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From a British Newspaper:
PUT YOUR TUBBY TODDLERS ON ATKINS
Children as young as three should diet says food Prof
By Mike Maceacheran
CHILDREN as young as three should be put on the Atkins diet to combat Scotland's spiralling obesity crisis, a leading nutritionist has claimed.
American Dr Jeff Volek said tubby toddlers should ditch pasta, bread, potatoes and fruit for a low carbohydrate diet of fatty cheeses, cream and meats.
At an anti-obesity conference in Aberdeen, Dr Volek, who has spent six years studying dieting fads, said: 'There is no real reason why a three or four year-old should not be on a low-carb or low-fat diet.
'These diets can be very effective in encouraging weight loss and fat loss, and are particularly effective when it comes to cardiovascular health'There has been a lot of misinformation concerning Atkins-style diets because of the type of foods people are recommended to eat.
'People were led to believe Atkins was a fad diet and was dangerous for a variety of reasons but this has changed.'
One in five Scots children are clinically obese by the time they reach Primary Seven, while one in 10 are overweight by the time they start primary school.
Health experts and children's groups last night slammed Dr Volek, a world expert on diet and nutrition based at Connecticut University. The Scottish Parent Teacher Council's Judith Gillespie said: 'It's an outrageous idea to put a three-year-old on a fad diet.'
Dr Nigel Hoggard, chairman of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, added: 'Dr Volek presented a convincing assessment for low carbohydrate diets but we have to do more research before we recommend them fully.'
Professor Annie Anderson, of the Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research at Dundee University, said: 'Advice about children's diet needs to be justified by long-term studies
