Heart health is something that most people don’t think about until they’re older. But according to cardiologists we talked to, heart health during childhood has lifelong effects.
“A major misconception is that heart health is only a concern to be learned in middle adulthood and dealt with in later ages. Indeed, a strong cardiovascular health foundation is laid early in life, during childhood and adolescence,” says Dr. Ali Rahimi, MD, MPH, a cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente in Georgia.
Dr. Rahimi explains that atherosclerosis—the gradual buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries—can begin in toddlers and adolescents. “When kids consistently eat a poor diet, experience high stress or lead sedentary lifestyles, it causes microscopic damage to their blood vessels. Taking care of their hearts while young ensures their major large vessels and pumping chambers, ventricles, stay flexible and clear of premature plaque buildup,” he says.
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Dr. Robert VandeKappelle Jr., MD, a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children’s, agrees“The buildup of plaque in our arteries is a slow process that begins in childhood and progresses through our lifetime and can cause heart disease later in life. The habits we create as children are the habits we keep as adults. Each healthy choice we make in our life helps slow the buildup of plaque in our arteries,” he says.
While parents shouldn’t obsess over their child’s heart health, all of the cardiologists we talked to say that helping children establish a healthy relationship with food and teaching them that what they eat and drink impacts their body is important.
“Helping children learn how to make their own smart choices about diet and exercise is key to having good heart and overall health as they get older,” says Dr. Christopher Knoll, MD, a pediatric cardiologist and the medical director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Phoenix Children’s.
With this in mind, we asked four cardiologists what food they wouldn’t give their kids. They all had the exact same answer.
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Dr. Ben Reinking, MD, a clinical professor of pediatric cardiology at The University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, explains that part of teaching kids to have a healthy relationship with food is avoiding labeling any food as “good” or “bad.”
“Different types of food serve different purposes. Sometimes, it nourishes our bodies. Other times, it connects us to traditions and people we love,” Dr. Reinking says. The other cardiologists echoed this sentiment, all saying that there isn’t one food that they would absolutely never give their kids.
But there is one type of food in particular that all four cardiologists say they avoid giving their kids regularly: ultra-processed foods. “Highly processed foods with predominant components of sugar or fat should be avoided on a regular basis,” Dr. Knoll says. Dr. VandeKappelle adds to this, saying, “The worst foods are ultra-processed foods such as hot dogs, French fries and ice cream. Ultra-processed foods are often high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar, all of which can lead to heart disease over a lifetime.”
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To this point, a 2024 scientific study that included 1,426 children found that kids who ate ultra-processed foods regularly had a higher body mass index and higher LDL cholesterol than kids who didn’t eat ultra-processed foods regularly.
“These foods are often designed to taste great, but many are high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, sodium and unhealthy fats while being lower in fiber and nutrients. When those foods become the foundation of our diet, they contribute to high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and inflammation,” Dr. Reinking says.
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Other Foods and Drinks Cardiologists Avoid Giving Their Kids
Something Dr. Knoll recommends parents avoid giving kids is soda, which is high in added sugar. Soda consumption (both regular and diet) is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Liquid sugar bypasses normal satiety cues, meaning kids consume massive amounts of calories without feeling full. A single can of soda easily exceeds a child's recommended daily limit for sugar. This rapid influx forces the liver to convert excess sugar directly into fat, driving up triglycerides, which are fats in the blood, and increasing the risk of insulin resistance and early heart disease,” Dr. Rahimi says.
If your kids want a “fun drink,” Dr. Knoll recommends giving them sparkling water, which is still fizzy but doesn’t have the sugar or other sweeteners that soda has.
While we’re on the subject of drinks, Dr. VandeKappelle and Dr. Rahimi say that many parents don’t realize how much sugar is in many fruit juices. When shopping for fruit juice, look for juices that are 100% fruit juice with no added sugar, artificial dyes or high-fructose corn syrup.
Dr. Rahimi notes that cereals and yogurts marketed to kids are often a lot less healthy than many parents realize. “Some yogurts marketed to children contain as much sugar per ounce as a scoop of ice cream. Similarly, ‘heart-healthy’ whole-grain box cereals are frequently coated in heavy amounts of added sugar,” he says. Instead of believing marketing claims, take a few seconds to check out a food’s nutritional panel and ingredients list before adding it to your cart.
The food habits formed in childhood can have a lifelong impact. That doesn’t mean kids should never have sweet treats or ultra-processed foods. But it does mean these types of foods should be saved for specific occasions and not eaten every day.
“The best way to protect a child's heart is to make it all about positivity. Identify and teach about foods that truly make them stronger and give them energy,” Dr. Rahimi says. Dr. Reinking says this, too. “One of the greatest gifts we can give children is a healthy relationship with food. Teach them where food comes from. Let them pick tomatoes from a garden, crack eggs into a bowl, stir the sauce, season the vegetables, eat cookie dough out of the bowl and help create the meal."
Don’t forget to model heart-healthy habits yourself. “When heart-healthy eating is modeled by the whole family, and not forced on the child, the habits are more likely to be a mainstay of their life,” Dr. Rahimi says.
By teaching your children what foods nourish the body, you’re not only supporting their health now. You’re helping them form habits that will benefit their bodies well into adulthood.
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Sources
Dr. Ali Rahimi, MD, MPH, cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente in Georgia.Dr. Robert VandeKappelle Jr., MD, pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children’s.Dr. Christopher Knoll, MD, pediatric cardiologist and the medical director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Phoenix Children’s.Dr. Ben Reinking, MD, clinical professor of pediatric cardiology at The University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine.Khoury, N., Ángeles Martínez, M., Garcidueñas-Fimbres, T., et al. (2024). Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Metabolic Risk Factors in Children. JAMA Open Network. 7(5):e2411852.Cordeiro, Gonçalves, K., Antônio Batista Tonaco, L., Augusto Veloso, G., et al. (2025). Association between soft drink consumption and cardiovascular disease risk among Brazilian adults: a cross-sectional study. Sao Paulo Medical Journal. 143(4):e2023422.Gardener, H., Rundek, T., Markert, M., et al. (2012). Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 27(9):1120-1236.Hence then, the article about we asked 4 cardiologists what food they would never give their kids and they all said the same thing was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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