is it ok to feed kids on low carb with me?

[mouses]

hi
was wondering if its ok to feed the dcs on the low carb diet with me?
(not as in A DIET but the choice of food?)

would it be a healthier option for them or not a good idea as they will need carbs for the long school days?

[Snowdown]

I don't think it'll do them any harm to eat rice or potatoes along side low carb food. our food, that's what I do anyway. My dcs are skinny so food for them is all about nutrition density, fuel and of course flavour.

[Snowdown]

Kotinka - are you talking about a high protein diet as opposed to a low carb diet...they are different - low carb is high fat, normal protein....no damage to kidneys. Can you give us a link to your source of information?

[BIWI]

It depends what you mean by 'low carb'! Cutting down on processed carbs, like pasta/bread and sugar can only be a good thing. But children do need energy and - presumably - yours don't need to lose weight?

I'd focus on making sure that you keep meals based around protein and veg/salad, rather than being pasta/rice-based meals. Look at how often they are eating carbs in things like bread/cereal/crisps as well. And don't fall into the trap of giving them lots of fruit to snack on. Although there's good stuff in fruit, it is (mostly) high in sugar (i.e. carbs). Berries are fine. But if they're using fruit to snack on, switch that to veg - e.g. cucumber, celery, carrot sticks.

Don't buy them fizzy drinks (whether diet or not), if you can possibly help it, and also make sure that they eating a high fat diet. Don't buy any low fat stuff, as it's usually padded out with sugar to make it palatable.

Biscuits, sweets and chocolates are not great, but it's also very hard to not allow children treats like these - and you really don't want to vilify them, otherwise they will only want them more. Just avoid having too much of it in the house, too often.

In general we all eat way too much carbohydrate, so cutting down is always a good thing.

[Snowdown]

There are lots of versions of low carb and Atkins is not something I know much about - I follow a more Paleo approach - unprocessed food with loads of veg, meat, very little sugar. Kids get full fat yoghurt, unpasteurised cheese, chips in lard, mash with butter, rice etc. they are thriving on this diet of real food and their size has not altered apart from upwards. But diet is a personal thing and we all have different requirements, IMO you can't do much worse in diets terms than processed food.

[Snowdown]

What effect does the extra load have on the body, if it doesn't damage the kidneys?

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

Increasing protein does not damage your kidneys unless you happen to have a kidney condition already.

Paleo, primal (ie natural, unprocessed foods) way of eating, which is grain free (if that's what you mean by low carb), means lots of veg, some fruits and nuts, plenty of eggs and meat/fish daily. Plenty of natural unprocessed fats too.

If you are eating mostly "clean" food as above, your kidneys, liver and other bodily organs with thank you for it - they are not having to metabolise and get rid of the nasty chemical junk that is in most processed food.

Our kids eats eat mostly what we do, with a bit more carb (white rice, white and sweet potato). This is a great diet fir kids - full of fat and protein and veg for growth, and largely without junk. Of course it's safe... The majority of what passes for "food" in supermarkets these days probably isn't!!!

[mouses]

hi

sorry what I mean by low carb is replacing the ever so repetitive mash, chips, rice and pasta side to a meal. with cauli mash/ rice, spaghetti squash...

its what Im going to be doing and didn't know wether it would be ok for the dcs or just keep theirs the same.

I did read about the high protein and kidney stress that's one of the reasons im asking too.

my dd does like her fruit, so will cut it down.
fizzy drinks don't pass my front door! the rarely or ever have it, they are allowed crisp and a sweet but theres no 'treat' cupboard as it would be eaten by me by them in no time!

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

IMO (as someone who does eat Paleo/primal), fruit for kids (especially if their carb intake is lower than in a SAD/standard diet, is good and healthy unless they are eating huge amounts.

Less so for adults who are overweight and/or metabolically damaged (which is almost everyone who is overweight!). Even after losing 6stones and gaining a lot of health with this woe, I am careful with fruit. I rarely have more than 1 portion a day and that's usually berries. Lots of coloured Veg is the better choice.

I think one really easy way to reduce overall carbohydrate level in anyone's diet, adults as well as kids, is to stop buying any kind of breakfast cereal or other manufactured breakfast food... And start eating a cooked breakfast. In one move, that reduces carb consumption by a third!

Yes, it's a bit of a hassle to start with fitting it in with the school run.
What I do is pre cook a batch of sausages (wheat free ones are easily available at tesco, marks and Spenser), I roast them in the oven for about 25 min as it's easier than frying, 2 packets at a time, and store in the fridge. 2 or 3 sausages per DC go in the microwave while eggs (in butter!) fry in the pan.
It's actually very quick once you are into the routine of it.
Our 16 yo was very resistant to giving up his gf cereal, but in the 3 months since he did, he says his concentration at school as improved a lot as he's not starving by breaktime.

[BIWI]

Absolutely agree with that, RawCoconutMacaroon. Breakfast cereal with a glass of fruit juice is possibly the worst way to start the day, from the POV of blood sugars. Yet it is so widely touted as a 'healthy' start to the day!

[pixiegumboot]

So porridge is a no no?

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

Indeed BIWI, I call the cereal section at the supermarket " the wal of death", there is miles of the stuff, mostly with LOW FAT and WHOLEGRAIN emblazoned on the box... This may be an oversimplification but typically anything with those two phrases on the front of the packet is full of junk and should be left on the shelf!

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

Pixie, oatmeal (rough) is better than most breakfast cereals (instant stuff is just as bad because it's very fine ground and will raise blood sugar just as fast as coco pops or similar). So oatmeal will digest slower and fill yup up for longer BUT it's still cereal based carbohydrate... For a lot of reasons, cereal carbs are less healthy than veg and fruit carbs.

What you eat, of course, is your choice but if you are interested in WHY people should be treating official dietary advice with a large pinch of (unprocessed mineral) salt, there are lots of good blogs (a surprising number written by doctors and scientist), which are sensible and informative.

Try googling the following Marks Daily Apple, diet doctor.com, robbwolf.com, Dr John Briffa, Dr Zoe Harcombe

They are not saying exactly the same thing, but all can be summarised as "eat real food", and "eat the food humans evolved to eat".

[mouses]

hmm, I thought I was doing ok re breakfast, I have Weetabix or porridge? one of my ds's likes branflakes and the other 2 are keen on the not so good cocopops or wheetos

id love to cook a breakfast, but my eldest leaves house at 7:10am for school and id doubt if I woke them all up any earlier they wouldn't be up for food that early?
also, my dd and ds2 wont eat sausages or egg whats an other option of cooked? actually dd is really fussy

[pixiegumboot]

I largely agree with most of those threads and blogs I can see & uderstand the science. But when I did low carb before xmas (then had a 'normal' Christmas) I put all the weight back on + more in 2 weeks!!!! So I'm a bit unsure of the whole thing now....

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

You

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

You put the weight back on because you returned to eating the diet that made you put on weight in the first place? Is that what you mean?... Well any lifestyle chance only works as long as you keep doing it!!!

[pixiegumboot]

Yes I know, I guess what I'm saying is that it happened so quickly. 4months to get off, two weeks to put on....any woe surely has to fit in with RL surely?
Sorry OP for hijack

[teaandthorazine]

Low carb isn't a magic spell! You have to continue eating low carb to get the benefits of low carb - including weight loss. Go back to eating the food that made you overweight in the first place and, guess what? You'll put on weight again.

Ds eats mostly what I eat, though we've not cracked the cereal conundrum yet if I'm honest. A low-carb/paleo/primal WOE is fine for kids - no child ever came to harm by not eating processed food and sugar at every meal...

[teaandthorazine]

Sorry pixie, cross post!

Yes, it does go back on quickly. But Christmas eating isn't really 'real life' eating anyway is it? At least, not in my house

[mouses]

so, is fruit and fibre of my list then?

[mouses]

that's ok pixie im one for hijacking to if it help others with info then all good