low carb diet

Hi,
Like you I was fascinated by the whole low carb thing. I mentioned it very casually at clinic and was told in no uncertain terms that it was not recommended for children, although the consultant did concede that there was something to be said for what Fergus calls (I think) the law of diminishing numbers ie. the fewer carbs eaten, the lower the insulin dose and therefore the smaller the mistakes (either hyper or hypo). The dietician wouldn't even discuss it!

Despite all this, my older daughter (14) does sometimes 'low carb' (ie 50-60gms a day), and it definitely improves her control with BG's in single digits every time. However, she finds it very difficult to low carb all the time! My little one (7) isn't interested, loves her bread etc and as she is quite a picky eater anyway I don't feel I can force the issue.

I don't think anyone knows what, if any, adverse effects a child might suffer from following a low carb diet - maybe none? We do of course know all about the adverse effects of longterm high blood glucose levels, so in my opinion it's up to every parent to decide for her/himself.

You can buy or make low carb bread, pasta, muffins, sweets etc. Google the lowcarbmegastore and avidlite to get you started. We have bought a lc bread mix and made it up. Everyone loved it, but it is quite pricey!
Hope this helps,
Sue

There are many doctors who treat diabetic children with low carb diets. As far as I'm aware, since it works so well for adults, there's no reason it shouldn't have all the same benefits for children.
In fact, there was was a bit of publicity last year for a low carb diet developed at Great Ormond Street which had remarkable success in treating children with severe epilepsy too.

All the best,

fergus