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Low carb for kids – Pediatricians always recommend good nutrition, aiming to prevent diseases for the child’s present and future. Fortunately, we have the low carb diets and paleo to provide this for all of us.
Unfortunately, in recent times we have been bombarded with countless processed foods that appeal to various artificial tastes, causing even us parents and adults to abandon the good habits of our grandparents.
Not to mention the rush of our daily lives, where parents work, making the food alternatives not at all healthy, just open the package and that's it.
Low carb for children and the challenges
A low-carb diet for kids is challenging, but not impossible. Make the transition easy and slow – the healthy eating habits they learn now will help them for the rest of their lives, so never forget that.
Unfortunately, most of us discover the low-carb diet as adults. We see positive changes in ourselves and wish we had discovered it sooner. Children of parents who practice the low-carb lifestyle enjoy all the benefits of real foods, without having to discover it later.
Low carb for kids | Tips
Fun, low-carb family activities are a great way to educate kids and celebrate their new, healthy lifestyle.
Try a felt vegetable art project: Use a kit or make your own low-carb vegetables out of colorful felt or fabric pieces. During the project, discuss the healthy benefits of the foods you’re creating together.
Plan a special trip to the grocery store to highlight this important change.
Do your best to present the new list in a positive light: a new and exciting choice that will help your family stay healthy and active. Buy something different, special, and low-carb.
Low carb for children and the transition to a new eating habit
Older children can be difficult when it comes to cutting down on their sweets, cookies and candy.
Transitioning to a low-carb diet comes with many hurdles, especially for parents who are also struggling with their own diet.
Adults who choose to adopt a low-carb lifestyle have made the decision that the hardship is worth the benefits.
Children whose parents make the choices for them often feel overly restricted by a change that suddenly bans all their favorite foods for no apparent reason.
Children are biologically very quick to reject new and unfamiliar foods – an overnight switch from French fries to broccoli or cauliflower is unlikely to go over well.
Ease your children into their new eating patterns and help them. Start by cutting out just gluten, or even just one gluten-containing food (like breakfast bread).
Getting your family to eat eggs instead of sugary breads or cereals is a small step, but it's a small step in the right direction.
Slowly phase out snacks with fewer carb-friendly options, allowing your children to enjoy each new food slowly, rather than hitting them with several changes at once.
Some people do better focusing on one meal at a time rather than one type of food.
Breakfast is an easy option for this. Most people eat it at home, which means you have maximum control over what you eat.
Later, you may not have the mental energy to insist on roast beef and spinach for dinner instead of pizza.
Starting with breakfast can set you up for success – and a small, low-carb breakfast can even give you more energy to power through lunch.
Approach change with a positive attitude, a flexible game plan, and a willingness to communicate. You may be surprised at how well it goes.
Low carb for kids | Be patient and lead by example
Kids typically want whatever you think is delicious to eat. Embrace the challenge.
You don’t have to be the perfect Carb Family on day one. Minor deviations along the way don’t mean you should give up entirely.
Be compatible with the low carb diet for children
Whatever strategy you choose, be sure to stay consistent. If your children figure out that they can get their old foods back by refusing to eat them, that’s what they’ll keep doing.
Be kind and encouraging, but stick to your plan.
Involving children in the low-carb lifestyle
One of the simplest ways to get your kids excited about their new foods is to involve them in the process.
Encourage children to help you in the kitchen with basic tasks like washing vegetables or peeling boiled and cooled eggs.
Older children can help with shopping, cutting, peeling and cleaning.
Teens can be in charge of family dinner for one night.
Ask your kids for input when you plan meals, then take them to the grocery store to help you pick out ingredients.
Kid-friendly foods on the low-carb diet
The main difference between a low carb diet for children and a low carb diet for adults is that children's growing brains need slightly higher levels of carbohydrates.
Try sweet potatoes or chestnuts for delicious sources of carbohydrates to encourage your child's rapid growth.
With a few added carbs, kids can thrive on the same version of a low-carb diet as adults can, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't make it more fun every now and then.
One way to make almost any food fun to eat is to create a mini version: mini omelets, mini steaks, and mini burgers are all quick and easy ways to make dinner for little ones.
Cut out delicate meats with cookie cutters, or use an egg mold to keep low-carb snacks interesting.
Fruit or berries in small amounts are an easy and tasty snack.
Hard-boiled eggs are another nutritious option that you can easily make in advance and store in the fridge for days.
Several enterprising cooks have also created low-carb cookies from almond and coconut flour. Enjoy them with butter, nut butter, or peanut butter.
Low carb for kids | All or nothing doesn't work
A natural reaction is to strictly forbid processed foods. But this method is not particularly helpful. An “all or nothing” approach does not work.
If you institute an absolute ban on all non-low carb foods, you'll turn it into a delicious forbidden fruit that your kids will be dying to get their hands on as soon as they get the chance.
Extreme restriction won't help your kids develop healthy eating habits in the long run because it prevents them from learning how to make their own low-carb meals away from home.
A better method is to keep communication open about different types of foods and their effect on the body.
Talk to your children about why you don’t eat certain foods. Encourage them to notice how they feel when they do. Help them identify less unhealthy foods, and enjoy them.
Low carb for kids and the benefits for everyone
Helping your children transition from a modern Brazilian diet to nutritious, low-carb foods is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
Regardless of the situation, realistic commitments and communication are key.
You may only be able to force your kids to eat low-carb for a few years, but if you can persuade them of the benefits, they will stick with their good habits for life.
The results will be worth the challenge, and when your kids are old enough to understand delayed gratification, they'll probably thank you.
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