Low-Carb Diets & Teens
 

As the low-carb craze continues to sweep the nation, more teenagers are giving the diet a try. But teens and low-carbs could be a dangerous combination. "These diets restrict the central nutrients that growing teenagers need," says Registered Dietician Joanne Shearer. That's what concerns doctors and dieticians most. While childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country, many agree a strict low-carbohydrate diet is not the way to fix the problem. "The concern I have with the low-carbohydrate diet for teenagers is it's a short-term fix for a long-term problem," says Shearer. She says that short-term fix often means eliminating some of the foods a growing teen needs most, like whole grains and calcium.

"Very good quality carbohydrates that you find in dairy foods are restricted. That's a real concern for growing teenagers that need calcium for their bones," says Shearer. Sometimes the effects of a low-carb diet can be even more dangerous. Take the case of 16-year-old Rachel Huskey. The Missouri teen died of an irregular heart beat, now attributed to her low-carb diet. Other possible side effects include kidney stones and what some experts call a "dulling" of the brain.

"People that are on the low-carb diet do report more lethargy, not as energetic and feeling not as mentally sharp or alert and for teenagers, that would definitely be a big concern," says Shearer. For other teens, a low-carb diet has helped them eat healthier and lose weight in the process. In fact, a recent study of 30 teenagers found a low-carb diet was safe and effective for short-term weight-loss, though the verdict is still out on how the diets would effect pre-teens.

Shearer suggests limiting the bad carbs, and getting back to the basics. "More whole grains, fruits and vegetables, leaner choices on meats, that's the approach that really seems to work the best in the long term," she says.

If teens really want to slim down, Shearer suggests getting rid of their daily dose of pop. She says getting rid of the soda would go a long way in reducing the obesity rate in teenagers.


http://www.ksfy.com/Global/story.as...94&nav=0w0jNBqX

I'm 17 and have been doing low carb for a year. I eat way healthier than I ever have in my life. I eat more fiber, more veggies, etc. Anyway, I haven't had any problems except for missed periods, which is normal for someone who has lost weight, especially teenagers.

Demi, you post some great stuff!! :)

I agree that young adults and children may need to be on a modified version, maybe including the low-grains and calcium a teen needs, but without that 12 ounce can of pure sugar in the form of a soda.

Maybe its an extreme opinion but I think protecting them from that is just like protecting them from a pack of cigarettes. Its a habit, and we don't want them to pick it up like we did, right?

" "More whole grains, fruits and vegetables, leaner choices on meats, that's the approach that really seems to work the best in the long term," "

That is not so different from the South Beach Diet, which is one of the decried low carb diets...

"The concern I have with the low-carbohydrate diet for teenagers is it's a short-term fix for a long-term problem,"

My concern with nutritionists criticizing low carbing is that they don't bother reading the original books. Isnt' that what tehy all say, that it has to become a way of life not a quick fix? Who told them Agatson or Atkins are for quick fixes????

I think most of us realize that the low carb authors stress that the plan has to be a lifestyle change and it has to be for life. I have yet to read a low carb book that stresses that the plan is a "quick fix"..quite the contrary. But...it's also a fact that many people use low carb (incorrectly) as a quick fix or a crash diet with no intention of making it a long term change. They want to drop a quick 10 pounds for some upcoming event and see low carb as their magic bullet to achieve that.
As a very wise person I know once said, "When the purpose for a thing is not understood, abuse is inevitable." :rolleyes:

It is not normal to lose to your period. The only way time most lose it when losing weight is if they go below their set weight. Judging from your stats you are not underweight. Please talk to your doctor, amenorrhea is a strong indicator of malnutrition and severe calcium loss. Trust me, you don't want to find out that at age 20 your already have osteoporsis.

Isn't it a possibility that a low-carb solution to milk could be cheese? And as for whole grains, what kind are they talking about? I honestly don't know anyone who eats 'whole' grains! Every teen I know (with the exception of mine) eat bread by the gobs, but it's the processed junky stuff. My kids eat low-carb bread, which has more fiber and under-processed grains in it. I also haven't seen one vitamin or mineral that's available in grains that isn't available much more abundantly in vegetables, berries and nuts.

My kids eat way more healthily following a low-carb plan than they ever did before, and to them it's a way of life, not a 'diet'.

Excessive exercise along with dieting can cause missed periods too, especially among atheletes. I was on an AAU synchronized swimteam when I was young and missed and irregular periods were common among my teammates. 30 years ago, we didn't know what all that exercise and dieting could lead to. We were encouraged to look like gymnasts of the day, flat chested and no shape.

However, I missed my periods when I was a teenager because I had PCOS. If I'd known to low-carb then, I might have saved myself a lot of grief.

I also read somewhere that traveling a lot and switching time zones can make you miss your period too. I went on birth control (to prevent acne) and my period started right back up.

no kidding!

I am only 23 with PCOS and I am regretting not low carbing from a younger age

I understand trying to limit milk when you are trying to loose weight. But really, it's not as if milk was like pop. I certainly wouldn't cut it out of kids's diet unless they was a pressing need to do so.

any article that touts poor Rachel again smacks of a PRMC press release to me.

Ah, very good point! My kids have never been big milk drinkers--they don't particularily care for the stuff--so I've always given them plenty of cheese, which they do like. The little guy will drink a glass of milk with a PBJ sandwich.

Milk
 

Before I started low-carbing, I went through 1 to 2 gallons of 1% milk a week. I loved the stuff. I would drink it instead of water. And my favorite food to have it with was artichokes.

However, I don't drink milk anymore. Mostly because I now prefer water.

But I do think milk can fit into a low-carb maintenance program. Milk, if you can tolerate it, has a lot of benefits and tastes really good. The only real difference I would make is to drink whole milk. Why suffer through the watered down versions if you can enjoy the real thing (actually, skim milk is as natural as whole, but who wants to split hairs). The thing about whole milk is that it has a lower GI because of the fat. And that also makes it healthier for kids because the fat and protein are good for growing bodies, not to mention the calcium.

It's scary how we try to limit the fats our kids consume so the won't get fat when they need them to develop healthy endocrine systems. Dr. Schwarzbein is really good for a description of the importance of fats in your diet.

Oh but there is - it's the biggest cause of teenage acne - one of the main reasons for this is that hormones etc fed to the cows end up in the milk we drink ... my son's acne has disappeared since I stopped his milk drinking ... so I would say that that was a good enough reason.