Low Carb for Kids

You might have had your own success with a low to zero carb diet and wonder what it might be able to do for your children. While children must access all food groups, certain health problems such as diabetes or epilepsy can benefit from lowering certain food groups. When it comes to adults and children, not one size fits all, so it is important to take an individual approach to each child to determine what is best for them.

With that being said, here are some of the reasons that your children could benefit from carbs. 

The History of Low-Carb Diets

Low-carb diets have been around for centuries and became extremely popular when advertised as the Atkins diet or The South Beach Diet. As a rule of thumb, a low-carb diet will consist of 10 to 20% of calories coming from carbohydrates and 80 to 90% of calories coming from protein and fats. 

Is it Safe for Children to Go Low-Carb?

It is no surprise that we need to treat our children’s bodies much more differently than we treat our own. After all, they are still growing, developing, and changing and have different needs than adult bodies, such as more calories. Not to mention the emotional development and understanding of food too. 

While low-carb is not inherently dangerous for children, there are some things that parents should be aware of. First and foremost, a strict low-carb regime will see children not hitting their fruit and veg quota a day, impacting their health. If low-carb will benefit them, then be sure to make the diet lower-carb and go from there, and do not cut carbs out completely. 

Low-Carb for Children’s Weight Loss

Low-carb is often hailed as a magic weapon when it comes to losing weight, but the long term evidence is divided, as it suggests that it can be significantly helpful in helping children lose weight initially, but post 24 months, or so, the diet may not make much of a difference. There is also the risk of children gaining that weight back when they stop following this specific regime, so unless your child needs to lose weight short term as an emergency or for their health, it may be best for them to follow a balanced approach instead, and remove more refined carbohydrates instead of natural sources. There are plenty of extremely tasty and healthy recipes for parents who think their children will benefit from a low-carb diet, such as keto fries, so they do not feel like they are missing out. Just make sure to have a conversation with them and include them.

Low-Carb for Epilepsy in Children

Another reason parents might choose a low-carb diet for their children is because of epilepsy. It has been well-recognized in the nutrition industry as a solution to seizures that do not respond to traditional medication. A medical health professional or physician will closely monitor this to ensure the child has all the nutrients they need and that the diet is being successful in helping their epilepsy condition.