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?

mouses - it really depends what you're trying to achieve. But as a long-term low carber, personally I wouldn't ever eat cereal ever again.

im not over weight so its not a 'diet' as such, I have more weight on my thighs than id like so ifit helped with that (along with lunges and squats ) im looking to eat it as a long term healthier way of life for both me ad dcs. :-)

Maybe try working out how many grams of carbs you're eating a day. Anything around 100g per day is probably pretty reasonable; most people will be eating at least twice that much, if not more.

I have and that's why im wanting to cut down lol I have been logging on an app (like MFP)

sit down while I tell you haha, I was absolutely shocked! a weeks log of carbs...
230
160
196
184
235
217
198
what shocked me most is this is on a 1600cal a day! tho im not reaching it, I come in around 1400-1500 most days.

We and our children do eat carbs but I think much lower than the average family/ population

Ie for breakfast they will have porridge/ fruit, yogurt/ nuts/ fruit, or cooked. All obv various amounts of carbs but better than the standard cereal/ toast

Carbs with meals are generally sweet potato/ brown rice or potatoes. Either lunch or dinner usually doesn't have any/many if the other has. Ie they had chicken/ potatoes and veg for lunch, so dinner tonight will be salmon/ creamed spinach and broccoli.

I think it's about right balance for them/ us.

the problem I have is finding other options that they/ I would like. they do eat sandwiches for lunch and we would have A carb with chicken or fish, like pasta, rice etc...

so im researching into it all so its not some thing I try, struggle with and give up! so I want to know what im doing and be more confident with it for the kids.

I know you're not doing it for weight reasons, but there are some lovely recipes on here from the Bootcamp threads.

Mouses - mine seem to love ' picnic lunches'. Just a mixture of leftovers/ what's in the fridge most of the time. Ie cold sausage/ chicken/ frittata/ cubes of cheese/ raw salady bits like tomatoes/ carrot/ cucumber/ pepper, sliced beetroot/ avocado/ fruit/ nuts etc etc. A lunch might be say sliced avocado, cheese, tangerine, a bit cold chicken and cucumber. Most chopped into easy child size pieces, can eat easy with fingers or fork. Easy way to avoid sandwiches every day

thanks, that's great info. my dd eats similar, she prefers wraps. has cheese, ham, grapes or clementine (a piece of fruit) on her plate. the wrap is last thing she eats. I did try th cocktail sausages but she wont eat them. my ds's are at school for lunch during the week so they have what ever option is at school.

Mouses, there is plenty of fibre in salad leaves and veg, and it's a BETTER type of fibre than the stuff in cereals.
Better for your gut and better for kids - even current "healthy eating" guidelines admit that to much high fibre cereals and whole meal bread can cause malnourishment in young children by blocking the absorption of vitamins and minerals and by making kids feel full when they have not had enough calories.

The breakfast cereal manufacturers would disagree, but nobody NEEDS to eat cereals and grains to make them poop !

For packed lunches - strips of ham are good rolled round cucumber and a bit of cheese, meat wraps I suppose! Or little pots of leftover roast meat and veg sticks with dips. Some mixed berries, some "total" Greek yogurt if you eat dairy (it's lovely and has not added sugar).

yes yogurts go fast in this house! although probably not the healthiest ones. Its either muller corners or muller lights.

will try the greek, don't know why it doesn't appeal to me. its plain aint it?

I do try ham wrapped over various veg but they take it off and eat it. I will persist with it and always offer it any way. ive seen a few recipe ideas for dips to go with carrot, celery, pepper slices. need to find them and check some out.

im sure this would be easier with co-operative kids

Mouses just find the things that work for your kids. Mine get 4 rolls a week - I make them with spelt flour - they are seen as a big treat, they only take one of them to school for lunch. Mostly they take leftovers there's always something lurking in the fridge begging to be used up.

Breakfast is very variable often porridge with double cream, banana and maple syrup, or crepes. Sometimes potato bread made by dd from leftover mash. Fried egg sandwiches if it's a day where we have bread. Cheese, boiled ham - so much cheaper than the pre cut stuff. Hot chocolate made with 85% cocoa and milk or cappuccino for ds...sometimes smoothies made with full fat yogurt, yoghurt with frozen berries and seeds sweetened with maple syrup. Bacon and eggs. Homemade granola.

I only buy cereal at Christmas and when we are on holidays and we never buy fruit juice. Dcs poison of choice is coke - and they get it on special occasions and when we eat out.

This is very interesting. What is the deal with fat though? Are you not increasing your saturated fat levels (or whatever the bad fat is called), eating like this? Isn't that bad for kids?

Natural unprocessed fats in eggs, meat and poultry are not "bad fats" and are not bad for kids. Remember, these a natural part of the human diet and animal fat is where animals store vitamins, making it rich in nutrients and a good source of calories.

Vegetable oil otoh despite being touted at us as "healthy" have two main problems, they are very high in omega 6 (not good for us) and they are produced using extremes of temperature and chemical solvents (traces of these remain in the oils) are used to extract the oil. They may also be partially hydrogenated and contain tranfats. They are pretty much devoid of vitamins and may have lots of additives in them to make them look like natural fats (marg or spreads for example).
Veg oils and fats do not exist in nature in the form that the food industry produces. But it's added to manufactured foods in huge quantities!

As others on the thread have said - feed your kids what works for you/them, but have an awareness that what is healthy is not always what we are TOLD is healthy. I don't think you can go to far wrong if you move towards eating things which you make yourself and which are recognisable as part of and animal or plant iykwim... If it's made in a factory it's unlikely to be good for you

Thanks - its the fat in full fat cheese, yoghurt, butter that I am concerned about. I personally would rather eat butter than marg but am I not coating our arteries?

well the thread has opened my eyes about what I thought was 'good' for the kids ie fruit, porridge, cereal etc...

also what I eat, so I will be more aware.

thanks x

One of many recent articles of interest to those who are worried about saturated fats...

www.bmj.com/press-releases/2013/10/22/observations-saturated-fat-not-major-issue

Interesting. Thank you.

Oh sorry that wasn't a live link, I really do need to work out how to from my iPad/phone.

No worries I just copied and pasted.

My DS eats like this. I want him to grow thinking this WOE is normal and not struggle with the mindset of having bolognese without pasta, soup without bread, curry without rice etc. Their are lots of websites about paleo kids.

[[http://everydaypaleo.com/paleo-kids/]]

[[http://paleoleap.com/paleo-kids/]]

[[http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/01/paleo-for-kids.html]]

[[http://paleoparents.com/]]

*There

My teenagers choose what they eat; although I was pleased the form teacher of one agreed with him when he said fat was better than sugar. I actively let them hold opposing views to mine, though. I love engendering debate and saying - yes that's fine, plenty of people believe XYZ, go and do research on line, I am often wrong.

One does intermittent fasting. One has 100% protein/meat breakfasts or eggs and the other has toast with butter.

There are a huge number of very fit men and young boys out there who are very into keto/healthy eating who work out in gyms so my way of eating obviously fits 100% with that ethos. One of my daughters eats what she calls clean and her personal trainer apparently eats how I do. So I suspect the views of what is healthy eating over say 10 y ears ago are gradually totally changing particularly in London although I expect the NHS will be 30 years behind.