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In this long Quick Hits video, I discuss whether kids or teenagers (as my daughter oft reminds me) should follow the Atkins Diet as prescribed or a more moderate low carb or carb conscious plan.
I respond by saying that for most teenagers a lower carb approach is probably best, especially not if the choice is not driven by the child themselves. I believe as parents we are called to teach our kids a healthy way of eating, and while acknowledging kids’ environment and choices, we should make and help them choose to eat wisely, which by almost any standard should not include “whites” – refined starches and sugars. There should be no requirement for breading or donuts to be healthy or happy. The challenge with kids and teenagers is therefore school lunch programs and their unhealthy nature.
This is by no means a discouragement for teenagers, who may want to try Atkins Diet due to an internal desire to lose weight. I just want them to be aware of what their decision means.
Duration : 0:6:11
[youtube Nw6UAG5EvrE]
Comments
25 comments so far.
what if i eat a …
what if i eat a sandwich twice a day or cereal twice a day or rice
Check out my what …
Check out my what to eat breakfast, going out to eat, or my recipe videos for additional ideas. There are lots more things to eat than just meat on this Diet. There are vegetables as well and you are only limited by your dedication to search recipe places or desire to try something new.
Just for a couple off the cuff suggestions, beef stirfry with broccoli, onions, snow peas, green peppers, mushrooms, and garlic or chicken fajita salad with salsa and sour cream.
I don’t know what …
I don’t know what to eat, HELP
all i eat is chicken can you make a list of food we can eat (breakfast,lunch,dinner) like a couple of idea because all i eat is fried chicken and eggs and i’m getting bored of chicken if i eat steak i want fries with it or somthin i can’t eat Steak only
Help thx in advance 
Take a regular meal …
Take a regular meal at any fast food joint. A burger, fries and a coke. Now Atkins’ize it. Remove the bun, switch the fries for a salad, take the sugar out of the coke or just take a glass of water. You call this inappropriate for a kid? Come on, it’s meat, salad and water. When was that ever bad for you or your kid?
There is not enough …
There is not enough space allowed to address each point you make. So I’ll just address the most relevant here.
Insulin is directly atherogenic. If you must know what that means, you must read the book Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
Why is it most relevant? Because sugar drives insulin.
Your comment is …
Your comment is very ignorant. Meat gives you protein and fat, but does not give you fiber, antioxidants and many of the vitamins and minerals we need.
Enjoy your cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and coronary disease.
When I was a kid, i …
When I was a kid, i was obese. The only changes I made in my diet was stop drinking soda and continued eating how teens eat , while doing a one mile run weekly and the quarter mile lap. I lost easily 20 lbs and looked a little better than average. So you’re absolutely right that some teens don’t need drastic changes, they are filled with hormones in their body to burn fat by simply making a small change.
There is a doctor …
There is a doctor in austria who says yes.
You can read it in his book “life without bread”. His Name is Wolfgang Lutz
i am 14 and i am …
i am 14 and i am fine.
Ah, yes, the …
Ah, yes, the Maintenance phase. Makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
Thanks for all you do, man. You’re really providing quite a service.
That’s similar to …
That’s similar to my opinion and what I tried to express. A carb conscious approach, aka Atkins at Maintenance phase, is what I advocate. It doesn’t deprive the kids the apple or even the occassional ice cream treat, but what it does do is tries subtly to get their blood sugar under control.
Full blown Atkins is indeed an adult decision that takes some critical thinking. Cycling on and off as the teenage whims is not a wise eating pattern either.
I haven’t read ALL …
I haven’t read ALL the comments, so forgive me if this has been mentioned, but I’ve only one concern. I think it’d be best to mimimize the sugar my kids consume, that’s a given, but when I think of feeding them low carb meals, I keep thinking what I’ll be doing is giving them that Atkins up and down weight, between what …I don’t wanna tell my kids not to eat an apple at school, heh. Maybe it’s a decision for an adult to make for themselves, sometimes.
There are probably …
There are probably cases where a ketogenic diet might be recommended for kids and teenagers, but to me, they are special cases (seizure or morbid obesity) and typically under doctor’s care. My daughter lost 25% of her body weight simply by eating better (perhaps a little bit more carb conscious) and picking up the running habit. Thanks for relaying your story.
When my teenage …
When my teenage girl tried Atkins it caused her to miss her periods for almost 7 months(she was not obese),it took 6 more months for her to return to normal after she went back to normal eating and just watched her intake of carbs such as rice or bread/pasta.I defiantly ‘do not’ recommend it for teenagers.
Traditional diets …
Traditional diets typically contain few sources of carbohydrates. Those who eat this kid of diet typically have perfect teeth, perfect bone structure and perfect health. When they switch to any modern diet containing a lot of carbohydrates, they invariably start to suffer all the ills that we suffer from. The first thing they suffer from is dental caries. Not because they don’t brush their teeth but because carbohydrates cause dental caries.
Weston Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
In my opinion, meat …
In my opinion, meat is superior to any other thing we call food. It contains all the nutrients we need to survive and maintain health. Also, it contains none of the toxic substances that vegetables contain i.e. carbohydrates. Everything else is just a weak substitute. Fortunately, we can adapt but there is always the danger of eating too much carbs when we choose vegetables sources of nutrition.
I mentioned alcohol …
I mentioned alcohol to make a point about toxic substances being more potent for kids than for adults. Glucose is toxic in large quantities. Diabetes is the inability to metabolize glucose properly. Diabetes leads to other diseases because of this.
I’m not missing the …
I’m not missing the point. I’m expressing my opinion on carbohydrates. If we disagree, it’s not in the substance but in the details.
I’m not suggesting …
I’m not suggesting you do what I do. I merely point out that carbohydrates are toxic in large quantities. I’m pointing out that kids are always more sensitive than adults to any substance. It doesn’t make sense to give more carbs to our kids when we, as adults, eat less carbs to return to good health.
The difference …
The difference between alcohol and higher carb diets is one is societal acceptable and the other is shunned given to kids. One is given out in the schools and one obviously is not. It is deal with horror of the school lunch program and advertisements and trying to figure out an acceptable, healthy plan for kids and teens.
There is obviously …
There is obviously some disconnect because I have no idea where the question “wrong with chicken and veggies” question arises. That is the diet (with addition of fruits, dairy, and limited whole grains and high starch vegetable if necessary) this video advocates.
Where are you missing the point?
You are jumping the …
You are jumping the shark obviously about crooked teeth. I’ll leave that on that table…
To build a proper adult, the child needs good nutrition, which includes meat, dairy, low-GI starchy veggies, some fruit, and some higher GI-starchy veggies. Whole grains may not be necessary, but they are allowed in relation to how it affects their glucose levels and weight (if being monitored). Where do you want the kids to get the vitamins if not by healthy sources like veggies and lower-GI fruits?
Where are you …
Where are you seeing me recommend a diet where kids eat sugar? I see you are advocating chicken and veggies, but then say carbs are sugar and then relating it’s poison. Would you rather have them eat a zero carb diet?
If you are suggesting a zero carb diet, I think for most people you have suggesting the unrealistic diet and short-lived.
The difference between a complex and a simple carb is the rapidity that its converted and its impact on insulin levels. Both of which Atkins diet targets.
Keep the answer to …
Keep the answer to the next question to yourself because it’s only to make a point and it doesn’t concern me anyway. Does your daughter have any crooked teeth? Do you think that her genes would be so badly programmed to have instructions to build her crooked in any way?
Genes are merely a plan. To build a proper house, we need proper materials. Sugar is not one of them. The proper materials are protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Carbs aren’t on the list.
@MrZainb You’ve …
@MrZainb You’ve chosen the wrong diet then. Choose a diet that meets with your tastes better if you think you have to eat bread/cereal/rice twice a day.