Kids Are Cutting the Carbs, Too ; but Those Diets May Cut Out Key Nutrients

Summary

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With millions of U.S. adults devoting themselves to low- carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins weight-loss program, it is not surprising that some children are following their lead.

However, pediatricians and nutritionists say low-carb diets may be a bad idea for children. With rising rates of childhood obesity creating a major public health problem, these experts agree that going easy on refined sugars and starches in cookies, chips, and bagels is a good thing. They worry, however, that kids who avoid or limit such foods as bread, potatoes, rice, and fruit may be depriving themselves of important nutrients that are necessary for growing bodies. And they caution that parents who encourage such eating may not be aware of the consequences.

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Extract

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Kids Are Cutting the Carbs, Too ; but Those Diets May Cut Out Key Nutrients

"The family is doing it and saying, 'If it's good for me, it's good for my kids,'-" said Dr. Henry Anhalt, chief of pediatric endocrinology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. "There's this misconception that if th...

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