Mum slammed for putting children on keto diet

A mother in the United States has hit back after being criticized for putting her 11-year-old daughter and five-year-old son on the keto diet.

Originally developed to treat epilepsy in drug-resistant children, the keto diet is now a popular, albeit controversial, method of weight loss around the world.

Followers eat a low-carbohydrate diet – usually less than 50g per day – to help their body achieve a state of ketosis, since without carbohydrates the body needs to burn fat for energy.

The American mother Abby Durlewanger runs the TikTok account @houseofketo, where she shares keto recipes and menus with her more than 500,000 followers.

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However, she has been criticized for revealing that her two children are also following the keto diet, which is not recommended for children due to the restriction on carbohydrates.

Australian state health guidelines should only follow a keto diet if needed to treat epilepsy and only after evaluation by a pediatric neurologist.

In a video shared on TikTok last month, Ms. Durlewanger shared her 11-year-old’s lunch box and revealed that she had given her watermelon as a “surprise” gift.

“My 11-year-old’s keto and I got her on for lunch,” she said.

“We don’t usually include watermelon in our normal ketogenic routine (because it contains more carbohydrates and sugars than we would normally eat.”

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Lunch included a chicken and cheese wrap with lettuce instead of bread, blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon, two slices of cheddar cheese, and a boiled egg.

Another lunch she prepared for her daughter showed Ms. Durlewanger giving her bacon, strawberries, salami and a slice of cheese.

In addition to Ms. Durlewanger’s husband and two children who are ketogenic, her dogs are also following the diet, she explained in another video.

She makes her dog food from scratch using a mix of blueberries, cheese, chicken, and peppers, flavored with turmeric, chia seeds, and basil.

“I usually add some coconut oil or butter to the turmeric to make a paste that adds more fat,” Ms. Durelwanger said.

The videos sparked a massive rift among viewers, with people baffled by the idea that kids – let alone dogs – would be on a keto diet unless it was for medical reasons.

“Why is your 11 year old on a diet? Strange, ”wrote one person.

“Why is your daughter on keto? Another commented. “Or are we projecting societal beauty standards onto an 11-year-old child?”

“Please tell me this is satire,” it said in a comment.

Ms. Durelwanger has since responded to the criticism, saying that “in our video she never said that our daughter was ‘on a diet'” and that it was about a “healthy diet without sugar”.

She also claimed that her child’s doctor was aware of her daughter’s diet and approved it, but did not state whether it was a medical cause such as epilepsy.

“Just because we share what we eat doesn’t mean you have a right to our children’s private medical records,” said Ms. Durelwanger.

“It is our choice to share or not to share.”

She also said that her children could have “treats” and stated in a video, “My children will eat a few pieces of each thing and then it will be time to move on and go back to our normal daily routine. ”

Some people also defended Ms. Durelwanger, who fed her children keto food, arguing that the fact that she gave them strawberries and watermelon meant they likely weren’t “strictly keto” as those fruits “generally aren’t allowed ”.

“Our children are not ketogenic, but your children clearly eat better than most children,” wrote another. “I don’t know why everyone is crazy.”

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/mum-slammed-for-putting-children-on-keto-diet/