Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream--these are the culinary delights of childhood, best enjoyed before adulthood sets in with all its worries of cholesterol, fat and calories. But now experts are saying even kids should follow the same healthful eating guidelines as those recommended to their elders. A report issued by the National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said children can avoid heart trouble in their adult years by eating properly now. And that doesn't mean must cutting out a few snacks or having carrot sticks with their burgers. The panel of medical experts who issued the report said children should follow the same low-fat, low-cholesterol diet recommended for adults.

Adults and children older than 2 should get no more than 30 percent of their calories from fat, of which no more than 10 percent of total calories should come from saturated fat, and no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. Infants under age 2 require more dietary fat than older children, so the fat content of their diets should not be so restricted. The average American adult and child get about 35 percent of their daily calories from fat. Children get about 14 percent of those calories from saturated fats and 193 to 296 milligrams of cholesterol a day.

The panel recommended that children eat more fruits and vegetables, grains, breads and legumes. High-fat foods, such as whole milk, should be replaced with lower-fat foods, such as skim or low-fat milk. Moderate amounts of lean red meat, poultry and fish should replace fatty lunch meats and greasy burgers. Dr. Scott Grundy, director of the Center for Human Nutrition and a member of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, said, "There is now strong evidence that atherosclerosis begins in early adolescence, and if the cholesterol level is genetically high, some form of treatment should be started."

The report also suggest that children with a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol--approximately one-quarter of the nation's children between 2 and 18--should have their blood cholesterol levels tested so that potential problems can be identified and treated. "This report represents a thoughtful and reasoned approach to the issue of blood cholesterol in children and adolescents. Pediatricians should not overly frighten parents and children about cholesterol. The report is a rational approach to testing and a prudent schedule of management," Grundy said.