Low Carb Freedom

What About Short Bursts of Exercise for Kids?

Ok, I've talked about two studies that show high intensity short bursts of exercise can be very good for you. (Click here for first study: six minutes of exercise can give the same health benefits as six hours, and click here for the second study: short bursts of exercise are far better for diabetics.)

Well, a new study about kids and exericise shows that:

"For most obese adolescents, even if they weigh more than 300 pounds, their hearts and lungs are still healthy enough to allow them to exercise vigorously," Yanovski said...

For obese children in this study, simply pedaling a bike at the lowest setting for 4 minutes brought them close to the "lactate threshold," a point where working muscles aren't receiving enough oxygen and exercise can quickly become unsustainable.

"For such children," Yanovski said, "very low intensities of exercise are needed so that movement can be sustained."  (empahsis mine)

But according to these two other studies, why not have all obese kids do the six minutes of exerise a week to keep up the cardiovascular health and improve muscles because these overweight kids can probably do this type of exercise.

The study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, involved 23 moderately fit men and women aged between 25 and 35. They were each made to cycle 18.6 miles, as a baseline, before being split up and put on different training regimes three times a week.

The first group cycled for two hours a day at a moderate pace, the second were put through their paces at a higher intensity for just 10 minutes a day in 60 second bursts, while the third cycled at an intense sprint in 30 second bursts, with four minutes of rest in between.

At the end of two weeks, each group was again asked to cycle 18.6 miles, with the surprising result that each group was found to have improved to the same level.

Tests also showed that the rate at which the volunteers' muscles were able to absorb oxygen also improved to the same degree. The study also revealed that the two-minute workouts produced muscle enzymes essential for the prevention of type 2 diabetes in the same way that the longer workouts did.

I would be really interested to see if the results for kids matched the results for adults.

Teaching Kids About Obesity the DVD Way

This story about a new method to combat childhood obesity is interesting.

When it comes to battling childhood obesity, a DVD that requires kids to plop down in front of the TV might seem an unlikely weapon. But scheduled to debut this week, amid all the new Xbox and Playstation offerings, is an interactive movie that enlists viewers to rescue not planet Earth, but rather the cholesterol-riddled body of Jack Decayd, a 40-year-old overweight male with Type II diabetes.

The movie, "Escape from Obeez City," is the product of an unusual alliance between a little-known Australian start-up firm, Big Red Frog, and James Rosser, a surgeon at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Dr. Rosser, who weighed some 450 pounds before undergoing bariatric surgery in 2001, has gained national attention in recent years for his research on how videogame playing may enhance surgeons' skills.

I know if there is a game aspect, my son, who gives me the most problems, would be interested. I am very curious as to the content though. As this comes out of Australia, I don't think they will be pushing the travesty of the US Food Pyramid, but who knows?

If anyone gets a chance to look at it, please let me know. The big red frog website, the makers of the game, really doesn't talk about the science that underpins the movie. (And, man, do I hate Flash websites.)

Update: From Levi, in comments:

Katherine, I think you may be overly optimistic. Here's a link to Australia's Dept. of health nutrition guidelines:

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/dietsyn.htm

It is very similar to the USDA food guidelines. Avoid fats, eat pleanty of cereals (although they say preferably whole grains), etc. Get ready for more indoctrination! :)

Children on Low Carb Diets

Wow, a long, long time ago I was interviewed for a story about low carb kids and I just saw that it was published today, Dieting just for grown-ups? (I'm sure it had to do with the news that Clinton was putting out a program to fight childhood obesity... or maybe not.)

Anyhow, some of the facts are a little old. One, there are no more low carb Oreos, and two, the kids now eat the South Beach Carbwell Cereal Bars. Plus, we do eat Dreamfield's Pasta. Besides that-- it is a pretty good job of depicting what is actually happening when this parent put her kids on low carb.  (Some other little changes include the fact that the kids now prefer the Pepperidge Farm Carbstyle bread; I also put Sugar-Free Jello in the son's lunch and things like that.)

However, it doesn't state that I am doing a MUCH better job with my daughter than with my son. My daughter wants to listen and my son lives for white bread and everything that is unhealthy, and I give in too much. However, in case I am sounding too strict to some new people, please read this post "Is Low Carb Bad for Kids" for a full explanation!

And remember, if you are new to reading this site and you have an overweight child, the low sugar cereal put out by the major food companies doesn't help anyone! To read all of my low carb kids posts, click here and scroll down.

Red Alert: Lower Sugar Cereals No Better Than High Sugar Cereals

I think I am going to faint! An article about the new kid's "lower sugar" cereals had the following quote:

The reduced-sugar versions of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops; General Mills’ Cocoa Puffs and Trix; and Post’s Fruity Pebbles all have the same number of calories per serving.

Blame the calorie woes on crunch. To preserve cereals’ taste and texture, sugar is replaced with other carbs that have the same calories as sugar and are no better for you. (emphasis mine)

That’s also why not even diabetics benefit from these cereals. The body treats all refined carbohydrates the same, whether they are sugars or grains, said Dr. Lilian Cheung of the Harvard School of Public Health.

“The changes don’t buy you anything,” she said. “From a health point of view, I really can’t see the difference.”

Please, take these quotes and put them on the refrigerator! Pass them around the Internet! Write up an article in your school newsletter! Tell your pediatrician to post it in every waiting room and exam room! Tell everyone you know! This is the fundamental point that is lost on most of the populace! By just reducing sugar and keeping or adding carbs, the food is no healthier! And this is what the major food companies are trying to do to hoodwink low carb consumers! Don't fall for it!

My own son got me to fall for this.... once. We bought the 1/2 Sugar Fruity Pebbles as a dessert just on Saturday night. (I never give my kids cereal as a breakfast -- unless it is the Special K low carb.)

And one thing I want perfectly clear. I am not against junk food. If people want to eat junk food, that is just fine. But at least be as clear with nutritional information so people can make that choice with their eyes open. THAT is NOT happening in the US with that new food pyramid (please read the link for a full picture and then come back here.) Notice how the food companies with 1/2 sugar cereal offerings are playing up one of the two half-way decent points but by no means the whole story: One, whole grain is better than refined grain. Two, reduce sugar intake. General Mills moved to whole grain cereals. The other cereal makers cut sugar. I say, so what.

BECAUSE the US Food Pyramid did not state what that nutritionist stated above, the food companies are going to get away with this for another five years until the science is so overwhelming that it cannot be ignored. And if you or your children, if you have any, are susceptible to carbs, and you don't know the true facts, then you are just out of luck.

And this brings me to my next rant. While whole grain is better than refined grain, I look at the whole grain labels and see a minimal amount of fiber in most of these products. The food companies are trying to pull another one over on us, I'm sure. And the federal government is letting them get away with it with that flawed food pyramid. Government-sanctioned cover for selling low cost manufactured foods with a high gross margin that effectively keeps obesity levels high for a good section of the populace. Low carb food is just more expensive to produce.

Furthermore, by giving a one size fits all diet that is not based on an individual's metabolism, genes, and lifestyle, dietitians and doctors are basing those recommendations what they think is the "greatest good for the greatest numbers based on existing science." Forget about the new studies, forget about the individuals. It is the consensus. See! The consensus is there, right there, in the US Food Pyramid, holy writ! As Michael Crichton says:

I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.

Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.

There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.

In addition, let me remind you that the track record of the consensus is nothing to be proud of. Let's review a few cases.

In past centuries, the greatest killer of women was fever following childbirth . One woman in six died of this fever. In 1795, Alexander Gordon of Aberdeen suggested that the fevers were infectious processes, and he was able to cure them. The consensus said no. In 1843, Oliver Wendell Holmes claimed puerperal fever was contagious, and presented compelling evidence. The consensus said no. In 1849, Semmelweiss demonstrated that sanitary techniques virtually eliminated puerperal fever in hospitals under his management. The consensus said he was a Jew, ignored him, and dismissed him from his post. There was in fact no agreement on puerperal fever until the start of the twentieth century. Thus the consensus took one hundred and twenty five years to arrive at the right conclusion despite the efforts of the prominent "skeptics" around the world, skeptics who were demeaned and ignored. And despite the constant ongoing deaths of women.

There is no shortage of other examples. In the 1920s in America, tens of thousands of people, mostly poor, were dying of a disease called pellagra. The consensus of scientists said it was infectious, and what was necessary was to find the "pellagra germ." The US government asked a brilliant young investigator, Dr. Joseph Goldberger, to find the cause. Goldberger concluded that diet was the crucial factor. The consensus remained wedded to the germ theory. Goldberger demonstrated that he could induce the disease through diet. He demonstrated that the disease was not infectious by injecting the blood of a pellagra patient into himself, and his assistant. They and other volunteers swabbed their noses with swabs from pellagra patients, and swallowed capsules containing scabs from pellagra rashes in what were called "Goldberger's filth parties." Nobody contracted pellagra. The consensus continued to disagree with him. There was, in addition, a social factor-southern States disliked the idea of poor diet as the cause, because it meant that social reform was required. They continued to deny it until the 1920s. Result-despite a twentieth century epidemic, the consensus took years to see the light.

And the US food pyramid is the one of the biggest political footballs out there.

School Cafeteria Lunches for Kids the South Beach Way

A group of six schools outside of Orlando are trying the South Beach diet.  Some schools in the study are control schools.

What's In the School Lunch Menu

• Whole Wheat Bread
• Fruit
• Veggie Sticks and Dips
• Low Fat Cheese
• Grilled Chicken
• Sweet potatoes

What's Out of the School Lunch Menu

• White pancakes, bagels, and waffles
• French Fries
• Breaded Chicken
• White potatoes

My daughter would thrive on this type of menu. My "carbmonster" of a son would get skinny quickly because he wouldn't eat anything.

I say, "way to go!" Let's see what happens.

I've said it before -- limit juice...

Here is another "hold the juice" article. My kids do drink juice, Tropicana Light'n Healthy that has less sugar, but also has potassium, vitamin C, and calcium....

Although, in my case, I can't blame my kids being overweight on the juice, I never gave them much. I can blame it on all the white flour products that I gave them (we need those servings of grain!)... or the "low fat" candy that I allowed.

Low Carb Valentine's Day for 2005

OK, for all you men and women out there just looking for what to do with your low carbing loved one, just read this post. You're bound to find something that suits your love.

Low Carb Dinner Out:

You can go just about anywhere and get a low carb meal as long as you stick to meat and fish, sans bread. A salad bar is wonderful, try the full fat ranch dressing, or a Caesar Salad without the croutons is also great. You can also choose to cater one of the restaurants that have specific low carb menus like TGI Fridays or Ruby Tuesdays -- they have low carb whipped cauliflower, etc. Wine is just fine! Or order a Michelob Ultra or other low carb beer if that is your preference. You can also have hard liquor with your favorite diet drink. Stay away from the sweet liqueurs.

But, this part is crucial, you must, must bring some low carb chocolate or some other sweet wrapped up as a present to give to him or her at the end of the meal. The temptation to splurge is just too great, and as we all know, few places with the exception of TGI Fridays have a wonderful low carb dessert on the menu. This way, it is a slight splurge, but not a blow out.

Low Carb Dinner In:

Start out with a Caesar Salad made with Cardini's Caesar Salad Dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese found in the cheese case (not on the shelf!)

If she likes seafood, have scallops wrapped in bacon as an appetizer, followed by low-carb pasta with white clam sauce (It tastes sinful!) or crab cakes! (Just make them cakes instead of balls.)

If she likes steak, I would order from Omaha Steaks to get some good ones (I prefer their top sirloins), or go to your local meat market and have them help you out. I always marinate mine in Durkee Grill Creations Marinade Mix. Here is one recipe for Grilled Flank Steak with Cumin Aioli .

Or try some other recipes in the recipe index.

Now for a low carb dessert, low carb chocolate strawberries! I would buy some Carb Safe 3.54 oz. Dark Chocolate bars, heat them on the stove (slowly and not too much), and take some nice luscious red strawberries and make my own chocolate-covered strawberries for a great presentation! These are available at Trader Joes. If you can't get to a Trader Joe's, get the Pure De Lite Dark Chocolate bars and try the same thing. Or a bowl of raspberries topped with whipped cream (see the Low Carb Gift Basket below for more on this) would be a luxurious treat. And, if you are a baker, low carb brownies! To be really sinful, you could top the brownie off with a pinch of low carb ice cream and caramel sauce.

Low Carb Gift Baskets:

For your love, try a few Russell Stover Low Carb candies (available from BJs, grocery stores, and drugstores) mixed with Carb Safe Chocolate from Trader Joes. The Russell Stover Low Carb chocolates have a nice red package, and the Carb Safe Chocolates have a nice black package. Mix them up in a small red or black basket with a red or black ribbon for a distinctive but appropriate look. (Some Pure DeLite bars also have a red package.) However, if they are sensitive to sugar alcohols, and most people are, dump the pretty look and stick to chocolates made with inulin, oligofructose, and erythritol like these CHOCOperfection or ZCarb bars.

If you would like an even bigger basket, I would add the following:

Some low carb jam (I really prefer the Keto over the Steels.)

Some low carb syrup (The Kahlua is the best. Some of the newer types, like egg nog, seemed to have been rushed into production and don't taste the best.)

Some sweet nuts (These are so good!)

The best low carb cookbook!  (The Low Carb Gourmet cookbook by Karen Barnaby)

I would cap this all off with a deluxe whipped cream dispenser that allows you to have low carb whipped cream anytime! My husband got me this for my birthday last year and I love it. You can get these at Kitchen, etc. stores or on Amazon. The dispenser can be kept in the refrigerator and you can use it for two weeks. They need CO2 chargers, which can also be purchased at a kitchen store. or at Amazon. (My husband mistakenly thought that they came with the chargers and didn't purchase any so we couldn't use it the same day.) I have only used the deluxe model so I don't know how the other models work, but there is a price range. For my model, I need two CO2 chargers for each batch.

Whipped Cream Charger Pack ($5.99 for 10)

iSi Cream Whipper Chargers, N20-24 Pack (24 pack)

iSi Dessert Whip-Pint, White ($40.95)

iSi Gourmet Whip-Pint, Brushed Stainless Steel ($81.99) (This is the one I have. Also good for hot sauces.)

Valentine's Day for Kids

I am going to buy my kids a small toy, a book and give them a few small low carb chocolate bars or low carb cookies. For insertion into their friends' Valentine cards, I will give them a tattoo, a sticky toy or some small gift instead of chocolate. For parents who haven't discovered bulk toy shippers on the Internet, let me give you these links:

• Rhode Island Novelty (Great shipping time to the Northeast! A minimum $50 order, but you can buy stuff for all the holidays.)
• Oriental Trading Company, Inc.  (They will pack small orders, but I find them more expensive than the other bulk shippers)
• S&S Worldwide Novelties

Let me know some of your ideas!

Is Low Carb Bad for Kids?

I received the following comment in response to a post about my son eating cream puffs for breakfast at my brother-in-law's house:

I've posted before on your website and I will again, because I am seriously fearful for what you are doing to your children. I've noticed numerous posts about your children wanting carbs for breakfast or snacks (ex: craving sugar and carbs in the cream puffs on dec. 29).  Ever think that you're depriving your children of the very nutrients that make them grow? I don't know why you feel you have to deprive your children of one of the essential parts of nutrition.  Fruit has carbs.  Whole grains have carbs. What makes you think that these things are evil? I feel terrible, TERRIBLE for your daughter.  Saying that your children will be "working off" the 2 cream puffs they had for breakfast is horrifying and I can only imagine the psychological ramifications that will result from your dietary obsession. I pray that your daughter doesn't develop an eating disorder as she grows older, and you should too. for shame.

I am going to take these comments as coming from the heart rather than someone coming to the website and trying to start a confrontation just for the sake of starting a confrontation. (I have a few people who like to do that.)

I, as a blog writer, also have to realize a few things:

1. Many people come in and just read one post, are not regular readers, and don't know how to navigate the entire site to see my whole philosophy.
2. When I write, I sometimes leave things out that seem obvious to me but are really not obvious to the reader.

Let's dissect this post on cream puffs, which I wrote quickly while I was up in Vermont just as a filler. I didn't even give it a category because it literally was a "puff piece."  If you don't categorize it, then it just kind of scrolls off with the date. (I have since rectified this and put it into Low Carb Kids because of the great comment.)

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Cream Puffs for Breakfast During the Holidays

OK, OK, OK, I am not a low carb zealot, I let my kids be kids every once in a while... but this one even shocked me a little bit.

My son slept over his cousin's house and they both wanted breakfast. My brother-in-law recited the list of breakfast items that they could have and they said, "naaa" to each one of them. Finally, one of them piped up, "How about cream puffs?"

(New comments: These cream puffs are the cream puffs sold at Costco. I don't have the label to put up for the nutritional content because I don't buy them on a normal basis to have in the house. They are about an inch to an inch and a half around, made with white flour, with powdered sugar on top. They are stuffed with a sugared cream filling. I highly doubt that there is any fiber in them.)

This breakfast suggestion didn't shock me coming from kids, but my brother-in-law said yes! When he first told me he said he split up 25 small cream puffs into two piles and let each of them eat half. He then rescinded that version of the story and told me he let each of them eat two for breakfast. After that I breathed a sigh of relief -- only two!

(New comments: If you piled up 12 to 13 of these cream puffs into a pile, you would have quite a huge bowl to eat! I wish I had the container information so I could tell you the calorie count as well. There is no fruit in them. I guess they might have some calcium due to the cream, but that is about it.)

(And they are both going to work off those cream puffs sledding and making snow forts today!)

(New comments: I'm thrilled whenever my son goes outside to play in the cold northeast! Believe me, the kids themselves didn't see this as a chore or a hardship, they were excited to use their new Christmas sleds and play with each other!)

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If you read the rest of my site, I have my kids on a low carb modified diet. What does this mean for breakfast? It means that they actually eat more fiber now than they did before the diet. I don't let my kids eat sugary cereals. They eat eggs, lots of low carb bread and cereal products (which have good carbs and lots of fiber compared to your normal white bread products.) Some items include: low carb bagels, low carb bread, low carb pitas.

As far as fruits, I have them eat the whole fruit rather than drink the juice. They eat whole apples, whole grapes, whole pears, whole tangerines, whole strawberries, whole blueberries, whole cherries -- with the skin except for tangerines. The only juice that they drink is the Light'n Healthy Orange juice.

As far as veggies, my son only eats Costco broccoli and celery with cream cheese. He has at least one of these every day in a huge helping. My daughter eats everything, including kale, spaghetti squash and other exotic vegetables.

So, what have I cut out? Pre-packaged foods filled with sugar and white flour, including most soft drinks. I have substituted some pre-packaged foods filled with soy and splenda or other ingredients because kids don't want to be different, and I can understand that.

My kids are by no means skinny, and that is because I don't limit their intake when they go to parties, music nights, etc. They then eat the pizza filled with white flour, and the regular chips, and yes, the cream puffs. I'm waiting for them to self-enforce the rules at these times if they need to in the future. I'm also hoping that time and height will take care of some of the problem I created for them when they were young, letting them eat all that refined white flour and sugar.

They are also not stunted in their growth. My son just turned eight and he is 4 feet 7 inches tall. I don't have my daughter to measure right now, but she just turned 11 and is over 5 feet tall.  If my son were left to his own devices, he would live on sugar cereals, Bisquick pancakes with real maple syrup, white bagels with cream cheese, sausage, bacon, white rolls and biscuits, fried mozzarella sticks, chicken teriyaki, crab rangoons, white sticky rice, chicken fingers, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, pepperoni pizza, cupcakes, cookies, candy, chips and Doritos, ice cream sundaes, sugar sodas, fruit juice, peanut butter and jelly on white bread, and bologna on white bread. Oh, he does like eggs once in a while. And he will eat apples and pears. The above is a recipe for disaster: bad carbs, fat, and sugar.

So, after learning more -- is a modified low carb diet bad for kids? I'd like to hear your comments, because, as I said above:

1. Many people come in and just read one post, are not regular readers, and don't know how to navigate the entire site to see my whole philosophy.
2. When I write, I sometimes leave things out that seem obvious to me but are really not obvious to the reader.

Cream Puffs for Breakfast During the Holidays

OK, OK, OK, I am not a low carb zealot, I let my kids be kids every once in a while... but this one even shocked me a little bit.

My son slept over his cousin's house and they both wanted breakfast. My brother-in-law recited the list of breakfast items that they could have and they said, "naaa" to each one of them. Finally, one of them piped up, "How about cream puffs?"

This breakfast suggestion didn't shock me coming from kids, but my brother-in-law said yes! When he first told me he said he split up 25 small cream puffs into two piles and let each of them eat half. He then rescinded that version of the story and told me he let each of them eat two for breakfast. After that I breathed a sigh of relief -- only two!

(And they are both going to work off those cream puffs sledding and making snow forts today!)

Update: I was taken to task for this post. Read here for more.

CarboRite Strawberry Toaster Tarts Review

I purchased the CarboRite Strawberry Toaster Tarts on clearance at Target. I left three boxes. I wish I hadn't left those, but I was afraid that they might be inedible. They were great. Both of my kids love them, and I feel much better about giving these to them than I do about giving them Pop Tarts. (Look, I've only given my kids Pop Tarts a few times in their life, but that doesn't stop them from wanting them.) This is a viable alternative in that it has much more fiber and protein. While it does have more sugar alcohols than I would like (12g), I find that if the sugar alcohols are coupled with fiber, it doesn't have a terrible effect.

Now, I got a box of these for $1.94. Each box contains 5 tarts in 5 bags versus the two tarts in 4 bags that you receive in a Pop Tarts box. Frankly, I think $1.94 should be the regular price for the 5 tarts versus the $3.98 that they were priced at Target. At $3.98 for 5 tarts, it starts to get in the "hoard and don't eat" category. Why would food manufacturer's want to cultivate that attitude? I think the Kraft strategy of the barbecue sauce and the CarbWell Cereal bars (the cinnamon raisin, peanut butter, and cranberry bars and not the cookie bars) is doing a much better job of getting people to actually eat the products.

	CarboRite Strawberry Toaster Tarts	Kellogg's Strawberry Pop Tart
Serving Size	1 tart 45g	1 tart 52g
Calories	130	200
Total Fat	4g	5g
Saturated Fat	2g	1g
Cholesterol	0g	0g
Sodium	140mg	170mg
Total Carbohydrates	26g	38g
Dietary Fiber	8g	1g
Sugars	2g	19g
Sugar Alcohol	12g	0g
Protein	7g	2g
Ingredients	strawberry filling (malitol, modified tapioca starch, water, cellulose, naturial flavor, glycerine, pectin, citric acid, locust bean gum, red #40, blue #1) soy crisp rice, (non-gmo soy portein isolate, rice flour, malt extract), isomalt, powdered cellulose (high fiber source), modified corn starch, natural flavor, citric acid, corn starch, enriched bleached wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, polydextrose, wheat protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, isolated soy protein, inulin (a natural extract of chicory), isomalt, egg whites, oat fiber, natural flavors, salt dried egg whites, soy lecithin, vegetable glycerine, whey powder, sodium steroyl lactylate, baking soda, mono- and diglycerides, sucralose FROSTING: (sugar, somalt, corn starch, dried egg whites, kosher fish gelatin, cream of tartar, natural flavor)

I have seen these at Wal-mart. If the price is right, I will buy them again, and again.