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What are some heart healthy foods that children will actually eat?
Heart healthy foods that are delicious and nutritious are readily available. Several good sources of nutritional information are available: “An Eating Plan for Healthy Americans” from the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) and the “We Can!” program from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (www.nhlbi.nih.gov ).

Like exercise, healthy eating habits are learned behaviors. Exposure to fruits rather than sweets or baked items teaches healthy habits. Likewise, vegetables should be a part of every day’s eating plan. Children should receive five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. These are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber with few calories. Dairy products with their rich supply of vitamins, protein, and calcium are important, but get the benefits from skim or ½ percent milk and low-fat cheeses and yogurts or nonfat or low-fat ice cream. The daily recommendations for dairy are two or more servings per day for four to eight-year-olds and four servings per day for nine to18-year-olds). Complex carbohydrates such as breads, cereals, pasta and starchy vegetables are healthy, but may become less so with certain added fats in preparation. Read labels first. Six servings per day are recommended, but this may be decreased in certain individuals with over-weight issues. Limit meat, poultry and fish to no more than six ounces per day, but try to get one to two servings of baked or grilled fish per week. Use more healthy oils, higher in monounsaturated fat, to help with appetizing preparation of foods, like lightly oiled pan-frying on occasion. Finally, limit calories by encouraging cold water over excess juices and carbonated drinks.

What do I do if my child has dizzy episodes or passes out?
Dizziness with sudden standing or fainting is a common reason for referral to a pediatric cardiologist. Dizziness or fainting associated with upright position (sitting or standing) and preceded by warning signs of light-headedness, visual change, abdominal pain or nausea may suggest that the patient has low blood pressure and/or low heart rates as the cause. This can generally be detected by careful examination in the pediatrician’s office and/or cardiologist’s office. However, patients with sudden onset of fainting with no warning, passing out during exercise, or passing out resulting in injury should raise the possibility of other more serious heart muscle and/or heart rhythm abnormalities. A family history that reveals multiple family members with unexplained fainting or seizure disorders should raise the possibility of genetically acquired cardiac conditions that may place patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. These patients definitely should be evaluated by a pediatric cardiologist familiar with a diagnosis of these rare conditions.

How do I know that my child has a heart problem?
If your child has any symptoms of heart disease (chest pain, palpitations, dizzy spells or fainting, unexplained seizures, exercise intolerance, or unexplained heart murmur), further evaluation may be warranted by a pediatric cardiologist. It is important to know the family’s heart health history to help determine whether or not the family has disease processes which puts individual family members at risk for congenital heart defects, sudden cardiac death, or early onset of adult cardiac disease. Regular check-ups with the pediatrician can also help monitor your child’s heart as it grows and changes.

What if I suspect my child has a heart problem?
Contact your child’s pediatrician immediately. To speak with a pediatric cardiologist, contact the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sibley Heart Center physicians at 404-256-2593 or 800-542-2233—available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.