Low-Carb Kids?

Jeff92se

When planning to lose weight, a lot of people worry about losing their muscle shape, such as their brawny biceps or their six-pack. Thus, the question arises: Does the body burn fat or muscle first? Both fat and muscle tissues can be burned to provide heat and energy to the body but to understand if the body burns fat or muscle first, let us take a second look at the fat burning process.

What does this have to do with the OP which was about low-carb diets for children??? If they've been fed a proper diet, children don't have a lot of fat on their bodies. And regardless of diet or weight, they don't have a lot of muscle tissue.

I don't know. Probably why just that portion of the article wasn't the only portion quoted. zing

bcattoes

When planning to lose weight, a lot of people worry about losing their muscle shape, such as their brawny biceps or their six-pack. Thus, the question arises: Does the body burn fat or muscle first? Both fat and muscle tissues can be burned to provide heat and energy to the body but to understand if the body burns fat or muscle first, let us take a second look at the fat burning process.

What does this have to do with the OP which was about low-carb diets for children??? If they've been fed a proper diet, children don't have a lot of fat on their bodies. And regardless of diet or weight, they don't have a lot of muscle tissue.

I don't know. Probably why just that portion of the article wasn't the only portion quoted. zing

I was just trying to keep it short. I assumed that everyone is smart enought to scroll up a couple of posts and see the entire thing if they wanted, none of which seems to apply to children.

Jeff92se

do children process their foods differently (or in a different metabolic order) than adults?

busywaterbending

I'm confused by the part where ketosis occurs in the absence of glycogen, but at the same time, a poster is saying that the body makes glycogen from protein and fat, so, which is it? Does low carb cause you to run out of glycogen ... (and yes, glucose/glycogen is the brain's preferred fuel source, because it's easy to use, fast, and efficient.)

tigers...

your body needs lipids (fats) as the enzymes/catalysts for breaking up glycogen for use in ATP. ATP does use glycogen during glycogenesis. Sorry about not being clarified in the statement of what the fat is being used for. Fat can also be used for energy during ketogenesis, the other way your body provides energy. Your brain can easily use ketogenesis for it's fuel. Both ways of fueling body cells are natural.

yes, glycogen is necessary in small amounts in the body. Let's be realistic here. Only an anorexic person would be so far gone in body sugars and body fats that they would then have to start burning necessary body proteins. So leave that argument about proteins out of it, since we have plenty of carbs and fats in most sane people!

For simplicity's sake, Proteins are, just like Fat, important providers of necessary enzymes and transport operations during glycogenesis and ketogenesis. I am sure you completely understand this. The point is making sure that the common lay person reading this thread will understand this conversation too and NOT get some kind of fear of carbs or fats! And fats are essential...

Your body can create energy from fat calories, protein calories, or carbohydrate calories BUT glycogenesis can only occur when specific bodily functions are in working order. Thus, people who have metabolic syndrome, insuling sensitivities, nervous disorders, anorexia, etc. have a problem with glycogenesis (sugar burning). They naturally become fat burners and go into starvation mode. One of the ways to overcome and reverse these problems is to eliminate too many carbs in the diet, and reduce the crashes, starvation hormonal triggers, etc.

Funny enough, kidney stones, diabetes, adhd, epilepsy, and other "childhood" diseases are on an unprecedented rise in America under the FDA's mostly carbs / mostly grains food pyramid. Interesting coincedence. Sorry if my english is bad.

Acg67

Funny enough, kidney stones, diabetes, adhd, epilepsy, and other "childhood" diseases are on an unprecedented rise in America under the FDA's mostly carbs / mostly grains food pyramid. Interesting coincedence. Sorry if my english is bad.

slbeutler

I am unable to give an honest and informative response to this thread because I have to follow Terms of Service on this site and forum.

Ditto!

Also, I pretty much let my kids eat how they want and make sure they are very active. They are both underweight and love both healthy food and junk food in moderation. I do not want to give them a food complex before they even hit puberty.

lockef

the body makes glycogen from protein and fat, so, which is it?

Glucose cannot be produced from fats. Only carbohydrates and protein (through DNL which is not efficient) can be broken down into glucose. In high fat/moderate protein/low carbohydrate diets, the body converts from using glucose as its primary fuel source, to fats. Your body then creates ketones for use where glucose used to be required (heart, brain functions).

Eating too many carbohydrates will prevent you from entering ketosis.
Eating too much protein will prevent you from entering ketosis.

lockef

I work in oil and gas...


Looks like my job relies on better rock music. I should probably switch fields.

busywaterbending

charlie lopez,


ketosis diet is a form of very strict, very low carb dieting monitored by a doctor in a hopital setting. It is the most extreme form of a low carb diet anyone can be on with out becoming anorexic....

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.00914.x/full states:

"The multicenter study of the ketogenic diet showed no relationship between outcome and age, sex, principal seizure type, or EEG "

if an extreme low carb diet at about 20g of carbs a day works well for all ages, it must be safe for kids to be on a of a Low Carb diet that is in the safe range of 100g of carbs a day. That means a diet rich in fats, meats, veggies, nuts, and a little fruit is safe.

aiyana1228

My two cents worth... There is a huge difference between lower carb and a low carb diet. I think that we (especially as Americans) have tended to lean way too heavily on empty calorie carbs leading to our obesity rate. Seriously limiting carbs has been a life saver for many of us. It is an unbalanced diet and the purpose is to send your metabolism back to where it should be to begin with. However here are the things that you have to look at with long term severe carb limitation and especially in growing kids. Server carb limitation is also a diet very low in fiber. We REALLY need fiber for our digestive tract to stay healthy. I know doing Atkins for a year while helping me regain control and getting me solidly on this journey has caused me some issues in that area. I still avoid empty carbs (white flour and sugar) but I do eat healthy whole grains (in moderation) and fruit, all of which were forbidden before. The other issue is the fruit. You get so many essential nutrients from fruit. I would not want to feed my child chemical nutrients to make up for what I was choosing not to feed her out of fear of future obesity.

As an experienced parent I can tell you that the vast majority of kids have no issue with what they eat naturally. If you as the parent provide lots of good fresh healthy choices for them they will learn to eat a variety of healthy foods. Most kids with healthy parents end up healthy themselves and maintain weight with lots and lots of physical activity. Even kids that go through the "I will only eat mac and cheese and hotdogs" phase usually come out fine on the other end. I would be more concerned with teaching them to love physical activity that will get their heart rate up over what they eat in any one category. In my experience it is the couch potato kids (video game butt) that are the ones with the biggest issue. Yes, you as a parent can limit the foods with empty calories but who can imagine not having homemade chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven that your mom and you made together? They’re kids; they need some of that stuff too.

Too much control over any aspect of a kid’s life can backfire. Read some parenting books that discuss the different parenting styles and how they affect the mental health of kids. From the outside looking in it looks a lot simpler than it is. It’s great that you guys are thinking about this stuff now. I know you will make great parents! You will also screw up some stuff. We all do!

momof8munchkins

This topic is doomed to descend into passionate debate.

If society actually knew what was best for children in their diet we would not be raising a population of overweight kids.

Breast milk is 50 to 60 percent calories from fat, about 30 to 40% calories from carbs and about 10% protein.

I am going to assume this ratio is designed for optimal growth and development.

50 to 60% calories from FAT sounds borderline low carb to me, and it CERTAINLY is not low fat.

Having said that, ketogenic diets are used as a medical therapy for diabetes in children, epilepsy in children and severe ADD and ADHD in children. I do not understand why these are valid medical treatments for those conditions but are not valid medical treatments for very obese children.

For the record, I do not think a child needs to be ketogenic, but I do think kids today get far to much carbs of ALL KINDS and far to little fat in proportion as demonstrated by the gold standard, breast milk.

well said!!!
Just to chime in. I think I know a little bit about raising and feeding kids a healthy diet being that I have 8 happy healthy kids ages 18-2 and only one of them is the even the slightest bit over weight .. and that is the oldest that no longer lives at home . he gained 50 lbs when he moved away because he eats only junk and fast food.. not at all the way he was raised. we are largely paleo family..80% of their diet is paleo . compared to SAD our kids do eat low carb and very low grain.. but they do eat plenty of whole foods-fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, nuts and good fats and diary. they also eat potatoes sometimes and even the occasional hotdog with chips or cookies or even bean burritos lol. and they are not suffering. all but the oldest are slim. energetic and rarely get sick.. if that is not proof enough then I don't know what else to say about this subject.

nolachick

oh wow, great progress. how do u do it? i love carbs. i'm currently trying to do low carb tho

Grokette

When the body has no free carbohydrates available (glycogen stores in the muscles and liver have been used and there is none available anywhere), fat must be broken down into acetyl-CoA in order to get energy for fueling the body. Your body starts breaking down body fat as acetyl-CoA. This starts fat synthesis in the body. Fat synthesis is when the body breaks down stored body fat in order to fuel its cells. The by product of fat synthesis during this process called Ketogenesis are ketone bodies.

Unless you are anorexic or go into a diabetic ketoacidosis, ketogenesis is perfectly safe and normal. It is the safest way for the body to process fuel and burn fuel. Ketogenesis will not produce ketoacidosis unless you are in extreme starvation mode and have no fat or muscle to convert! Or have some kind of serious metabolic disease. Most people can safely go into ketogenesis (fat burning mode).

A low carb diet is a proven and effective way to burn body fat, reduce or eliminate illness and aliments, reduce stress on the cells and is a natural way to live. There is nothing wrong with a low carb way of living or a low carb diet. Now, I do have a huge problem with low fat or no carb diets.... But that is not what the OP is about at all. The OP is about the benefits of low carbs, considering children.

Is a low carb diet proven safe for children? Not overweight or diseased children, just healthy children. Has there really been enough research on that to deem it "safe"? And moreover, is it needed or even advantageous in a healthy child?

How can controlling carbs in children possibly be unsafe?????????????? :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh:

A low (controlled carb) way of life consists of PROTEIN, FATS, VEGETABLES, FRUIT, NUTS, SEEDS AND DAIRY......... What is possibly unhealthy about eating the aforementioned foods?

When these things become unhealthy, then I will switch from a controlled carb plan back to eating cake, cookies, bread, ice cream and boxed / packaged foods.

momof8munchkins

When the body has no free carbohydrates available (glycogen stores in the muscles and liver have been used and there is none available anywhere), fat must be broken down into acetyl-CoA in order to get energy for fueling the body. Your body starts breaking down body fat as acetyl-CoA. This starts fat synthesis in the body. Fat synthesis is when the body breaks down stored body fat in order to fuel its cells. The by product of fat synthesis during this process called Ketogenesis are ketone bodies.

Unless you are anorexic or go into a diabetic ketoacidosis, ketogenesis is perfectly safe and normal. It is the safest way for the body to process fuel and burn fuel. Ketogenesis will not produce ketoacidosis unless you are in extreme starvation mode and have no fat or muscle to convert! Or have some kind of serious metabolic disease. Most people can safely go into ketogenesis (fat burning mode).

A low carb diet is a proven and effective way to burn body fat, reduce or eliminate illness and aliments, reduce stress on the cells and is a natural way to live. There is nothing wrong with a low carb way of living or a low carb diet. Now, I do have a huge problem with low fat or no carb diets.... But that is not what the OP is about at all. The OP is about the benefits of low carbs, considering children.

Is a low carb diet proven safe for children? Not overweight or diseased children, just healthy children. Has there really been enough research on that to deem it "safe"? And moreover, is it needed or even advantageous in a healthy child?

How can controlling carbs in children possibly be unsafe?????????????? :huh: :huh: :huh: :huh:

A low (controlled carb) way of life consists of PROTEIN, FATS, VEGETABLES, FRUIT, NUTS, SEEDS AND DAIRY......... What is possibly unhealthy about eating the aforementioned foods?

When these things become unhealthy, then I will switch from a controlled carb plan back to eating cake, cookies, bread, ice cream and boxed / packaged foods.

I agree 100%!!

tidmutt

Kids need a healthy amount of carbs and fat for proper brain development.

Glucose is the brain's number one fuel source, that's why it will steal glucose from every possible source it can before using any ketones for fuel. A developing brain needs even more.

This means nothing, it proves nothing. You cannot say that providing our brains with a constant source of glucose is not detrimental. It could be that bouts of Ketosis is protective. We also don't necessarily know the carb content of pre-agricultural fruits and vegetables, fruits for example potentially are far sweeter than they once were. Our carb intake in many areas of the world may have been quite low, access to fruits may have been limited depending on climate and season.

tidmutt

I am unable to give an honest and informative response to this thread because I have to follow Terms of Service on this site and forum.

Ditto!

Also, I pretty much let my kids eat how they want and make sure they are very active. They are both underweight and love both healthy food and junk food in moderation. I do not want to give them a food complex before they even hit puberty.

Wow. I'm new to this site (but not to other weight loss sites) and I'm pretty disgusted with some of the responses to a very reasonable question. I'm the father of a 4 month old little girl and I too wonder what I will feed her and as she gets older what I'll encourage her to eat. It's a complex question especially if you are someone who has struggled with your weight since you were a child and know the pain associated with a lifetime of being overweight. Any good father would want to do everything he could to avoid his child from suffering the same fate. I thought about this a lot for many years before we had our daughter, I would often say to my wife that I hope she doesn't inherit my tendency to gain weight (if such a thing exists). Now I often wonder if I would encourage her to follow primal principles like I do.

I also can't help but laugh when people say just feed the child a "balanced diet". That is meaningless.

At least there are some thoughtful responses...

tidmutt

Low-carbing kids is utterly ridiculous. Feed your (future) kids proper whole foods and teach them how to be fit, be an example.

Good Lord, I would not deprive my children of pasta/rice/breads before an athletic event, nor do I deprive myself. Let kids be kids, for goodness sake! Do not feed them crap sugar cereals and chicken nuggets, but sheesh, let them have a cupcake.

What is pathetic is the amount of people who never give their kids fruits and veggies, "bc she won't eat them". really? Who is the parent? Today my 3-yr-old and I shared a lunch of homemade pasta (CARB!!) salad with tuna, cannelini beans, black olives, and fresh roasted asparagus. We also shared a pear and raspberries. I sent the older ones to school with ham, avocado, tomato and pickle SANDWICHES made with BREAD!! I will even pack peanut butter and jelly for the one who likes it.

For dinner tonight, my 4 kids (and we, the parents) ate more asparagus, onions, yam, green grapes, more raspberries and rotisserie chicken.

I just came home from a 2.5 hour dance rehearsal and ate my last 200 calories of ice cream.

Stop, just stop with the anti-carb nazi ridiculousness.

Well that was unnecessary. You can feed your kids plenty of healthy carbs before their sporting events and still be following a Primal/Paleo or "low carb" approach. I find it funny that people think we NEED bread and pasta, we survived for millions of years without those inventions and most probably expended a great deal more energy.

Grokette

Low-carbing kids is utterly ridiculous. Feed your (future) kids proper whole foods and teach them how to be fit, be an example.

Good Lord, I would not deprive my children of pasta/rice/breads before an athletic event, nor do I deprive myself. Let kids be kids, for goodness sake! Do not feed them crap sugar cereals and chicken nuggets, but sheesh, let them have a cupcake.

What is pathetic is the amount of people who never give their kids fruits and veggies, "bc she won't eat them". really? Who is the parent? Today my 3-yr-old and I shared a lunch of homemade pasta (CARB!!) salad with tuna, cannelini beans, black olives, and fresh roasted asparagus. We also shared a pear and raspberries. I sent the older ones to school with ham, avocado, tomato and pickle SANDWICHES made with BREAD!! I will even pack peanut butter and jelly for the one who likes it.

For dinner tonight, my 4 kids (and we, the parents) ate more asparagus, onions, yam, green grapes, more raspberries and rotisserie chicken.

I just came home from a 2.5 hour dance rehearsal and ate my last 200 calories of ice cream.

Stop, just stop with the anti-carb nazi ridiculousness.

Well that was unnecessary. You can feed your kids plenty of healthy carbs before their sporting events and still be following a Primal/Paleo or "low carb" approach. I find it funny that people think we NEED bread and pasta, we survived for millions of years without those inventions and most probably expended a great deal more energy.

I agree.

There is nothing in beans or grains that you can not get from vegetables and fruits - except ANTI-NUTRIENTS that are inflammatory in nature.

My sister feeds her kids whole foods (no grains or beans) but yet her boys eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and the doctor has told her she has 2 of the healthiest kids ever. They never get sick, even being around a lot of other snot nosed kids that are constantly sick.

When my husband and I adopt, we will be also controlling the carb intake of our children. If the sweet tooth is never developed by feeding bread, crackers, cookies, cake, etc then all the better for them.

Grokette

I am unable to give an honest and informative response to this thread because I have to follow Terms of Service on this site and forum.

Ditto!

Also, I pretty much let my kids eat how they want and make sure they are very active. They are both underweight and love both healthy food and junk food in moderation. I do not want to give them a food complex before they even hit puberty.

Wow. I'm new to this site (but not to other weight loss sites) and I'm pretty disgusted with some of the responses to a very reasonable question. I'm the father of a 4 month old little girl and I too wonder what I will feed her and as she gets older what I'll encourage her to eat. It's a complex question especially if you are someone who has struggled with your weight since you were a child and know the pain associated with a lifetime of being overweight. Any good father would want to do everything he could to avoid his child from suffering the same fate. I thought about this a lot for many years before we had our daughter, I would often say to my wife that I hope she doesn't inherit my tendency to gain weight (if such a thing exists). Now I often wonder if I would encourage her to follow primal principles like I do.

I also can't help but laugh when people say just feed the child a "balanced diet". That is meaningless.

At least there are some thoughtful responses...

Hey, well the good news is.............Primal / Paleo is very balanced. Protein (meat), Fats (natural occurring) and Carbs (fruits and vegetables)...........

Sounds like a healthy way to raise your child to me.

Jolenebib

I'm just assuming, that the "low carb" kids diet is because the child got fat by eating highly processed, sugary carbs with little to no fiber (aka junk food), and NOT whole grains.

tidmutt

I am unable to give an honest and informative response to this thread because I have to follow Terms of Service on this site and forum.

Ditto!

Also, I pretty much let my kids eat how they want and make sure they are very active. They are both underweight and love both healthy food and junk food in moderation. I do not want to give them a food complex before they even hit puberty.

Wow. I'm new to this site (but not to other weight loss sites) and I'm pretty disgusted with some of the responses to a very reasonable question. I'm the father of a 4 month old little girl and I too wonder what I will feed her and as she gets older what I'll encourage her to eat. It's a complex question especially if you are someone who has struggled with your weight since you were a child and know the pain associated with a lifetime of being overweight. Any good father would want to do everything he could to avoid his child from suffering the same fate. I thought about this a lot for many years before we had our daughter, I would often say to my wife that I hope she doesn't inherit my tendency to gain weight (if such a thing exists). Now I often wonder if I would encourage her to follow primal principles like I do.

I also can't help but laugh when people say just feed the child a "balanced diet". That is meaningless.

At least there are some thoughtful responses...

Hey, well the good news is.............Primal / Paleo is very balanced. Protein (meat), Fats (natural occurring) and Carbs (fruits and vegetables)...........

Sounds like a healthy way to raise your child to me.

Agreed. We can endlessly debate the outcome of studies, the fossil evidence, biochemistry in the end the average person has to make a judgement call and I can't help but feel that a diet that follows what we most likely ate for the majority of our evolution is the healthiest option. It's likely that we're somewhat off on our interpretation of Paleo diets but it's closer than the current SAD and likely a lot healthier.

tidmutt

I'm just assuming, that the "low carb" kids diet is because the child got fat by eating highly processed, sugary carbs with little to no fiber (aka junk food), and NOT whole grains.

True, whole grain at least contain some nutrients. Again they seem somewhat unnecessary.

Grokette

I'm just assuming, that the "low carb" kids diet is because the child got fat by eating highly processed, sugary carbs with little to no fiber (aka junk food), and NOT whole grains.

True, whole grain at least contain some nutrients. Again they seem somewhat unnecessary.

The "nutrients" in whole grains are stripped when they are processed to make breads, crackers, flour, etc............

And the small amount of nutrients left in the grain is negated by the Phytates (ANTI-nutrients).

I would rather get my nutrition from Protein of different types, Fats of natural types, vegetables and some fruit.

tidmutt

The "nutrients" in whole grains are stripped when they are processed to make breads, crackers, flour, etc............

And the small amount of nutrients left in the grain is negated by the Phytates (ANTI-nutrients).

I would rather get my nutrition from Protein of different types, Fats of natural types, vegetables and some fruit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating Whole Grains, but if I had to eat bread I'd choose the whole grain varieties.

songbyrdsweet

I would never condone putting a child on a diet or even a 'way of life' that limits an entire food group for anything other than a medical reason. Yes, limit fast food and foods with low nutrient-density. But realize that their bodies are developing, their nutrient requirements differ from an adult's, and they are highly impressionable. They will take what you say as gospel, and (sorry, this is offensive) many people don't actually know what they're talking about. I'm sure you mean well, but unless you are formally educated in pediatric nutrition, don't put your child on a diet without the supervision of a pediatrician. If you really want a healthy child, get them off the couch and away from the TV. Exercise is the magic bullet in metabolic regulation and health, not carbohydrate avoidance.

songbyrdsweet

I'm just assuming, that the "low carb" kids diet is because the child got fat by eating highly processed, sugary carbs with little to no fiber (aka junk food), and NOT whole grains.

True, whole grain at least contain some nutrients. Again they seem somewhat unnecessary.

The "nutrients" in whole grains are stripped when they are processed to make breads, crackers, flour, etc............

And the small amount of nutrients left in the grain is negated by the Phytates (ANTI-nutrients).

I would rather get my nutrition from Protein of different types, Fats of natural types, vegetables and some fruit.

Actually, the phytates, trypsins, etc. that you find in unprocessed beans and grain husks are removed by processing, ironically. Soaking the beans also helps. Whole grain foods contain the germ which is very high in nutrients and only removes the outer casing which would contain the fibers that might reduce digestibility. You don't necessarily need to eat highly processed grains. I eat oatmeal and I'm quite insulin-sensitive.

tidmutt

Actually, the phytates, trypsins, etc. that you find in unprocessed beans and grain husks are removed by processing, ironically. Soaking the beans also helps. Whole grain foods contain the germ which is very high in nutrients and only removes the outer casing which would contain the fibers that might reduce digestibility. You don't necessarily need to eat highly processed grains. I eat oatmeal and I'm quite insulin-sensitive.

This is why many following the primal/paleo lifestyle will talk about soaking grains to reduce antinutrients.

songbyrdsweet

Actually, the phytates, trypsins, etc. that you find in unprocessed beans and grain husks are removed by processing, ironically. Soaking the beans also helps. Whole grain foods contain the germ which is very high in nutrients and only removes the outer casing which would contain the fibers that might reduce digestibility. You don't necessarily need to eat highly processed grains. I eat oatmeal and I'm quite insulin-sensitive.

This is why many following the primal/paleo lifestyle will talk about soaking grains to reduce antinutrients.

Huh, interesting! I don't know the specifics of that WOE. But that's how people in developing countries do it, apparently.

hockey7fan

^ I'm really pleased when I hear stories like that - kids making wise nutritional decisions on their own, even if it's merely taste-based.

Whoever posted about their son leaving partially-eaten cookies about the house - SO CUTE.

That was me - cookies are OK but when he leaves lollipops on the carpet - Mom's not quite so happy!

Last night he ditched Dad's birthday cake after a bite and came in and got a banana instead. We keep fruit where he can reach it and he can get baby carrots and cucumber slices out of the refrigerator when he wants them too.

tidmutt

I would never condone putting a child on a diet or even a 'way of life' that limits an entire food group for anything other than a medical reason. Yes, limit fast food and foods with low nutrient-density. But realize that their bodies are developing, their nutrient requirements differ from an adult's, and they are highly impressionable. They will take what you say as gospel, and (sorry, this is offensive) many people don't actually know what they're talking about. I'm sure you mean well, but unless you are formally educated in pediatric nutrition, don't put your child on a diet without the supervision of a pediatrician. If you really want a healthy child, get them off the couch and away from the TV. Exercise is the magic bullet in metabolic regulation and health, not carbohydrate avoidance.

I'm not sure who you're addressing here, but a couple of points in response. Just because someone is formally educated doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. I find many medical professionals tend to be closed minded and dogmatic. That of course is a gross generalization and there are many medical professionals who are open minded and stay current but they aren't always easy to find.

Personally, I would always talk to my child's pediatrician, that doesn't mean I'll blindly follow his advice. Our pediatrician recommended we add rice cereal to breast milk when our young daughter was having issues with some minor reflux. We read all the papers on the topic we could find and felt that there was some risk associated with introducing essentially solid food quite early. Given she didn't suffer extreme GERD and was eating and gaining weight, we choose not to follow his advice. Shortly after her symptoms improved without any intervention other than some slight tweaks to my wife's diet.

Lastly, getting them off the couch is a worthy goal, but I think avoiding twinkies, donuts, mac and cheese etc. is actually far more important. Avoiding all carbs is of course unnecessary. I honestly don't know what I'll do when my daughter is older but I'd like to think I'll encourage her to avoid refined carbs, eat whole foods and enjoy the occasional treat.