Dr. Curtis McElroy

Tag: kids

  • Is A Low Carb Diet Safe For Kids?

    Is A Low Carb Diet Safe For Kids?

    The views on whether a low carb diet is safe for kids are mixed.

    Some people believe that kids benefit from low carb diets because they lower their wheat and sugar intake.

    They believe parents don’t need to be as strict about having a child in the healthy weight range because their insulin sensitivity is more sensitive than adults are so they can handle carbs more efficiently.

    The View That Low Carb Diets Are Safe

    For those who feel that kids are safe on a low fat diet, they need to think about which foods are beneficial for kids for things like their lunch boxes. They think that families of kids eating regular carb diets just put two slices of bread, some peanut butter, or salami together and that’s good enough for their child’s lunch. The wheat in the sandwich is 80 percent carbohydrates, which means they will soon be hungry again.

    People who feed their kids a low carb diet take away the bread in their child’s meal but keep the parts that are nutritious, such as the salad, mayonnaise, cheese, and meat. They feel that the child won’t be deficient in nutrients by giving up the carbs. For them, bread is a filler and not necessary in their child’s diet. They believe that eating a low carb diet high in good fats, proteins, and vegetables will more than compensate for the vitamins and fiber found in high carb diets.

    While everyone’s been told to eat whole grains, the scientific evidence indicates that when whole grain flour is turned into white flour, there is a reduction in diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer. By eating more vegetables in a low carb/high fat diet, your child will get the benefit from this and that makes up for the loss of vitamin B and fiber that happens when they stop eating wheat products.

    Starting A Low Carb Diet

    Starting a low carb diet is not very difficult. The following tips are suggested when starting your child on a low carb diet:

    • Think about how many vegetables are in your kid’s diet. A good low carb diet still should contain plenty of carb-rich vegetables. The same is true for healthy fats. Just keep out anything made with sugar and flour, as they have no nutritional benefit.

    • Use cold meat as a wrap. Wrap a slice of roast beef or ham and put some vegetables or cheese inside. Roll them up as you would a wrap, and you have healthy low carb meal.

    • Start slowly. If you have a kid that is a fussy eater, he or she won’t want to go “low carb” right away. Change just one thing at a time, such as removing the bread first but keeping everything else the same.

    • Get a lunch box with small compartments in them. Instead of a lunch box, use a tackle box that has small compartments to put their low carb foods in them.

    • Think about what you would generally put into a sandwich and give your child that without the bread. Kids will enjoy picking through the sandwich fillers and grazing on low carb foods.

    Low carb diets are extremely popular. They use high fat, high protein foods while getting rid of the legumes, fruits, and grains that add to the carb count in high carb diets. Your teenagers might be particularly interested in low carb diets as they promise some sort of weight loss.

    The View That Low Carb Diets Are Bad

    Those that think that low carbs are bad for kids report that the wheat in carbohydrate-containing foods causes poor absorption of vitamins and leaky gut syndrome.

    Wheat contains gluten and amylopectin, which can cause allergies in kids. Bread and similar products, like wraps, are highly processed and provide little nutrition. Wheat has a high glycemic index that leads to a rapid influx of sugar into the child’s bloodstream.

    They believe that children need carbohydrates. Experts feel that about half of all the calories kids eat should come from carbohydrates. According to these beliefs, the body’s preferred energy source is carbohydrates in the form of yogurt, milk, vegetables, fruits, and grains.

    They don’t however believe that you should give kids the carbs found in baked goods, candy, and sugary beverages. Instead, they should eat healthy carbs, such as those found in fruits and vegetables. You don’t need bad carbs in order to stay healthy.

    Those who believe that low carbs are bad for you think that drastically lowering the carbs in your child’s diet may be bad for them. Cutting back on carbs can lead to several types of nutrient deficiencies, and is low in vitamin B and fiber.

    Additionally, when you lower the high carb foods in your child’s diet, there isn’t much left for them to eat. Kids load up on fat and protein to make up for the lack of carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate diets can lower a child’s energy level, which can be problematic for kids who are athletes.

  • Get Kids Moving With These 8 Exercise And Fitness Tips

    Get Kids Moving With These 8 Exercise And Fitness Tips

    These days our children don’t get nearly enough exercise. Instead they are tucked away in their rooms playing on all sorts of electronic gadgets. If you are a parent this can be very frustrating. Especially if you notice your child is starting to gain a lot of weight.

    Most parents want to help but they really don’t know how. This is especially the case for parents who are not active themselves and so they don’t know where to begin. But, it is of utmost importance to make sure that kids get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily and don’t assume that school PE and recess periods will take care of it.

    Here are some of the best exercise and fitness tips to get kids moving.

    Tip #1 – Make Exercise Fun & Easy

    You have to remember these are children we are talking about. That means they aren’t going to be interested in some boot camp style workouts. They want something that’s fun and easy to do. When a child is engaging in an activity they want to feel competent and self-efficient. If they don’t feel they can do the exercise they will shut down. So choose an activity or exercise that doesn’t require too much thought. Something they can catch onto quickly.

    Tip #2 – Take It Slow

    Yes it is recommended children get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. However, if your child is not used to being active there is no way they will make it through an hour fitness session the first time out. So take things slow. Start off with just 10 minutes of play a day. You can play hide and seek or throw a Frisbee around. Use a timer and when the time is up stop playing and go back inside. This does two very important things. Its shows children getting outside is fun and it also makes them want to do it again.

    Tip #3 – Avoid Games Where Players Can Be Eliminated

    This is especially important if you are dealing with a child who is overweight. You don’t want to play any games that will make it easy for the child to be eliminated. For an overweight child this type of game can have a negative impact on their self-esteem. Once the child is eliminated they will have to sit out for the rest of the game. That means they won’t get any exercise which in turn defeats the whole purpose in the first place. So avoid games like dodge ball.

    Tip #4 – Consider Finding Your Child A Mentor

    Sometimes a child might not respond to their parents. Especially if they are severely overweight. They will be reluctant to do anything that has to do with exercise. One way to combat this is find your child a mentor. Find someone they look up to and have a great deal of respect for. This could be a neighbor, a family friend or a fitness professional in your local area. Having a mentor is a great way to show your child exercising and staying healthy is a cool thing to do.

    Tip #5 – Keep At It

    If you child doesn’t respond to you the first few times that doesn’t mean you should give up. Keep at it. Be creative and try to find new, fun ways to approach the situation. It won’t be easy to get your child to start moving if it’s something they are not used to doing. But stick with and stay positive. Eventually your child will come around.

    Tip #6 – Organized Sports

    This is a great idea for both boys and girls and the YMCA and local little leagues are great places to start.
    There are plenty of choices, including:
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • Football
    • Volleyball
    • And others

    Organized sports and teams have regular practices and games and so provide ample opportunity for kids to get the optimal amount of exercise. Plus, it’s a great family event for bonding and teaches kids to be part of a team. And, hey, you never know, you might just have another Coby Bryant or a Babe Ruth in your family.

    Tip #7 – Outdoor Games

    There are plenty of fun outdoor games in the toy sporting goods sections of department stores. Some of them facilitate creativity and imagination as well, and are games the whole family can participate in.

    Tip #8 – Wii Fit

    For kids that love video games and a Nintendo Wii, nothing is more fun than the Wii Fit, which is a specialty console for fitness games.

    They are fun, and when you have the Wii Fit Board kids can follow along with the exercise on the screen and move, instead of just sitting in front of their console as in the typical gaming experience.

  • Health and Fitness For Kids

    When it comes to raising children one of the best things you can offer your child is the encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle. This  includes following a proper diet, routine exercise, weight loss if necessary, and risk factor modification to prevent problems with heart disease, lung disease, strokes, kidney disease, and other chronic medical problems on down the road.

    Children learning and making these factors a part of their daily life will play a major role in your child’s longevity and quality of life as they grow older.

    Your child’s observation of the example you set will provide the greatest impact on their long term health and wellness. If you have not started an exercise program, then do it for your children.

    Kids today are not as active as they were twenty years ago. Video games and television has made them more sedentary. Your children need to be active to maintain or achieve proper fitness and prevent them from becoming obese.

    It is a good idea to limit the time that your children are allowed to watch television, play video games or be on the computer.

    By placing limits on their sedentary activities, your children will be forced to find other activities to engage in. You may want to get  your children video games that require them to move their bodies to play. There are some great games available that will have your child dancing and even exercising.

    Find out what interests your child the most. If your child likes soccer or basketball, sign him up for a team. If your daughter has an interest in horseback riding, sign her up for horseback riding lessons. Do not push your child into a sport that he or she does not want to do. This will send a negative message to your child.

    If you have very young children, you can still encourage them to be active. Be silly around your little ones. Show them how much fun being active can be. Jump around to music, hop like a bunny or just play musical chairs with them.

    A great idea to get your kids more active is to have them do chores. The chores can be made more fun by turning them into a competition. See who can pull the most weeds in the garden or who can get their room clean the fastest. Making the chores fun will encourage the kids to help out around the house and become more active.

    When your child has a birthday, schedule a party in which they will be doing something active. You may want to take the kids at the birthday party bowling or swimming at the local YMCA. If you have a large yard, you could have a game of scavenger hunt or even a game of kickball.

    Make a family night of activity once a week. Have a different person choose each week what the  weekly activity is going to be. Challenge each member of the family to come up with something more creative than the previous week.

    Incorporating fitness into your family activities is not difficult if you use a little imagination. The whole family will benefit from becoming more active and living a more optimal healthy lifestyle.

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