Low carb diet for kids

[AngelnPrincess]

well Im real big on my daughters health, the child obesety in the United States is out of contol and I don't want my daughter to become a statistic.
Anyway I picked up the new 'fit and healthy kids' mag.. and it has an article on Low carb diets and kids... Im going to just write what it says...

LOW CARB DIETS HINDER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
You may lover you low carb diet and think it could be a great way to help your child slim down, but before you withdraw his bread and potatoes, consider this: Low carb diets create a starvation mode in the body that can take away a lot of kids' brain full, causeing less than optimal performance on school work.
"the brain's favorited fuel is glucose (or carbs)," says Bruce Rengers, OhD, assistance professor of nutrition and dietetics at St. Lous University. "The body makes sure that glucose goes to the brain first."
We don't store much glucose-just a bit in the liver- so when kids havent eatin carbs for a while they deplete all their glycogen stroes, explaines Regers. If they don't eat more carbs to replace the glucose, they will burn a replacement fuel called ketone bodies, as if their body where in starvation mode.
"Ketones have a dulling effect on the brain; while this effect is very subtle, if a child was to take a complicated test, say a math test, he or she would not do as well as one who is not on starvation mode," says Rengers.
So be sure your kids get enough carbs in their diet (preferable whole grain carbs).


I think that pretty much everyone knows that its not good to cut children off of carbs compleatly as we do... its inportant their growing bodies get the right kind of carbs like whole grain, fruit and milk... I do buy my daughter Splenda products as opposed to the regular stuff... and I buy her low carb bread, and organic products when possible.. Of course she is 2 so I don't couldn't imagine putting her on a diet as restricted as mine... But like I said I belive we as in parents know not to do that...
I thought I would just share this article as I thought it was interesting..

Natalee

[ImCookin']

I love how the "experts" get the weird idea that we want to put our kids in induction whenever we talk about reducing their carbs. I guess they don't have kids of their own.....

What parent would want their kids to stop eating fruits, veggies, and whole grains? What we DO get concerned about are the endless bags of chips, cookies, candy, cupcakes, sugary gum, icecream, and sodas that they seem to consume!

I'm a teacher, and most of my students seem to eat hot cheetohs for breakfast and cookies for snacks. Then, when lunchtime comes, it's "grab a coke and a bag of fritos and let's go play basketball". THAT'S the kind of high-carb diet we are fighting against!

[AngelnPrincess]

This magizene also had an article on the movment to remove such items from schools compleatly... they talk about the processes that must be made to remove "liquid candy" from vending machines and replacing them with skim milk, no sugar added juices and water bottles...
Its so sad how many parents just let their children eat such things... and you hear the media complaining and giving child obesity rates all the time but yet coke and doritos still take the advange of the childrens money when they are well aware of the risks they are putting these kids of having heart problems, and such...
It says that children who consume 3+ sodas a day are 60% more likely to become over weight and develop many health issues...

So pittiful the way children are taught to eat these days... its not only media, and opertunity its also lack of knowlage... how can it be bad if mom feeds it to me, and its avaiable at school?... hummm?

[miaike90]

Sitting here reading and my 11 year old son reminded me that since he's going to middle school this year he's looking forward to being able to grab a milk from the machine there. They still have the soda machines but those are turned off except for lunchtime and afterschool, the milk machine and juice/water machine are left on all day. The candy machines are treated the same as the soda machines and then they have a machine with healthier choices (nuts and dried fruits and such) that are also left on all day. Now we are waiting to see just what choices will be available to him for his actual lunchs and are keeping our fingers crossed.

Even last year he would choose to have "All Sports" over getting a soda, still not the best for him but we considered it better than soda.

Michelle

[not2late]

I do agree with them: eliminating the candy bar machines, soda machines, the horrible school lunches (consisting of junk food) would be a step in the right direction.

But I don't see anything wrong with having a child eat the maintainence phase of Atkins: whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, protein and healthy fats.

As for juice, there are restrictions/limitations placed on juice consumption for children and teens.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/mayjuice.htm

Fruit juice should not be given to infants before 6 months of age.
After 6 months of age, infants should not get juice from bottles or cups that allow them to consume juice
easily throughout the day.
Infants should not get fruit juice at bedtime.
For children ages 1 to 6, intake of fruit juice should be limited to four to six ounces per day.
For children ages 7 to 18, juice intake should be between eight and 12 ounces a day.
All children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits.

[kallard]

Re: Low carb diet for kids

I just posted to the kids health forum because I have been debating about my daughter (9 years) and a diet for her. We both started induction together this week. I have been on Atkins since 4/04, then went off in May when my husband was really sick (he's better now).

I know that many people will get after me...."Atkins is not healthy for kids"...etc. I do not intend for her to stay on induction for more than the 2 weeks and will quickly add the rungs back in, in 2-week spurts. But I think it is easier to cut everything and slowly add back....easier for her to understand and pay attention to.

I have a major problem with the school lunch program. I am also a (4th grade) teacher...yes, the kids bring soda and hot cheetohs for snack. I had one kid drinking soda for breakfast...a kid that really needed NOT to drink soda at all (hyper). Our district introduced a "healthy choice" cafe over a year ago. This means there is a salad bar...the other food is still the same. What do I see students choosing? They fill their plate with croutons and ranch dressing....barely any salad visible. They eat this like "chips and dip."

I do not know how I'm going to handle the lunch issue when we go back to school. I don't have time to make a whole bunch of lunches that they won't eat anyway, though I know this would be the right choice.

Yes, I know exercise is also an issue...won't go there for this post...

[not2late]

Re: Low carb diet for kids

You might want to look at a book called Feed Your Kids Well, by Fred Pescatore MD. Dr. Pescatore was the Associate Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine during the 1990s. The diet in that book, according to Dr. Atkin's introduction, was the diet the Atkins Center used for their children and teen aged patients.


It's a more nutritionally balanced diet than Atkins because it is specifically tailored to the nutritional needs of a growing child.

Also, you might want to get your child's physician involved---weight loss for children is a totally different thing and is monitored differently than it is for adults.

[kallard]

Re: Low carb diet for kids

Thanks for the recommendation. I have tried repeatedly to talk to her pediatrician. She was very inactive about the situation..."just cut down on fast food" etc. I tried to keep focusing on the difference between my other children and Samantha (they don't have weight issues) and that I wanted to know what I could do to help her specifically (low metabolism, etc.) I wanted to be sent to a nutritionist or something. This is making me think I should choose a new pediatrian.

[not2late]

Re: Low carb diet for kids

Thanks for the recommendation. I have tried repeatedly to talk to her pediatrician. She was very inactive about the situation..."just cut down on fast food" etc. I tried to keep focusing on the difference between my other children and Samantha (they don't have weight issues) and that I wanted to know what I could do to help her specifically (low metabolism, etc.) I wanted to be sent to a nutritionist or something. This is making me think I should choose a new pediatrian.

That might be a good idea. The pediatrician should be documenting her weight, height and her BMI during the Well Child Visits.

you'll have to scroll through this forum, but I posted several threads about weight loss, obesity and children.