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Chicken nuggets may bring a smile to your child's face, but they top the list of ten worst foods for kids.
Renee Tavares/ Nutritionist: "THEY ARE 50% FAT, SO THAT'S NOT GOOD. BUT IT'S ALSO THAT THE FAT THAT'S IN THERE IS REALLY HIGH IN TRANSFATTY ACIDS."
As fats go, transfats are the worst of the bunch. They're added to foods to improve shelf life. They clog our arteries and increase the risk of heart disease.
Nutritionist Renee Tavares says they're also loaded with salt.
"IT'S LIKE A QUARTER TEASPOON. SO WOULD YOU PUT A QUARTER TEASPOON OF SALT ON YOUR CHILDREN'S FOOD?"
Which brings us to chips and french fries, numbers two and three on the list. Doughnuts were number four, packed with sugar and transfatty acids.
Remember, you are what you eat.
"IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILD'S EATING, BECAUSE THEY ARE GROWING AND DEVELOPING. SO WHATEVER THEY EAT IS GOING TO AFFECT THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT."
As for fruit leather-- it's got hardly any fruit and tends to stick to your teeth.
Hot dogs are a choking hazard for kids under three, and watch out for juice-flavored drinks. With all that sugar they're plenty tasty, but only have ten percent fruit juice.
A can of soda packs nearly ten teaspoons of sugar-- oodles of wasted calories.
Prepackaged lunches are certainly easy, but are often high in salt and fat while skimping on fruit and vegetables.
And finally those tasty toaster pastries you start your day with--lots of fat but not much fruit at all.
With so many favorites being so bad for us, it's no wonder Americans are battling obesity starting at a very young age.
"THEY LIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY GOT USED TO THEM. SO THAT'S THE PARENTS' JOB IS TO HAVE AN AWARENESS OF JUST HOW BAD THOSE FOODS ARE, AND LIMIT THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE."
This list also applies to adults.
If parents limit how often they eat doughnuts and french fries, children will learn by their example.
It's advisable to get kids used to eating more fresh fruit and vegetables and more natural foods from the beginning.
