regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and small amounts — 3 to 6 ounces — of citrus juice. Source: http://www.cnn.com