How can healthy foods protect my child from lead poisoning?
• A good diet can help prevent lead from getting into your child’s body. These suggestions provide your child with a healthy diet and also prevent lead from being absorbed into your child’s body. Your child should: • Eat regular meals and healthy snacks (four to six times a day). • Eat calcium-rich foods (cheese, milk, spinach, salmon, yogurt, tofu, and leafy greens). • Eat iron-rich foods (lean red meat, chicken or turkey without skin, raisins, beans, oatmeal, and split peas). • Eat vitamin C to help the body absorb iron (fruit juice, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, broccoli, kiwi, and strawberries). • Reduce fatty foods such as fried foods, fast foods, and “junk” foods (donuts, potato chips, and cupcakes). However, some fat in the diet is very important for brain development, especially under age two. • Milk and butter are healthier sources of fat.
