Kids are low carb 1/2 the time-good or really bad?

Dark Gypsy · 08-28-2012, 11:37 AM

If you have kids going between 2 households-one low carb and the other no, what is the effect? I don't want my kids to be consuming extra fat/calories in my household which will result in negative side effects because they do eat a significant amount of carbs in the other.

I thought at least being "lower carb" over all would be good, but maybe not...Anyone with any experience/knowledge?

PS, I try to sneak in low carb subs when I can for them--low carb waffles, Dreamfields, pork rind coating, carb chopper tortillas...

ravenrose · 08-28-2012, 02:05 PM

BloodSugar101 has information on this and her take on it is that high fat is indeed dangerous when people eat over 150 grams of carbs a day. that could be less for a child's metabolism, of course. I would say you have reason to be concerned and should probably take a med carb/med fat approach for them if they will be high carbing part of every week.

clackley · 08-28-2012, 04:00 PM

Reducing carbs is never a bad thing even if it is only a portion of the time. Over all it is a reduction and that is a good thing in my opinion.

Arctic_Mama · 08-28-2012, 04:03 PM

It never hurts an older child's metabolism to be given a break from sugar and starch, from all I have read. Their carbohydrate needs, especially the younger subset (2-8 year olds), are higher than an adult or older child, but even then, getting them sourced with fat from whole foods is a better idea than highly processed sugar and grains.

I wouldn't switch them between a ketogenic diet and a SAD diet, that is rough on the body. But just serving them nutritionally dense veggies, fresh fruit in moderation, cheese and meat for main courses? Good stuff!

cfine · 08-28-2012, 04:46 PM

Quote:

I wouldn't switch them between a ketogenic diet and a SAD diet, that is rough on the body. But just serving them nutritionally dense veggies, fresh fruit in moderation, cheese and meat for main courses? Good stuff!

zombiegoat2000 · 08-29-2012, 05:25 PM

Can you have a sit down with the ex and let him know that they are on a gluten free diet?! (Most everyone has heard of this its all over the place now days) You don't have to explain all of you dietary choices, just a simple breakdown.

PianoAl · 08-29-2012, 06:13 PM

I vote that it's a good thing. I see any decrease in carbs as a plus. There are low carb diets that include carb days.

Quote:

BloodSugar101 has information on this and her take on it is that high fat is indeed dangerous when people eat over 150 grams of carbs a day.

She may be right, but there are two things to note.

1. I know of no good studies that show that high carb/high fat is bad. We have few enough good studies on low carb alone. We just don't know what happens to this level of detail.

2. Are the kids eating high carb and high fat at the same time? If not, Ruhl's arguments may not apply.

Lioness0455 · 08-29-2012, 07:33 PM

This is just my own personal experience, but after my husband's brother had a heart attack and double by-pass about 3 years ago, we had our arteries checked out for calcium. At that point in time, I'd been low carb for 3 years and he'd been eating "lower" carb. While it wasn't the type of bouncing described in this thread, he didn't (and still doesn't) eat as low in carbs as I do. His tests came out "very good" and mine were "excellent."

Most low carbers have metabolic issues and as such we tend to forget that if your metabolism works properly, then carbs are not a problem. They are only problematic when your body doesn't react to insulin the way it's supposed to. My husband's blood sugar NEVER goes over 100 no matter what he eats, including cane sugar.

The problem with the typical diet isn't necessarily the carbs, but "what" most people eat.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a normal-weight child a low-carb diet, but under your circumstances (where the kids are getting excess carbs and calories elsewhere), I think they need to eat low carb at home in order to get the protein and nutrients they need to grow properly.

clackley · 08-30-2012, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lioness0455

This is just my own personal experience, but after my husband's brother had a heart attack and double by-pass about 3 years ago, we had our arteries checked out for calcium. At that point in time, I'd been low carb for 3 years and he'd been eating "lower" carb. While it wasn't the type of bouncing described in this thread, he didn't (and still doesn't) eat as low in carbs as I do. His tests came out "very good" and mine were "excellent."

Most low carbers have metabolic issues and as such we tend to forget that if your metabolism works properly, then carbs are not a problem. They are only problematic when your body doesn't react to insulin the way it's supposed to. My husband's blood sugar NEVER goes over 100 no matter what he eats, including cane sugar.

The problem with the typical diet isn't necessarily the carbs, but "what" most people eat.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a normal-weight child a low-carb diet, but under your circumstances (where the kids are getting excess carbs and calories elsewhere), I think they need to eat low carb at home in order to get the protein and nutrients they need to grow properly.

While I do think this is true, I do think that the constant overload of a diet too high in carbohydrate will erode a normal functioning body and some faster than others. This generation of children are going to be challenged like none other due to the excess and greatly refined carbs that are everywhere and impossible to avoid.

suzanneyea · 08-30-2012, 06:33 AM

I do my best to keep my older son low carb. I do all the grocery shopping, so that is a big help. But, my husband eats carbs, so they may go out to eat together and eat pizza. He eats carbs at his friend's houses too.
But, it is not like he is high fat either. Today, he had an omlette with cheese for breakfast. Hamburgers for dinner. Probably some ham and cheese for lunch. He has veggies for snacks or cheese. That is a good day.
Last night he did have ribs for dinner, but then grandma took him out for ice cream.

mamabear6 · 08-30-2012, 07:40 AM

I wonder about this too, but I figure I've been feeding my daughter well since birth so her metabolism is pretty awesome. She eats breakfast and lunch at school and she is only 6 1/2 but knows what the better options are since we've had talks about it. She knows to choose the other option besides cereal for breakfast, and that I expect her to take a fruit and vegetable with her lunch(they only require the children to take one or the other). At home we don't have starchy carbs for dinner unless I make sushi, then hubby and her have some rice.
Unless your children have metabolic problems or are inactive I wouldn't worry too much, just make sure they have a good balance and their nutritional needs are met. I hope their dad is making sure they get their vegetables and protein! In my humble opinion without knowing a ton about their diets either way, I think it's better for them to be low-to-moderate carb while they are with you than not at all.

08-28-2012, 11:37 AM	#1
Dark Gypsy Senior LCF Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Socorro, NM Posts: 162 Gallery: Dark Gypsy Stats: 148/135/129 WOE: Atkins Start Date: March 2008	Kids are low carb 1/2 the time-good or really bad? If you have kids going between 2 households-one low carb and the other no, what is the effect? I don't want my kids to be consuming extra fat/calories in my household which will result in negative side effects because they do eat a significant amount of carbs in the other. I thought at least being "lower carb" over all would be good, but maybe not...Anyone with any experience/knowledge? PS, I try to sneak in low carb subs when I can for them--low carb waffles, Dreamfields, pork rind coating, carb chopper tortillas...

08-28-2012, 04:03 PM	#4
Arctic_Mama Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,781 Gallery: Arctic_Mama Stats: 257/163/140 WOE: Atkins 2002 Start Date: R1 12/11, R2 3/12	It never hurts an older child's metabolism to be given a break from sugar and starch, from all I have read. Their carbohydrate needs, especially the younger subset (2-8 year olds), are higher than an adult or older child, but even then, getting them sourced with fat from whole foods is a better idea than highly processed sugar and grains. I wouldn't switch them between a ketogenic diet and a SAD diet, that is rough on the body. But just serving them nutritionally dense veggies, fresh fruit in moderation, cheese and meat for main courses? Good stuff! __________________ Taryl - 5'3" powerhouse! http://www.aurorafiberarts.com/weightloss R1P2: 207.4 down to 176.8 (-30.6 lbs) R2P2: LDW was 168.0 (-20.4 lbs) R3P2: LDW 163.6 (14.4 lbs lost), ended early due to baby#4

08-29-2012, 07:33 PM	#8
Lioness0455 Senior LCF Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 259 Gallery: Lioness0455 Stats: 256.5/170/125 Start Date: 1/3/07	This is just my own personal experience, but after my husband's brother had a heart attack and double by-pass about 3 years ago, we had our arteries checked out for calcium. At that point in time, I'd been low carb for 3 years and he'd been eating "lower" carb. While it wasn't the type of bouncing described in this thread, he didn't (and still doesn't) eat as low in carbs as I do. His tests came out "very good" and mine were "excellent." Most low carbers have metabolic issues and as such we tend to forget that if your metabolism works properly, then carbs are not a problem. They are only problematic when your body doesn't react to insulin the way it's supposed to. My husband's blood sugar NEVER goes over 100 no matter what he eats, including cane sugar. The problem with the typical diet isn't necessarily the carbs, but "what" most people eat. Ordinarily, I wouldn't give a normal-weight child a low-carb diet, but under your circumstances (where the kids are getting excess carbs and calories elsewhere), I think they need to eat low carb at home in order to get the protein and nutrients they need to grow properly. __________________ Vickie Ewell Kickin' Carb Clutter

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08-28-2012, 02:05 PM	#2
ravenrose . Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: California Posts: 9,175 Gallery: ravenrose Stats: lost 130 lb so far, and miles to go before I sleep WOE: low carb controlled calorie Start Date: June, 2009	BloodSugar101 has information on this and her take on it is that high fat is indeed dangerous when people eat over 150 grams of carbs a day. that could be less for a child's metabolism, of course. I would say you have reason to be concerned and should probably take a med carb/med fat approach for them if they will be high carbing part of every week.

08-28-2012, 04:00 PM	#3
clackley Chatty Cathy Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto Posts: 13,221 Gallery: clackley Stats: 228.5/168/125 WOE: N.K.=vlc/hf/moderate protein & organic/pastured Start Date: Restart Oct 18 2009	Reducing carbs is never a bad thing even if it is only a portion of the time. Over all it is a reduction and that is a good thing in my opinion.

08-29-2012, 05:25 PM	#6
zombiegoat2000 Senior LCF Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 743 Gallery: zombiegoat2000 Stats: Start 296.0#/261/150# 5'8" Female WOE: Low Carb Start Date: January2012	Can you have a sit down with the ex and let him know that they are on a gluten free diet?! (Most everyone has heard of this its all over the place now days) You don't have to explain all of you dietary choices, just a simple breakdown.

08-30-2012, 06:33 AM	#10
suzanneyea Big Yapper!!!! Join Date: May 2008 Location: Montreal, QC Posts: 9,271 Gallery: suzanneyea Stats: 156/124/120 WOE: back to zc!	I do my best to keep my older son low carb. I do all the grocery shopping, so that is a big help. But, my husband eats carbs, so they may go out to eat together and eat pizza. He eats carbs at his friend's houses too. But, it is not like he is high fat either. Today, he had an omlette with cheese for breakfast. Hamburgers for dinner. Probably some ham and cheese for lunch. He has veggies for snacks or cheese. That is a good day. Last night he did have ribs for dinner, but then grandma took him out for ice cream.

08-30-2012, 07:40 AM	#11
mamabear6 Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ky Posts: 1,573 Gallery: mamabear6 Stats: 145/127/120 (previously 175/115) WOE: LC/VLC Start Date: Back on track Feb 2013	I wonder about this too, but I figure I've been feeding my daughter well since birth so her metabolism is pretty awesome. She eats breakfast and lunch at school and she is only 6 1/2 but knows what the better options are since we've had talks about it. She knows to choose the other option besides cereal for breakfast, and that I expect her to take a fruit and vegetable with her lunch(they only require the children to take one or the other). At home we don't have starchy carbs for dinner unless I make sushi, then hubby and her have some rice. Unless your children have metabolic problems or are inactive I wouldn't worry too much, just make sure they have a good balance and their nutritional needs are met. I hope their dad is making sure they get their vegetables and protein! In my humble opinion without knowing a ton about their diets either way, I think it's better for them to be low-to-moderate carb while they are with you than not at all.