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Low-carb Diets and Teens
Nonsense or Common Sense?
By Kelly Burgess
And there's the rub. Because the fact is, teens don't generally have good exercise habits, nor do they have a well-rounded diet. Unfortunately, teens, even relatively amenable, well-informed teens like Bark's two teenage daughters and my teenagers, like to eat junk. Soda pop, burgers, French fries and potato chips are much more attractive to teens than grilled fish and steamed veggies – no matter how lovingly the healthy dish is prepared.
When I told nutritionist Carol Simontacchi the soccer team story, her answer was, "Good. At least they're cutting back on their sugar!"
She went on to qualify her initial reaction with an assurance that she does not like fad diets, does not like the idea of teens being on diets and thinks that Atkins is not a healthful low-carb approach. However, she also said the fact is that kids eat too much processed foods, eat and drink too much sugar and too many chemicals, and, in general, a low-carb diet can't be much worse than what they're already putting into their bodies.
Simontacchi should know. She's the author of The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children (J. P. Tarcher, 2001) and the mother of four children who don't always appreciate her ntritional expertise.
