Lead and a Healthy Diet

What You Can Do to Protect Your Child

Lead’s Effects on the Body

Lead is a poisonous metal that our bodies cannot use.
Lead poisoning can cause learning, hearing, and
behavioral problems, and can harm your child’s brain,
kidneys, and other organs. Lead in the body stops
good minerals such as iron and calcium
from working right. Some of these
effects may be permanent.
Lead Awareness and
Your Child Contaminated soil occurs when exterior lead-based
paint from houses, buildings, or other structures
Children with lead poisoning flakes or peels and gets into the soil. Soil near roadways
usually do not look or act may also be contaminated from past use of leaded
sick. The only way to know if gasoline in cars. Avoid these areas when planting
your child has lead poisoning is vegetable gardens.
by getting a blood test.
Ask your doctor or health care Other Sources of Lead
provider to test your child under six years of age at
least once a year. Contaminated drinking water from older
plumbing fixtures

Lead Hazards
Where is Lead Found?
Lead-based painted toys and household furniture
Imported lead-glazed pottery and leaded crystal
Lead smelters
Main Sources of Lead Hobbies
Folk remedies like azarcon and pay-loo-ah
Lead-based paint is a hazard if it is peeling, chipping,
chalking, or cracking. Even lead-based paint that Cosmetics like kohl and kajal
appears to be undisturbed can be a problem if it is on
surfaces that children chew or that get a lot of wear
and tear. The older your home is, the more likely it is
to contain lead-based paint.
Contaminated dust forms when lead paint is dry-
scraped or sanded. Dust can also become contaminated
when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead
chips and dust can gather on surfaces and objects that
people touch or that children put into their mouths.
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Recipes
MealTipsand Snack Ideas
to help you and your children plan meals and snacks

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Recipes
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Oatmeal swirlers Grilled cheese & tomato Sloppy joes

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Sliced banana Coleslaw Watermelon
Orange juice Low-fat milk Low-fat milk

Recipes
-or- -or- -or-

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Cheese omelet Tuna salad sandwich Macaroni and cheese

Recipes
Applesauce Cranberry juice Stewed tomatoes
Low-fat milk Pear slices Melon slice

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Recipes
-or- -or- -or-

French toast Pizza bagel Chicken stew

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Orange sections 100% fruit juice Rice

Recipes
Low-fat milk Fresh or canned peaches Strawberries
Low-fat milk

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Recipes
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Between meals offer small snacks such as:

Recipes
Many of the foods listed in this brochure can
be bought with food vouchers from the
Cereal with low-fat milk, whole wheat crackers WIC program. To find out more about
with cheese, apple or pear slices, oranges or

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WIC, call your child’s pediatrician or
bananas, raisins, yogurt, frozen fruit juice pops,

Recipes
visit www.fns.usda.gov/wic
and fruit smoothies.

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Recipes
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Recipes
Oatmeal Swirlers · Makes 4–6 servings French Toast · Makes 4–6 servings
1 1/2 cups of quick cooking oats 3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup of peanut butter 1/2 cup of low-fat milk
1/3 cup of fruit jelly or jam Vegetable oil
Steps: 6 slices of bread
Cinnamon
• Follow the package directions to cook oats. 2 bananas, sliced
• Spoon peanut butter and jelly on top of cooked oatmeal.
Steps:
• Stir and spoon into bowls. • Mix eggs and milk.
• Serve with low-fat milk. • Lightly coat pan with vegetable oil. Use medium heat.
• Dip bread into egg mixture, so that bread is covered.
• Brown one side of bread in pan.
• Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
• Turn over bread and brown the other side. Top with
sliced banana.
• Serve with low-fat milk.

Cheese Omelet · Makes 2–3 servings Grilled Cheese & Tomato

3 eggs Sandwich · Makes 1 serving
1 tablespoon of low-fat milk 2 slices of bread
Vegetable oil 2 slices of American cheese
3 tablespoons of cheese 1 slice of tomato
Steps: Vegetable oil

• Mix eggs and milk in a bowl. Steps:

• Lightly coat pan with vegetable oil. Use medium heat. • Make sandwich using bread, cheese, and tomato.

• Add egg mixture and cook. • Lightly coat pan with vegetable oil.

• When omelet is cooked on the bottom, add cheese. • Brown sandwich on both sides over low
heat to melt the cheese.
• When cheese is melted, fold omelet in half.
• Serve with low-fat milk or fruit juice.
• Top with salsa if you like.
• Serve with toast, fruit, and low-fat milk.
Tuna Salad Sandwich · Makes 2 servings Sloppy Joes · Makes 4–6 servings
4 slices of bread 1 pound of lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 can of water packed tuna 1 small onion, chopped
4 teaspoons of low-fat mayonnaise 1/2 green pepper, chopped
Onion and celery, chopped 1 cup of tomato sauce
Steps: Your choice of seasonings
5 hamburger buns or pita pocket breads
• Mix tuna with low-fat mayonnaise, onion, and celery.
Steps:
• Try your sandwich with cheese and tomato.
• In a pan, cook lean ground meat, onion,
• Serve with low-fat milk. and green pepper until meat is well done.
• Drain fat.
• Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings.
• Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Spoon into hamburger bun or pita.
• Serve with fruit juice.

Pizza Bagels · Makes 2–3 servings Baked Macaroni and Cheese · Makes 3–5 servings
1 bagel 4 cups of cooked macaroni
2 tablespoons of tomato sauce 3 cups of grated cheddar cheese Vegetable oil
Garlic, basil, or oregano 2 tablespoons of margarine 2 cups of low-fat milk
2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese or part-skim mozzarella 2 tablespoons of flour Salt and pepper
Steps: Steps:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat casserole
• Slice open a bagel and place on a flat pan. dish with vegetable oil.
• Add tomato sauce, seasonings, and cheese. • Mix cooked macaroni with grated cheese and pour
into casserole.
• Bake for 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Melt margarine in a pan. Remove from heat, stir in
• Serve with fruit juice. flour. Return to heat.
• Add low-fat milk slowly, stirring until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour over macaroni. Stir.
• Cover. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.
Chicken Stew · Makes 6–8 servings
3 pounds of frying chicken, cut up into small pieces
Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped

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1 stalk of celery, chopped
28 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
Poultry seasoning
Steps:
• Lightly coat pot with vegetable oil. Use medium heat.
• Cook chicken until it is well done.
• Add can of stewed tomatoes.
• Add vegetables and seasoning.

this
• Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
• Serve with rice or noodles.

area
Banana Strawberry
Smoothie · Makes 2–3 servings
1 cup of low-fat milk
1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries, mashed
1 ripe banana, mashed
Steps:
• Mix all together in a blender or use a wire whisk.

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• Eat as a snack or for dessert.
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Regularly Eat Healthy Foods Vitamin C-Rich Foods
Vitamin C and iron-rich foods work together
Children with empty stomachs absorb more to reduce lead absorption. Good sources of
lead than children with full stomachs. vitamin C include:
Provide your child with
four to six small meals Oranges, orange juice
during the day. The Grapefruits, grapefruit juice
following nutrients Tomatoes, tomato juice
can help protect Green peppers
your child from
lead poisoning:
Iron-Rich Foods
Normal levels of iron work to protect the body
from the harmful effects of lead. Good sources
of dietary iron include:
Lean red meats, fish, and chicken
Iron-fortified cereals
Dried fruits (raisins, prunes)
Calcium-Rich Foods
Calcium reduces lead absorption and also helps
make teeth and bones strong. Good sources of
dietary calcium include:
Milk
Yogurt
Cheese
Green leafy vegetables (spinach,
kale, collard greens)
 Simple Steps You Can Take
to Protect Your Family from Lead Hazards

If you think your home has high levels of lead:

• Make sure your children eat healthy, low-fat foods • Wipe or remove shoes before entering your house.
high in iron, calcium, and vitamin C. • If you rent, it is your landlord’s job to keep paint in
• Get your children tested for lead, even if they good shape. Report peeling or chipping paint to
seem healthy. your landlord and call your health department if the
• Get your home tested for lead if it was built before 1978. paint is not repaired safely.
Call 1-800-424-LEAD for more information. • Take precautions to avoid exposure to lead dust
• Always wash your hands before eating. when remodeling or renovating.
• Wash children’s hands, bottles, pacifiers, • Don’t try to remove paint yourself!
and toys.
• Do not use imported pottery to store or serve food.
• Let tap water run for one minute before using.
• Use only cold water for making your baby’s formula,
drinking, and cooking.
• Regularly clean floors, windowsills, and other
surfaces using wet methods that control dust.

For more information on childhood lead poisoning prevention:

Call Visit

• Your child’s pediatrician • EPA Lead Program Web site

www.epa.gov/lead
• The National Lead Information Center
1-800-424-LEAD (424-5323) • U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) Web site
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead
Safe Drinking Water Hotline
1-800-426-4791 • U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) Web site
www.hud.gov/offices/lead

Printed with Vegetable Oil-Based Inks, Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Post-consumer) Process Chlorine Free
United States Office of Pollution Prevention EPA-747-F-01-004
Environmental Protection and Toxics (7404) November 2001
Agency

Fight
Lead Poisoning
with a Healthy Diet
Lead Poisoning Prevention Tips
for Families