Fiber and Children's Diets

AHA Recommendation

Children older than 2 years should gradually adopt American Heart Association dietary recommendations. That means saturated fat intake should be less than 7 percent of total calories, trans fat intake should be less than 1 percent of total calories, and dietary cholesterol should be limited to no more than 300 mg daily. Children should also get the majority of calories from complex carbohydrates high in fiber.

Both children and adults should consume 14g of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed*. Read the nutrition facts panel on the food label to determine how much fiber is in the food you are choosing. The table below provides an estimation of the amount of fiber children should eat each day.

Gender/Age	Fiber (grams)
1–3 years	19
4–8 years	25
9–13 years
Female	26
Male	31
14–18 years
Female	29
Male	38