(FDA) - A study of preadolescent children found that those who attended a behaviorally oriented nutrition education program and were taught to follow a diet low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol adopted significantly better dietary habits over several years, compared with their peers who received only general nutritional information.

The government-sponsored study showed that after three years, children in the intervention group consumed more than 67 percent of their total calories on average from heart-healthy foods, compared with less than 57 percent for children in the usual care group.

The results are published in the June 2005 issue of Pediatrics. Scientists reviewed dietary recalls from 595 children ages 8 to 10 who had high blood cholesterol levels at the start of the study. The researchers analyzed dietary information by food groups and measured adherence to recommended food patterns and changes over time. Over the seven years of the original study, children who adopted a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet decreased their intake of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol within the first year of the study and maintained lower levels for several more years. Those selected for the intervention group participated in a nutrition education program that included a behavioral component to promote healthier eating. Parents of the children in the intervention group participated in a similar program.

The study provides glimpses of real-world eating behavior and reveals the challenges of trying to eat a healthy diet in a fast-paced world. For example, the study documents a long-suspected phenomenon of modern society: About one-third of the total daily calories consumed by the children in both groups came from snack foods, desserts, and pizza.

Specific foods within each food group were also classified based on the ingredients or preparation methods as either “Whoa” foods--those that were high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol--or heart-healthy “Go” foods--those that were low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Compared to baseline, after three years, children in the intervention group consumed more of the “Go” food choices in all the food groups except fruit, and they consumed fewer of the “Whoa” food choices with one exception: pizza. The authors also note that children in both groups ate fewer than recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.

• Eat a sufficient amount of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day
• Choose small portions at home and at restaurants
• Eat fewer high-fat foods and energy-dense foods that are low in nutrient value such as french fries, bacon, and doughnuts
• Substitute water or fat-free or lowfat milk for sweetened beverages such as sodas
• Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week
• Reduce recreational screen time (such as television, computers, and games) to no more than two hours daily.