# Non-carb eating child



## Lady Willpower (Mar 24, 2020)

Hello all! My grand daughter is type 1. She eats fruit and veg until it comes out of her ears but she isn't too keen on anything with carb in it! Because of this she isn't growing much and the docs are getting a bit worried. She seems to take up to an hour sometimes to eat one meal and needs lots of coaxing. Does anyone else have a child like this? Do any of you have any tips on how to get her to eat a bit more please? She is otherwise happy and healthy.


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## grovesy (Mar 24, 2020)

I would think she sounds as if she most probably need specialist help.


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## Deleted member 27171 (Mar 24, 2020)

Hi @Lady Willpower, 
Great that she is generally happy and healthy though I can see why this would be a worry for you.
Have her doctors made any suggestions or referred her on to other services for support? Has she expressed a deliberate effort to avoid carbs in particular, eg. made any comment in relation to injections? That could perhaps indicate she needs some help around injecting that could lead to improvement with what she eats? Or is it more of a faddy eating thing where she favours certain things and isn't keen on larger meals? 

Sorry for the deluge of questions!


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## Bronco Billy (Mar 24, 2020)

I don’t know how old your granddaughter is, but some girls worry about their weight. Is she avoiding carbs because someone has given her the message that carbs are bad and she will put on weight?


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## Tee G (Mar 24, 2020)

Its a worry i know.  But good news that she like her veg.   Im sure she does better than a some other kids in that respect!

I have an autistic granddaughter - very, very limited pallet.  We worry a lot about her too.   We have found by involving her, as best we can, in preparing foods, making 'funny face' pizza, decorating the plate with foods to make 'a picture' and turning it into a 'disappearing' story, as she tries to nibble it away.  Her parents always try to offer the foods on the plate, but 9/10 its left behind.  Her speech and concept of things is a little skewed.   Her parents try not to push it too much and supplement her diet with children vitamin tablets to make sure shes not lacking.  We are hoping in time her repertoire will expand.


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## Lady Willpower (Mar 24, 2020)

Dear all,
Thank you for replying so quickly. My grand daughter is seen very often at the hospital by a variety of lovely people. I forgot to mention she has been diabetic since birth and is now 3  she eats everything in front of her but prefers things without carb and only a small amount. They have watched her for days at the hospital but the experts couldn't get her to eat any more either lol we have tried to get her to eat more but she isn't too keen.


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## Lady Willpower (Mar 24, 2020)

She does help me prepare the food but the faces sounds like a brill idea  thank you x


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## Lady Willpower (Mar 24, 2020)

LucyDUK said:


> Hi @Lady Willpower,
> Great that she is generally happy and healthy though I can see why this would be a worry for you.
> Have her doctors made any suggestions or referred her on to other services for support? Has she expressed a deliberate effort to avoid carbs in particular, eg. made any comment in relation to injections? That could perhaps indicate she needs some help around injecting that could lead to improvement with what she eats? Or is it more of a faddy eating thing where she favours certain things and isn't keen on larger meals?
> 
> Sorry for the deluge of questions!



She has been on a pump since birth and doesnt really take much notice of it lol


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## Deleted member 27171 (Mar 24, 2020)

Hopefully she will grow out of it. I have a 3 year daughter who will currently only have orange juice for breakfast and genuinely just doesn't seem hungry a lot of the time, so we don't push her. My little girl doesn't have the added worry of diabetes to deal with though so we can probably get away with being a bit more relaxed about it. With my son, who does have diabetes, it's stopping him eating everything in sight that always been the problem! Fingers crossed she doesn't keep it up too long.


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## Drummer (Mar 24, 2020)

I don't quite understand the problem - fruit and veg is full of sugar and starch - how is she not eating carbs? 
If she is eating protein and fat then she will have the building blocks for her body and all required to run it - they are the essentials.


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## Bronco Billy (Mar 24, 2020)

Potatoes aside, vegetables are generally low in carbs. A young child needs more than vegetables will give her for her body to develop healthily. I imagine that’s why doctors are worried about a lack of growth.


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## Lady Willpower (Mar 24, 2020)

Thank you all. She does not put on weight for months and, believe me, we have tried the list of high carb foods that the dietitian gave us but she still picks at things like bread. She does, however, eat a whole avocado in one go lol I have tried adding butter, cheese etc to all her foods as suggested but I do worry about the amount of fat. I do believe she has a very fast metabolism.  I shall try face food tomorrow and see how she gets on. Thank you all very much


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## Tee G (Mar 25, 2020)

Our granddaughter often jumps non stop, like a po-go stick to express herself and consequently a bit on the thin side, got good calf muscles though!   But shes happy and energetic. she bright and is improving every day, as much as her autism will allow!.   She likes what she likes, and does what she does. The autism gets in the way of us explaining many things to her - but shes young and hopefully will improve in time.


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## Inka (Mar 25, 2020)

Lady Willpower said:


> Thank you all. She does not put on weight for months and, believe me, we have tried the list of high carb foods that the dietitian gave us but she still picks at things like bread. She does, however, eat a whole avocado in one go lol I have tried adding butter, cheese etc to all her foods as suggested but I do worry about the amount of fat. I do believe she has a very fast metabolism.  I shall try face food tomorrow and see how she gets on. Thank you all very much



My child is 4 and also a poor eater (although not diabetic). It’s a constant fight to get the calories in. I try different foods all the time to try to keep variety and interest eg if they won’t eat bread, try Dutch Crispbakes or oatcakes or mini tortilla wraps. I also got a lunch box that’s portioned off like a bento box, and having different things in the different sections has helped a little.

You can also try shaped pasta. Co-op do a jungle animal one. It’s just dried shaped pasta not in a sauce. Also, try making rice cakes ie like fish cakes. There are recipes with cooked rice and cheese made into patties. My child will also eat a little dry cereal but won’t have the milk. Try potato wedges if they won’t eat normal potatoes.

I also have a reward chart (for other things) and on really difficult days, I give a star for good eating. Try not to pressure them and always be positive about how well they’ve done.

Also try more unusual carbs like lentils made into croquettes or a cheese loaf, or added to a tomato sauce or a stew. Try quinoa salad, try mixed bean salad. Try pudding rice. 

I know how hard and frustrating it is.


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## Drummer (Mar 25, 2020)

My son is 6 ft 4 inches tall and muscular of build, my daughter is tall and a bit sturdy - fruit and veges seem adequate from my experience - coming from good farming stock I know how to fatten up pigs and poultry - and what to eat for a long active life. 
Carbohydrates build up fat.
To build muscle, bone, sinew and be generally bright eyes and bushy tailed, protein and fat are required - and saturated fat too - the white matter of the brain is cholesterol, other fats are used to build the nervous system and insulate it - I do worry about the formation of the Human brain when the basic building materials are not available due to fats being daemonized.


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## Inka (Mar 25, 2020)

Breast milk is high fat - but also approximately 50% carbohydrate. Carbs are equally as demonised as fats. No - more actually. That’s the reason I’m on this forum rather than the other one...

Children’s nutrition isn’t comparable to pigs or chickens. Children need a balanced diet.


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## nonethewiser (Mar 25, 2020)

Wee ones go thru these stages, own would get fussy every so often, wife would give little but not me, eat healthy meals put in front of you if you want treats, way we were brought up & did no harm.

Worked as they are now adults in good health.


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## NotWorriedAtAll (Mar 26, 2020)

Lady Willpower said:


> Thank you all. She does not put on weight for months and, believe me, we have tried the list of high carb foods that the dietitian gave us but she still picks at things like bread. She does, however, eat a whole avocado in one go lol I have tried adding butter, cheese etc to all her foods as suggested but I do worry about the amount of fat. I do believe she has a very fast metabolism.  I shall try face food tomorrow and see how she gets on. Thank you all very much


I am on a keto diet.  Contrary to what a lot of people think a keto diet is not necessarily one that will cause weight loss although like a carb laden diet it can be tweaked in order to restrict calories and then be used as a slimming diet.

On a keto diet I only eat 20g of carbs a day. I use fat as my body's fuel. I eat a lot of butter, cheese, eggs, coconut oil and other sources of fat such as fatty cuts of meat and things like salami. Avocados are a major part of my diet because they are perfect for a keto diet.

If a person does not eat carbs (and eating a lot of fruit means your daughter will in fact be eating a fair amount of carbs because only berries and rhubarb are fruits low in carbs) and they increase the amount of fats in their diet then the body will swap over to using fat as the main fuel source. You need then to increase the fat in the food being eaten - by using high fat cheese, butter,eggs, oils and high fat 'veg' like avocado otherwise the body will not have what it needs for building healthy bones, tissues and as said earlier brain cells and nervous system.

Since I went onto this form of eating my cholesterol levels and blood pressure and liver function have all improved and the extra fat intake has only had a good effect on my heart and general health.

It is also easier to get enough calories with smaller portions by eating this way.

I think you should try and work with what she likes eating and make things like cheesecakes and home made sweets using double cream (you can use sweeteners so as not to spike sugar levels) and maybe give her fruit with double cream and see how that goes.  If she doesn't like stuff like pasta and bread it could be her body knowing that those things are not working well for her.  I hated stuff like that for years and forced myself to eat it because everyone told me it was good for me but once I stopped and started eating high fat and very low carb most of my health issues cleared up.


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## Thebearcametoo (Mar 26, 2020)

Does she drink milk?
What does she do instead of eating? I have one child who at that age would far rather play than eat. He now does nothing but eat  or so it feels. Presumably she has use of a dietician at the hospital who will have given you suggestions. I suspect there isn’t really an answer except to see if things change as she gets older. It’s a worry for any adults caring for a child who isn’t growing as expected even without diabetes on top of that so I feel for you. I hope she starts to explore more foods and puts some weight on.


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## Drummer (Mar 26, 2020)

Inka said:


> Breast milk is high fat - but also approximately 50% carbohydrate. Carbs are equally as demonised as fats. No - more actually. That’s the reason I’m on this forum rather than the other one...
> 
> Children’s nutrition isn’t comparable to pigs or chickens. Children need a balanced diet.


Are you sure? How would Inuit children have survived on carb free foods?


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## Inka (Mar 26, 2020)

Drummer said:


> Are you sure? How would Inuit children have survived on carb free foods?



Oh, the Inuit. They didn’t eat a completely carb-free diet and, as for the high fat, they have a special gene adaptation.

I’m presuming the young child on this thread isn’t Inuit.

I am sick to death of keto diets being pushed on everyone and particularly young children. Same goes for the comment above pushing vast amounts of fat to replace carbs. Totally inappropriate for a young child (and don’t bother linking me to the group I know you’re going to - ill-judged and totally unnecessary diet restriction which doesn’t even work and might have long term effects).

My child has epilepsy. All keto diets for epilepsy are done under strict medical supervision. They’re not harmless.

OP, I’m guessing the answer will be Yes, but have checks been done for things like coeliac that might be affecting food choices and weight gain?


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## Drummer (Mar 26, 2020)

I am not pushing a keto diet - the child in question is eating plenty of fruit and veges anyway, and I don't know what group you are expecting to be referred to.
My two were not given biscuits crisps and sweets nor were they constantly snacking, their carbs came from vegetables and fruit, in the main - just like the child being worried about. As I wrote - my son is well over 6 ft tall, almost a foot taller them me, my daughter is about 6 inches taller than me - both have always been energetic, sturdy and strong. 
I am puzzled though - where would someone living in the Arctic obtain carbohydrate?


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## Inka (Mar 26, 2020)

Did your children not eat bread, cereal, potatoes, rice, etc? That’s very unusual. 

To answer your query, the Inuit obtained carbohydrate from eating raw and frozen meat from marine animals, which contained glycogen eg in the blubber. Their diet was around 20% carbohydrate.


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## Drummer (Mar 27, 2020)

Glycogen is not stored on fat cells, but in muscle and the liver - and I don't see how an all meat diet can be 20 percent carbohydrate.


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## Inka (Mar 27, 2020)

@Drummer 

*Yiu H. Hui (February 1985) Principles and Issues in Nutrition*: _“Eskimos actually consume more carbohydrates than most nutritionists have assumed. Because Eskimos frequently eat their meat raw and frozen, they take in more glycogen than a person purchasing meat with a lower glycogen content in a grocery store. The Eskimo practice of preserving a whole seal or bird carcass under an intact whole skin with a thick layer of blubber also permits some proteins to ferment into carbohydrates”_

And I specifically said marine animals eg whales:

*Lockyer, Christina (1991). Body Composition of the Sperm Whale, Journal of the Marine Research* *Institute*:  “_Carbohydrate which has been directly assessed (not deduced by subtraction of other components from total weight of sample) is significant in amount, reaching levels in the range 8—30%...The significant levels of carbohydrate, probably mostly in the form of glycogen, in both blubber and muscle, may represent an instant form of energy for diving via anaerobic glycolysis_”


There have been a number of studies of diet and metabolism of the Inuit that place their carb intake at 15-20%. Carbohydrates are obtained from the sea animals they eat and optimised by the method in which they eat and/or store them.

I note you didn’t respond to my question about your children’s diet. I assume therefore, they _did_ in fact eat some bread/cereal/potatoes, etc along with their fruit and veg. No-ones suggesting children should eat lots of biscuits and sweets, but there are plenty of other sources of carbohydrate apart from those. 

If you want to discuss further, I suggest you message me rather than derail the OP’s thread any more.


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## Drummer (Mar 27, 2020)

Oh - sorry - no cereal, potatoes, being a vegetable, yes, and about once a month we would bake a loaf - just to occupy their time with the proving and kneading, though of course they ate it and learned that the bought bread was not a patch on the home made.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Mar 27, 2020)

As low carb diets have gained popularity there have been studies undertaken to assess their suitability in children and adolescents.

While there will be individual anecdotes of success, the results fairly clearly indicated that they did not generally support growth and development, and that a more balanced diet including a reasonable proportion of carbohydrates was more suitable.

its good that your granddaughter enjoys veg and fruit - as has been suggested, many fruits contain good sources of carbohydrate. Carbs don’t have to be beige, and don’t have to be the default UK/Northern European staples. Kids often have wider palettes than we assume - my youngest loved olives at a young age, and my oldest used to hanker after Stilton! (not that those are carby... but you get the idea  )


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## Drummer (Mar 28, 2020)

There is a big difference between a diet which is low on the high carb foods, but full of all kinds of fruit and vegetables, and one where the total number of carbs is restricted.
As I found out - feeding children on highly nutritious meals with free access to the garden with strawberries, raspberries apples, gooseberries and various colours of currant, plus what the local greengrocer could supply all year round results in adults far taller than their parents, both are highly intelligent, did well at school and in employment, and they were so well behaved - I don't know if that had anything to do with the lack of e numbers in the diet, but the way most children carry on, they seem half deranged with all their shrieking, shouting and mischief.


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## Oblivious (Mar 30, 2020)

Drummer said:


> Are you sure? How would Inuit children have survived on carb free foods?



While it is not possible to cultivate native plants for food in the Arctic, Inuit have traditionally gathered those that are naturally available,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] including:

Berries including crowberry and cloudberry
Herbaceous plants such as grasses and fireweed
Tubers and stems including mousefood, roots of various tundra plants which are cached by voles in burrows.
Roots such as tuberous spring beauty and sweet vetch
Seaweed
from Wikipedia, so not 100% carb free. google 'eskimo ice cream'


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