Fiber for Kids

I was wandering around the Kellogg's nutrition site and found 2 really interesting things they are doing.

I told you not too long ago about their commitment to add fiber to many of their children's cereals. Along with this, they have a whole section on their website trying to clear up the confusion around whole grains and fiber. People think that if something says "whole grain" that means it has fiber. Not necessarily. Check out the Fiber-pe-dia section of the Kellogg's nutrition website to learn more about where to find fiber and the health benefits of fiber (complete with a diagram of your intestinal tract!). I love the section on the importance of fiber for children. How do you know how much they need? Take their age plus 5. A 7 year old should get at least 12 grams of fiber daily.

The other thing I like that Kellogg's is doing (you know I like to point out when a company supports good nutrition!) is the Global Nutrient Criteria which helps determine which products to market to children. Now that I am a mommy I am much more conscious of food marketing toward kids. It's no surprise we can't get them to eat healthy food when they are bombarded by messaging from so many high fat and high sugar foods. Kellogg's follows criteria that a food has to have:

• 200 calories or less
• 2 g saturated fat or less
• 0 grams trans fat
• 230 mg of sodium
• 12 grams sugar or less

In order to market a food to children, that food needs to fit these criteria.

Check out www.kelloggnutrition.com for lots of great info!

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