Parents warned to improve toddler diet

DALLAS -- As toddlers begin eating ''grown-up" food, they may also develop grown-up eating habits -- like too much junk food and too few vegetables, warn doctors who want parents to change their ways.

Within the childhood obesity outbreak is an increasing number of overweight 2-year-olds, according to pediatrics specialists. In an effort to address the problem, the American Heart Association is offering this advice to parents: Children 2 and older should mostly eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy products, beans, fish, and lean meat.

''These guidelines are not that different from what you as a parent should be following," said Lona Sandon, a dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. ''Kids will follow the example of their parents, if the example is there."

Of course, in a nation where dinner often comes from a takeout window, keeping children healthy may require a change by adults.

''We've gotten away from preparing foods at home," Sandon said. ''We are eating foods that are much higher in fat and calories and larger portion sizes. We've gotten away from physical activity."

The new recommendations for infants, children, and adolescents revise the heart association's 1982 statement.

Since then, more children have fallen into the overweight or obese category.

The updated guidelines, which are endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, also recommend children 2 and older get an hour of exercise a day.

The heart association said by the time children are 19 to 24 months, french fries are the most commonly eaten vegetable.

The heart association guidelines urge parents not to give up if their children at first reject healthy food. Specialists say it can take up to 10 tries for a child to accept a new food.