Food Ideas for a Lactose Intolerant 5 Year Old with High Cholesterol

Hi R., I would suggest that you give your child a high fiber breakfast. High fiber diets (more fruits/veggies and whole grain breads) that are low in sugar are great for lowering cholesterol. Try oatmeal with cinnamon and try to stay away from refined sugars. You can sweeten it with real maple syrup or use Stevia (an all natural sugar substitute that is not derived from chemicals) to make it sweeter. Or you can try whole grain cereals with soy milk (try the Silk brand in vanilla to get your child used to it--it tastes pretty good). If your child is not very active, try to incorporate some outside playtime too. Exercise is also very important. In general try to stay away from processed foods, especially trans fats!--I know its hard to do at times but you can make small changes week by week and it'll benefit your whole family. Good Luck I hope this helps!

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I hope you go for a second opinion, because 5 is too young for high cholesterol. Make sure it was a fasting blood test and he didn't eat any high fat foods the night before, which is what really messes up my test results and it doesn't seem to matter what kind of fat for me. Just keep him on a low-fat diet and make sure he gets lots of exercise and he'll be fine. The key is lots of exercise. Get him to eat tuna, broiled salmon, lots of broccoli, veggies, and fruit....Also, unsweetened fruit juice is a good idea over sodas. Try to keep oils and fats to a minimum. You can get real leans meats like ham, turkey kelbasa, ground turkey, skinless chicken breasts and be creative.

Hi R.,

My husband is also lactose intolerant. Here are some suggestions for breakfast.
The best one because it helps lower Cholesterol is oats, you can make them with raisins and water or with rice milk (you can find it in any helth food store, we all love it and is a great option.
You could also get cereal like heart to heart or honey o's and give it to him with rice dream.
Fresh fruit, specially in the summer. There is a great type of bread called Ezequiel bread (you can get it in health food shops) it is great toasted with jam or egg whites. Sometimes we have it with veggies like tomatoes and greens.
Good luck,
D.

instant oatmeal-it is mixed with water, not milk and it may also help reduce the cholesterol.

Hi R.
I am lactose intolerant, for breakfast I have Cheerios with OJ instead of milk. Lactaid milk and Silk soy milk are good substitutes for cow's milk, but I prefer Orange juice. Smart Balance also has a lactose free margarine. Read the labels.
Why is your son's cholesterol high? What are they saying is the cause? My husband has had a problem with his since before we were married, but it is the triglycerides that are out of whack. If he remembers to not eat foods that are fat sugars like donuts it has always come back down.
Reading labels is key.
God bless you
K.

Other people have addressed the cholesterol issue, but I'm lactose intolerant and wanted to make sure you knew about an over-the-counter pill that is made specifically for kids:

http://www.digestiveadvantage.com/prod_children_li.html

I used to take Lactaid pills but they stopped working for me and I was completely off dairy for several years. These pills changed my life. They work better than Lactaid, plus you only need to take one in the morning and you're set for the whole day. Of course, you should check with your pediatrician first to make sure they're okay for your son to take. They're available at CVS, other drug stores and supermarkets... I get them in bulk from Amazon. Hopefully this will make meal prep easier for you and save your son from feeling deprived of dairy products. :) Good luck!

(P.S. I have no connection to this company - just want others to benefit from a great product like I have)

Hi R.;

Protein is so important at breakfast time. I can suggest a really, really high quality whey shake (less that .1% lactose, so it's fine for people who are lactose intolerant.) It has trace minerals in it as well. It sounds like your son could stand to improve his nutrition right now and this will really help. And my own two sons really like the taste of the chocolate shake.

A.

What about instant oatmeal? You can make it with water. It may not be as tasty to you, but if you can get one of the slightly flavored ones, or even add a little jelly to plain, he'll love it. If you buy paper disposable bowls and plastic spoons, he could even eat it in the car if he's not too messy. But it's quick and easy to make, tastes good, and oatmeal is recommended for high cholesterol.