Calories vs Calories from fat

[SpaceGal]

I'm not really good with nutrition labels. I've started learning though and because we are trying to fatten up DS, I'm looking for higher calories. However, I noticed how on a label they list calories and calories from fat. Does anyone know what the difference is?? Thank you in advance for your help.

[Sangiovese]

Calories come from protein, carbs, and fat. In general, adults shouldn't eat more than 30 percent fat. If you divide the fat calories by the total calories, you have the percentage that comes from fat. I would ask your ped what percentage to aim for for a child of the age of your DS. A gram of fat contains approximately 9 calories, so if you take the fat grams and multiply it by 9, you should have the fat calories listed on the label (approximately).

There is also a difference between good fats and bad fats. Trans fats are very, very bad (and a label can state 0 g of trans fat if the serving contains .5 g or less). To avoid trans fat, avoid foods with the ingredient "partially hydrogenated oil".

I'm not an expert, so there might be someone else with more info.

If you are trying to fatten up your DS without the advice of your ped, please talk to your ped. If your DS needs to be fattened up, your ped can help by recommending calorie- and nutritionally-dense foods that are appropriate for the age of your DS.

Does that make sense?

[SpaceGal]

Ahh I gotcha. Thank you for explaining all that. My ped. suggested just feeding DS things like whole milk yogurt, avocados, carnation instant breakfast, pediasure and things like that...they are still healthy items just the higher calorie items. I ask because I accidently grabbed a lowfat yogurt and wasn't sure what the difference was since the lowfat yogurt had more calories but less calories from fat, while the whiole milk yogurt had less total calories but more calories from fat so I was kind of confused which was better. Plus usually I buy Yobaby and they just list calories and had less calories than adult yogurt, but regular "adult" yogurt listed both calories and calories from fat. Sorry I'm really nutrion label dumb.

[nfowife]

You need to look at serving sizes as well. Adult servings of yogurt are likely 6-8 oz, while a yobaby is only 4 oz cup so more yogurt is going to equal more calories. I don't know if I would use carnation instant breakfast, that has a lot of sugar and empty calories IMO. Rather use yobaby drinkables so at least there is some nutrition. My DD is on the skinny side as well (haven't been told to try to add fat to her diet but I do on my own). She's 11 months old and no teeth yet. For breakfast she always has a yobaby with oatmeal cereal mixed in and a blueberry pancake. For lunch it's pretty much a quesadilla with chicken, cheeese, and avocado or a tortilla pizza with chicken or beef, or a grilled cheese with chicken on whole wheat bread, etc. , and fruit. For dinner she loves veggies sauteed in olive oil so she has that every day, plus some sort of protein (an organic fish stick or chicken nugget, some salmon, etc.) and fruit, plus a piece of whole wheat bread with hummus (no tahini added hummus because of the nut issue). Plus she nurses 3-4 times a day still.

[JTsMom]

Dayle- I think the whole point of listing calories from fat is aimed towards adults who are trying to watch their fat intake. The reason the yogurt you bought was higher in calories, but lower in fat is probably because they added extra sugar to make up for the lack of fat taste-wise. Sugar and fat both add taste, make sense?

I personally aim for fat over sugar for Jason. Kids need fat, but sugar is pretty much nutritional garbage. As the pp mentioned, there are different kinds of fat. The safflower oil the nutritionist has us use is an example of a good fat- the kind that doesn't clog your arteries. It's also easy to use b/c it doesn't really have a taste to it, so if I mix it in applesauce or something, it won't taste funny. Flax oil might be another good one to play with, as would be olive oil- but that has a tougher flavor to mask.

Have you tried giving Brandon cream cheese yet? That's a new fatty favorite around here. I put it on bread with a little fruit spread on top. We also do the YoBaby smoothies as a drink sometimes- don't know if you've tried those yet, but they are a good way to sneak in some extra calories/fat when Jason won't eat, but will drink.

HTH,
Lori

Here are more ideas:
http://xpedio02.childrenshc.org/stel...ure/018953.pdf

[SpaceGal]

Darn serving sizes!! I forgot about that too. Oh well...there goes that idea of the "adult" yogurt having more calories. I'm definitely looking for sugar free items for DS. Carnation Instant Breakfast comes in a no sugar version...I haven't tried it yet but I did look into it for reference. I haven't tried the Pediasure yet but I will soon. I'm just trying to introduce milk...not even whole just 2% because he refuses whole for now. He still takes infant formula for now and still likes it so I'm trying to broaden his menu. I do give him mac and chesse and other cheeses.

DS definitely eats healthier than we do right now. Not that we're totally unhealthy but you know.

Thank you all for the advice.

[nfowife]

Be careful with sugar free items made for adults. They often have artificial sweeteners.

[Sangiovese]

And some of those artificial sweeteners can be really hard on the digestive system (adults, too). Just read the labels.

[daniele_ut]

DS has been at the bottom of the charts for a while now so his ped made some good suggestions to help him get some more calories in him without increasing his overall intake.

-We add butter and parmesan cheese to his veggies
-We add a splash of cream to his whole milk (not every time)
-We buy WHOLE MILK PLAIN yogurt and add fruit so there is no refined sugar. He'll eat it plain but we often add unsweetened applesauce or fruit to it. YoBaby is expensive and has a lot of sugar IMO.
- He loves string cheese and cheese sticks, so we offer those instead of empty calorie snacks like crackers
-We give him whole wheat toast with butter or cream cheese

As a pp suggested I would stay away from Carnation instant breakfast. It has a ton of sugar and the no-sugar version is artificially sweetened.

[randomkid]

I add fat to DD's diet by using olive oil a lot. It is one of the healthier fats and is recommended over animal fats. Instead of butter, I add olive oil any way I can. If I make a quesadilla, I brush both sides of a whole wheat tortilla with olive oil then cook it. You can stir it into rice, pasta and veggies. Heck, I have even added a little to her mac n cheese and used less cheese since most of those dinner things have a lot of salt in them. I make oven baked sweet potato fries and use olive oil for them. Here's a link for a recipe (just scroll down a bit):

http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/fast.htm

I use the light version olive oil since it still has the same amount of fat, but has a much lighter taste and isn't all that noticeable.

I also use Flax oil as a pp mentioned. It is flavorless, but a little more difficult to use since it can't be heated. I'll pour a little over her broccoli and you can mix it in cereal.

If your DS will eat avocado, that is a good way to add healthy fats. DD won't touch the stuff. You can try guacamole and spread it on bread or a tortilla. DD did eat a little a couple of times, but refused after that.

Fish is another way to add good fat - try salmon. We haven't done this yet as DD won't eat smoked and it's hard to find good fresh salmon right now.

Good Luck,