7 Healthcast: Diet makeover

Dishing up healthy meals for our two-year daughter is a top priority. Armed with actual test tubes of hidden fats and sugars, nutritionist Suzanne Rostler showed me exactly how much of these products can be lurking in foods. Starting with orange juice, you might think: "High in vitamin C, what could be better?"

But this is how much sugar can be in one cup of OJ!

Matt Lorch, WHDH-TV
"That's a lot of sugar!"

Suzanne Rostler, Registered Dietician, Nutritionist Clinical Director, Optimal Weight for Life program, Children’s Hospital Boston
"It's a lot of sugar."

I explain to Suzanne we dilute juice with water. Smart move, I learn. The age of two is the best time to start good eating habits.

Suzanne Rostler, Registered Dietician, Nutritionist Clinical Director, Optimal Weight for Life program, Children’s Hospital Boston
"If you don't water the juice down, it can really train a child's pallet to accept sugary beverages. So later on when they're old either expect soda and juice and they reject water."

Here's why that can be a problem: This is how much sugar can be in one cup of pink lemonade. Here, the amount in an average 12-ounce can of soda.

Suzanne says healthy drinks for kids are milk and water. So what about popular snack crackers like these?

Suzanne Rostler, Registered Dietician, Nutritionist Clinical Director, Optimal Weight for Life program, Children’s Hospital Boston
"What you have here is a popular snack cracker that has absolutely zero fiber, high in sugar and it has this much fat!"

What should parents look for in a quick, healthy snack?

Cheese and whole-grain crackers. Apples and low or sugar free peanut or almond butter and even veggies and hummus.

Matt Lorch, WHDH-TV
"Can you eat some peas?"

Suzanne says though we're making a lot of good choices for Georgia, but we'll be watching closely in the future to keep her eating healthy for life.

Matt Lorch, WHDH-TV
"There's a lot of fat in those snacks and you really have to read the labels closely!"

Suzanne Rostler, Registered Dietician, Nutritionist Clinical Director, Optimal Weight for Life program, Children’s Hospital Boston
"You really have to read food labels for sugar, for fat and for fiber as well."

Remember it can take up to 15 tries for a child to "accept" a new food; so don't give up if they don't seem to like it at first.

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