Another Queston: Children (Toddlers) and Low-Carb

Real food should always come before sweets and snacks, but for the occasions
when you do wish to let your child have something sweet, this website has an
excellent selection of sugar-free candy, including lollipops, gummy bears,
gum balls, chocolate, and just about anything else a kid could want.
www.economycandy.com

Personally, I wouldn't give my kids sugar-free candy, as I'm more
concerned about the chemicals and other crap they put into it.

My kids (who are 6 and 2) understand about "treats" and "food", and
know the difference. And because I am the parent, I make sure they
get the "food". They are allowed one treat a day, and it's usually a
small one. My 6 year old loves apples, and can eat 4 of 'em a day.
That's fine with me. The kid is also in constant motion. My goal is
that, left to their own devices (which they will be someday in the
not-too-distant-future) they will make wise choices. My 6 year old
makes his own choices in the school cafeteria, and normally makes good
ones. We are lucky - they only serve milk and water there for drinks
(no juice!). My kids get juice, but usually watered down. More times
than not they like to drink water out of a sport bottle.

My three-year-old isn't exactly low-carb, but she eats considerably fewer
carbs than most kids. She rarely eats sugar or refined flour products. Her
diet consists almost entirely of meat, huge
quantities of vegetables, milk, a few whole grains, and all the fruit she
wants (not juice). She has bread maybe a couple of times a month.

I don't keep bread in the house, so they don't usually have it unless
we go out. Occassionally I'll give them their hot dogs in a bun.
They prefer potatos, which they like baked. Probably a better choice
than the stuff they put in the hot dogs.

Kids need a wide variety of foods, but they also need the leeway to
have treats and have what their friends are having - occasionally.
Mostly, they need the guidance and displine to lean to make good
choices.

At no point did I suggest giving toddlers a high sugar diet! Having been a
mother (3 grown children and one toddler at home) for some time, I have used
and recommend a healthy child diet including complex carbs including fruits
as their sweets! I do not recommend a diet high in the use of condiments
either! Putting a "happy face" with mustard or catsup on a hamburger patty
once in a while is not excessive in my book. Also, I do not recommend giving
kids at any age soda! My children love water and I buy the expensive little
size spring water bottles for her to carry around. Pricey but healthy. She
has also fallen for Fruit2O which I give her small amounts once in a while
but nothing with aspartame or saccharin in it. Fruit is a nice sweet.

FTR, I do not keep my children away from bad goodies but I do limit them and
they are treats, not usual fare. I strongly believe that "forbidden food"
tastes best merely because it's forbidden. You cannot control your
children's eating habits for a lifetime, they grow up and go on their own
way. All parents can do is shape them as children and teach them what they
know while they are still in their home. YOU may not buy any junk food but
your children will taste it at some point. What they decide to do with the
new food information does have a lot to do with training....however, if I
tell my child that chocolate fudge is "bad" and they have a piece while
visiting a friend, do you think that the child ever will trust me to tell
the truth again?

Just my opinion,
Nancy J

"Jane Lumley" wrote in message
...
Not remotely wanting to side with the recent troll, who seemed more
chimp than bonobos - aren't bonobos the peaceful ones? - but Nancy's
suggestions do strike me as pretty high in sugar, all told. It's the
heavy use of condiments and sodas that worry me - not in themselves, but
in that they are bound to encourage a taste for these things.

I say this not to criticise her, but I suppose to think through our
assumptions about children's food. We are so prone to think that
they'll fall down dead without any this or that. I thought it might
encourage people to follow their own ideas (rather than the ideas of
commerce) if I posted a bit. Not that I'm smug - or I hope not - I'm
sure others will have useful tips for me, and we still have some way to
go in managing the right food for our dear ones, but so far they are
well and we are blessed.

We NEVER buy any of the following: store cookies, cakes, biscuits, or
sweets. They and we drink water at meals and between meals, though my
daughter still has a cup of milk, prob. about 2 fl oz, on waking (she is
three). They and we never drink juice or soda of any kind. They never
eat ketchup or any kind of sauce except what is integral to a meal (eg
game stew, one of their favourite things), and in fact loathe it. We
are on our last-ever carton of commercial sorbet, having learned to make
our own (it was redcurrant slush, and it was great - recipe in Nigella
Lawson's Forever Summer; we also did passinfruit, which I fear is
carbier!). My children don't like or eat chocolate. They don't eat ice
lollies. The fruit they like best is fairly low-glycemic stuff -
berries, kiwis, citrus, grapes, and in season stone fruit. They also
eat no processed foods - no ready-made burgers, pizza, nuggets or fish
fingers. if there's pizza, I make it from scratch with wholegrain flour
and fresh meat, cheese and veggies. Ditto burgers. come winter I'm
going to make Oxford sausages too.

They do eat bread, but it's always organic wholegrain or lowcarb bread I
make. They also eat pasta sometimes, which is starting to worry me a
bit. They also really like fish, meat - especially lamb - organic
sausages (we are lucky in our local butcher), eggs (always organic), and
cheese. They eat vegetable soups, too, and salad with every meal.
Pudding is either yoghurt (full-fat, Greek) with berries or fruit, or
sorbet (homemade with sweetener). We are experimenting with lowcarb,
sugar-free icecream. Every now and then in winter we have a fruit
crumble with custard or cream.

On birthdays and namedays they have a cake, and every now and then
(which means about once every couple of months) I make them buckwheat
pancakes or porridge as a treat, but mostly they have eggs and bacon
with mushrooms and grilled tomato for breakfast. If they say they want
something sugary in eg a shop, the answer is always no, so they hardly
ever ask.

I find all this fairly trouble-free, right up to the moment when their
friends come round and demand McCain's pizza and chicken dinosaurs... or
when my son goes to their houses, is offered same, and loathes same. We
are not perfect, but (and okay I know how hateful I am, prig me, ergh) I
don't know how others can give it all so little thought. These are rich
people, mind, with much newer cars than ours.
--
Jane Lumley

Sam said:
That's the kind of crap that makes kids fat, and I'm not talking about
the occasional treats, but your flagpole salad, bread, pasta, etc.
What NG do you think this is?
I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.

OOPS, apparently YOU missed the original question that I was responding to.
The title of this thread is " Another Question: Children (Toddlers) and
Low-Carb". My suggestion was to first, ask the child's physician before
putting them on any kind of diet. Sage advice whether you approve or not and
I will stick to that

I have a toddler at home and raised 3 others (all adults and 2 grands) and
posted some alternative to a 2 lollipop breakfast and an uninformed mother
as originally posted by the other parent. What I "think this is", is a
newsgroup where most of us try to help each other while a few folks have
nothing but negative feedback and resort to name calling rather than
intelligent discussion or informed advice.

Ketchup. Yeah, that's a smart thing to give a kid. Sheesh

Common sense tells most of us that if we don't understand certain words, we
should look them up. For instance, condiment, it is a seasoning, according
to Webster's, used "to enhance the flavor of food". It isn't a "smart thing"
or a dumb thing "to give a kid" but something found in life. Have you ever
been out to dinner or taken your child out to dinner? We go out to
frequently and I cook at home. What part of seasoning or having one's food
seasoned do you not comprehend? Ketchup IS a condiment, not a food. Used
sparingly, it shouldn't be harmful for normal people.

Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

Mom may be old but what makes you think that my daughter is not adopted? I
may be fat, but I can and am losing weight Ah, Sam at least I'm not
stupid, ROTFLMAO!!

Frankly had it not been the fact that you included my daughter in your
ignorant post, I wouldn't have bothered with you. swat

Nancy J
209/167/145

Flagpole salad

1 slice pineapple
1/2 small banana
1 maraschino cherry
toothpick

Place the pineapple slice on a small saucer, stand the half banana up in
the
center, top with cherry held on by toothpick, serve to smiling child.
Put
the juice from the pineapple into plastic Popsicle forms and freeze.

What NG do you think this is?

"Tossed" salad

Place about 3-4 tiny carrots, 2-3 small strips celery, 3 or so cherry
tomatoes, a few cucumber slices in a colorful circle on a saucer. Put a
small amount of salad dressing (ranch is great) and let your child dip.
I
have a special blue tiny custard cup that I use.

Here are some other tips for toddler food enjoyment. Get some of those
small
animal style paper plates at Wal-Mart. They have a little space for dip
or
catsup or applesauce. Make the latter really interesting by adding a few
colorful sprinkles on top. I always buy unsweetened sauce so the bit of
sugar stuff on top is negligible. Take your toddler shopping with
you...to a
fruit and vegetable market. We just found a new one yesterday that also
has
some goats in the back that you can feed. We had loads of fun and came
home
with one green apple (daughter's choice) some tiny bananas just for her,
Vidalia onion, fresh firm and unwaxed cucumbers, bright read tomatoes
and
fresh garlic. Most often I avoid the cookie/candy isle at the
supermarket
but they sabotage me at the checkout so I know how hard it is to say
"no"
and I don't do it all the time. I do try to get her interested in stuff
that
lasts awhile like Gummibears or Lifesavers.

I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.

One thing I do not believe is a good idea is giving her artificial
sweeteners. She has had a bit of Splenda but everything else is a
"no-no".
Oh, another hint for food for toddlers, when you make meat loaf or
hamburgers, save her portion and make tiny meatballs or a tiny loaf just
for
her. Cut sandwiches in triangles one day and squares the next, good
teaching
tool. I have also been known to make a happy face with ketchup on a flat
round burger. We also just got an ice shaver that makes great fun
desserts
for us. She gets kool aid on hers, I get coffee and cream (Splenda) on
mine.

Ketchup. Yeah, that's a smart thing to give a kid. Sheesh.

Sheesh, been a mom a long time, I could write a book! FTR, my baby is 38
inches tall, 35 pounds, very healthy and energetic. I don't keep sugar
away
from her but I do choose to limit it and use sweet foods like fruit. Why
not
help with the grocery shopping or take your child to a fresh food market
on
the weekend? It's fun!!

Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

Nancy J
209/167/145


"Default User" wrote in message
...

think to have a toddler on a low-carb diet is bad for them? I'd like
to
eventually move my daughter more and more towards low carb meals.

Thanks in advance.

My 22 month old gets very little bread, no rice or pasta, no white
potatoes, no fruit juice, no sugar except if it is in a pastry that
his mother shares with him (or in something like cake or ice cream).
We make sure he gets lots of fat and we let him choose his own level
of protein by making protein always available. Nancy, above, is
giving bad advice.

Sam

--Bryan 198/152/155

--Bryan 198/152/155 said:
That's the kind of crap that makes kids fat, and I'm not talking about
the occasional treats, but your flagpole salad, bread, pasta, etc.
What NG do you think this is?
I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.

OOPS, apparently YOU missed the original question that I was responding
to.
The title of this thread is " Another Question: Children (Toddlers) and
Low-Carb". My suggestion was to first, ask the child's physician before
putting them on any kind of diet. Sage advice whether you approve or not
and
I will stick to that

I have a toddler at home and raised 3 others (all adults and 2 grands) and
posted some alternative to a 2 lollipop breakfast and an uninformed mother
as originally posted by the other parent. What I "think this is", is a
newsgroup where most of us try to help each other while a few folks have
nothing but negative feedback and resort to name calling rather than
intelligent discussion or informed advice.

Ketchup. Yeah, that's a smart thing to give a kid. Sheesh

Common sense tells most of us that if we don't understand certain words,
we
should look them up. For instance, condiment, it is a seasoning, according
to Webster's, used "to enhance the flavor of food". It isn't a "smart
thing"
or a dumb thing "to give a kid" but something found in life. Have you ever
been out to dinner or taken your child out to dinner? We go out to
frequently and I cook at home. What part of seasoning or having one's food
seasoned do you not comprehend? Ketchup IS a condiment, not a food. Used
sparingly, it shouldn't be harmful for normal people.

Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

Mom may be old but what makes you think that my daughter is not adopted? I
may be fat, but I can and am losing weight Ah, Sam at least I'm not
stupid, ROTFLMAO!!

Frankly had it not been the fact that you included my daughter in your
ignorant post, I wouldn't have bothered with you. swat

Nancy J
209/167/145

Flagpole salad

1 slice pineapple
1/2 small banana
1 maraschino cherry
toothpick

Place the pineapple slice on a small saucer, stand the half banana up
in
the
center, top with cherry held on by toothpick, serve to smiling child.
Put
the juice from the pineapple into plastic Popsicle forms and freeze.

What NG do you think this is?

"Tossed" salad

Place about 3-4 tiny carrots, 2-3 small strips celery, 3 or so cherry
tomatoes, a few cucumber slices in a colorful circle on a saucer. Put
a
small amount of salad dressing (ranch is great) and let your child
dip.
I
have a special blue tiny custard cup that I use.

Here are some other tips for toddler food enjoyment. Get some of those
small
animal style paper plates at Wal-Mart. They have a little space for
dip
or
catsup or applesauce. Make the latter really interesting by adding a
few
colorful sprinkles on top. I always buy unsweetened sauce so the bit
of
sugar stuff on top is negligible. Take your toddler shopping with
you...to a
fruit and vegetable market. We just found a new one yesterday that
also
has
some goats in the back that you can feed. We had loads of fun and came
home
with one green apple (daughter's choice) some tiny bananas just for
her,
Vidalia onion, fresh firm and unwaxed cucumbers, bright read tomatoes
and
fresh garlic. Most often I avoid the cookie/candy isle at the
supermarket
but they sabotage me at the checkout so I know how hard it is to say
"no"
and I don't do it all the time. I do try to get her interested in
stuff
that
lasts awhile like Gummibears or Lifesavers.

I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.

One thing I do not believe is a good idea is giving her artificial
sweeteners. She has had a bit of Splenda but everything else is a
"no-no".
Oh, another hint for food for toddlers, when you make meat loaf or
hamburgers, save her portion and make tiny meatballs or a tiny loaf
just
for
her. Cut sandwiches in triangles one day and squares the next, good
teaching
tool. I have also been known to make a happy face with ketchup on a
flat
round burger. We also just got an ice shaver that makes great fun
desserts
for us. She gets kool aid on hers, I get coffee and cream (Splenda) on
mine.

Ketchup. Yeah, that's a smart thing to give a kid. Sheesh.

Sheesh, been a mom a long time, I could write a book! FTR, my baby is
38
inches tall, 35 pounds, very healthy and energetic. I don't keep sugar
away
from her but I do choose to limit it and use sweet foods like fruit.
Why
not
help with the grocery shopping or take your child to a fresh food
market
on
the weekend? It's fun!!

Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

Nancy J
209/167/145


"Default User" wrote in message
...

think to have a toddler on a low-carb diet is bad for them? I'd
like
to
eventually move my daughter more and more towards low carb meals.

Thanks in advance.

My 22 month old gets very little bread, no rice or pasta, no white
potatoes, no fruit juice, no sugar except if it is in a pastry that
his mother shares with him (or in something like cake or ice cream).
We make sure he gets lots of fat and we let him choose his own level
of protein by making protein always available. Nancy, above, is
giving bad advice.

Sam

--Bryan 198/152/155

In article , Nancy
Huffines writes
FTR, I do not keep my children away from bad goodies but I do limit them and
they are treats, not usual fare. I strongly believe that "forbidden food"
tastes best merely because it's forbidden. You cannot control your
children's eating habits for a lifetime, they grow up and go on their own
way. All parents can do is shape them as children and teach them what they
know while they are still in their home. YOU may not buy any junk food but
your children will taste it at some point. What they decide to do with the
new food information does have a lot to do with training....however, if I
tell my child that chocolate fudge is "bad" and they have a piece while
visiting a friend, do you think that the child ever will trust me to tell
the truth again?


I do apologise, because I think I may have over-estimated your
willingness to give sugary foods - I am sorry if I did. That said, we
do actually disagree about how to manage the issue. Yes, of course the
children will taste junk food, and I have never told them it TASTED bad,
or that they must never eat it, only that it is bad FOR them to eat it
often.

And we also admit to being raving foodies who honestly think most
commercial chocolate (eg 'bars')is 'bad' in the sense of low-quality,
and mad organicists who think a lot of food is 'bad' in the moral sense,
and slow-food advocates who think McDonald's 'bad' for the soul. Like
all the other views we have an express, we can't impose these on our
children entirely, but I'll be honest and say that I'd like to. I would
hate to see my children eat at McDonald's just as I would hate to see
them do other things I disapprove of. They are practically bound to do
such things - they have free will - but they will do them and know that
I'm not jazzed about it.
--
Jane Lumley

No problem, I always limit what my children eat and none of them have food
"issues". Even the baby would rather have broccoli than corn and needs no
additional salt on her food but that's my "fault" My DH was a problem when
we first married 11 years ago. He would salt everything before he tasted it.
I learned not to place the shaker on the table and we are all much happier
and healthier for it. IMHO all of this "foodie" stuff is a matter of making
choices, including which carbs are best for us all. My post was not an
affront to your choices but rather how I have successfully chosen the way to
deal with my children. We all would hate for our children to do things we
disapprove of but they will be offered choices, whether from us or from
their friends. I'm sure we both hope and pray they make the better choices

Sincerely,
Nancy J

"Jane Lumley"

I do apologise, because I think I may have over-estimated your
willingness to give sugary foods - I am sorry if I did. That said, we
do actually disagree about how to manage the issue. Yes, of course the
children will taste junk food, and I have never told them it TASTED bad,
or that they must never eat it, only that it is bad FOR them to eat it
often.

And we also admit to being raving foodies who honestly think most
commercial chocolate (eg 'bars')is 'bad' in the sense of low-quality,
and mad organicists who think a lot of food is 'bad' in the moral sense,
and slow-food advocates who think McDonald's 'bad' for the soul. Like
all the other views we have an express, we can't impose these on our
children entirely, but I'll be honest and say that I'd like to. I would
hate to see my children eat at McDonald's just as I would hate to see
them do other things I disapprove of. They are practically bound to do
such things - they have free will - but they will do them and know that
I'm not jazzed about it.
--
Jane Lumley

=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bobo_Bonobo=AE?= wrote:
That's the kind of crap that makes kids fat, and I'm not talking about
the occasional treats, but your flagpole salad, bread, pasta, etc.
[prev comments snipped]
What NG do you think this is?
[prev comments snipped]
I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.
[prev comments snipped]
Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

"Obviously" you've developed carb phobia, and don't have the slightest
idea what you're talking about. Young children don't get fat on a
little fruit, carrots and tomato in their salads, and some bread and
pasta in the diet. They have not developed the insulin resistance that
most of us have, after years of problems with blood sugar metabolism.
They don't need to be on a diet remotely near induction level.

--
jamie )

"There's a seeker born every minute."

"Nancy Huffines" wrote in message m...
Sam said:
That's the kind of crap that makes kids fat, and I'm not talking about
the occasional treats, but your flagpole salad, bread, pasta, etc.
What NG do you think this is?
I don't believe you are a troll. Instead you just seem clueless.

OOPS, apparently YOU missed the original question that I was responding to.
The title of this thread is " Another Question: Children (Toddlers) and
Low-Carb". My suggestion was to first, ask the child's physician before
putting them on any kind of diet. Sage advice whether you approve or not and
I will stick to that

I have a toddler at home and raised 3 others (all adults and 2 grands) and
posted some alternative to a 2 lollipop breakfast and an uninformed mother
as originally posted by the other parent. What I "think this is", is a
newsgroup where most of us try to help each other while a few folks have
nothing but negative feedback and resort to name calling rather than
intelligent discussion or informed advice.

Ketchup. Yeah, that's a smart thing to give a kid. Sheesh

Common sense tells most of us that if we don't understand certain words, we
should look them up. For instance, condiment, it is a seasoning, according
to Webster's, used "to enhance the flavor of food". It isn't a "smart thing"
or a dumb thing "to give a kid" but something found in life. Have you ever
been out to dinner or taken your child out to dinner? We go out to
frequently and I cook at home. What part of seasoning or having one's food
seasoned do you not comprehend? Ketchup IS a condiment, not a food. Used
sparingly, it shouldn't be harmful for normal people.

It is almost like syrup. No responsible nutritionist who ascribes to
LC would say that it's OK to give your kids ketchup. There are plenty
of other "seasonings." The "normal" "balanced" diet you advocate is
why kids are so fat. You know, "used sparingly," beer wouldn't be bad
for my kid. You know, just a few tiny sips here and there, but I
think that I'd rather avoid giving him a taste for something that is
unhealthy, and ketchup is unhealthy.

But hey, if your daughter gets fat you will have to worry less about
STDs or pregnancy because most guys won't want her anyway

Obviously she has the genes for ending up fat. You feed her all of
that carby garbage, she develops fat cells. She ends up fat like dear
old mom.

Mom may be old but what makes you think that my daughter is not adopted?

You've got me there.

I may be fat, but I can and am losing weight Ah, Sam at least I'm not
stupid, ROTFLMAO!!

Your flagpole salad suggests otherwise.

Frankly had it not been the fact that you included my daughter in your
ignorant post, I wouldn't have bothered with you. swat

I saw a disgustingly fat kid who was probably a few months younger
than my 22 month old. That parent should be horsewhipped.

Nancy J
209/167/145

Flagpole salad

1 slice pineapple
1/2 small banana
1 maraschino cherry
toothpick


--Bryan 198/155/155

"Reb" wrote in message news:etKbb.408644$cF.126616@rwcrnsc53...
"Default User" wrote in message
...
I am also on a Low-Carb but more of my own diet, as I start out with
Atkins
Induction and OWL. My wife just moved to Atkins. We have a 3 year old
who
loves sweets and have a very difficult time denying her. I argue with my
wife not to buy these but we both usually give in when shopping and by her
stuff. Yesterday she had two lollipops for breakfast and an ice-pop for
lunch even though she ate some of her lunch. I feel like I just want to
throw everything that contains sugar into the trash but my wife insist on
not doing this.


Real food should always come before sweets and snacks, but for the occasions
when you do wish to let your child have something sweet, this website has an
excellent selection of sugar-free candy, including lollipops, gummy bears,
gum balls, chocolate, and just about anything else a kid could want.
www.economycandy.com

Some people seem to think sweets and childhood just go hand in hand. As a
compromise between all or nothing, perhaps your wife would feel better about
not getting the sugary stuff at the store if you already have some
sugar-free stuff at home. And I agree with the other posters that a child
who relentlessly asks for things at the store should be left home,
especially if the parent has a hard time standing firm. Most kids love
going to the store, so after behind left behind a few times, she will likely
tone down considerably.

My three-year-old isn't exactly low-carb, but she eats considerably fewer
carbs than most kids. She rarely eats sugar or refined flour products. Her
diet consists almost entirely of meat, huge
quantities of vegetables, milk, a few whole grains, and all the fruit she
wants (not juice). She has bread maybe a couple of times a month. She is
so unused to it that on the occasions when we get a fast food hamburger, she
looks at the bun like, "What's this?" tosses it aside, and eats the plain
patty. She does sometimes have sugar-free candy, but not every day.
Usually when she wants something sweet, I give her fruit. She has eaten
this way since she began solid food.

She had her annual checkup today. She is lean, strong, and very healthy.
So I would say a lower-carb diet is excellent for children.

Seems like you are doing a knock out job! That almost exactly
describes my son's eating.

Reb

_-Bryan 198/155/155

Jane Lumley wrote in message ...
Not remotely wanting to side with the recent troll, who seemed more
chimp than bonobos - aren't bonobos the peaceful ones? - but Nancy's
suggestions do strike me as pretty high in sugar, all told. It's the
heavy use of condiments and sodas that worry me - not in themselves, but
in that they are bound to encourage a taste for these things.

I'm not a troll. I post here fairly regularly.. The bonobo thing is
because I'm in a band called The Bonobos. I DO know how I can be
pacified
Nancy J's post was definitely deserving of getting roasted. It was
completely ignorant.


I say this not to criticise her, but I suppose to think through our
assumptions about children's food.

You don't have to. I was already "the bad guy."

We are so prone to think that
they'll fall down dead without any this or that. I thought it might
encourage people to follow their own ideas (rather than the ideas of
commerce) if I posted a bit. Not that I'm smug - or I hope not - I'm
sure others will have useful tips for me, and we still have some way to
go in managing the right food for our dear ones, but so far they are
well and we are blessed.

We NEVER buy any of the following: store cookies, cakes, biscuits, or
sweets. They and we drink water at meals and between meals, though my
daughter still has a cup of milk, prob. about 2 fl oz, on waking (she is
three). They and we never drink juice or soda of any kind. They never
eat ketchup or any kind of sauce except what is integral to a meal (eg
game stew, one of their favourite things), and in fact loathe it. We
are on our last-ever carton of commercial sorbet, having learned to make
our own (it was redcurrant slush, and it was great - recipe in Nigella
Lawson's Forever Summer; we also did passinfruit, which I fear is
carbier!). My children don't like or eat chocolate. They don't eat ice
lollies. The fruit they like best is fairly low-glycemic stuff -
berries, kiwis, citrus, grapes, and in season stone fruit. They also
eat no processed foods - no ready-made burgers, pizza, nuggets or fish
fingers. if there's pizza, I make it from scratch with wholegrain flour
and fresh meat, cheese and veggies. Ditto burgers. come winter I'm
going to make Oxford sausages too.

They do eat bread, but it's always organic wholegrain or lowcarb bread I
make. They also eat pasta sometimes, which is starting to worry me a
bit. They also really like fish, meat - especially lamb - organic
sausages (we are lucky in our local butcher), eggs (always organic), and
cheese. They eat vegetable soups, too, and salad with every meal.
Pudding is either yoghurt (full-fat, Greek) with berries or fruit, or
sorbet (homemade with sweetener). We are experimenting with lowcarb,
sugar-free icecream. Every now and then in winter we have a fruit
crumble with custard or cream.

On birthdays and namedays they have a cake, and every now and then
(which means about once every couple of months) I make them buckwheat
pancakes or porridge as a treat, but mostly they have eggs and bacon
with mushrooms and grilled tomato for breakfast. If they say they want
something sugary in eg a shop, the answer is always no, so they hardly
ever ask.

I find all this fairly trouble-free, right up to the moment when their
friends come round and demand McCain's pizza and chicken dinosaurs... or
when my son goes to their houses, is offered same, and loathes same. We
are not perfect, but (and okay I know how hateful I am, prig me, ergh) I
don't know how others can give it all so little thought. These are rich
people, mind, with much newer cars than ours.

See, I have just as much praise for the example YOU are setting for
those who read this NG as I do insult for people who give patently bad
advice. Again, not a troll, but a serious low carber with a low
tolerance for stupidity.

--Bryan 198/155/155