Keto For Kids: A Beginner's Guide For Parents

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to deliver several health benefits. It was initially created around 1920 as a treatment for epilepsy under medical supervision. The keto diet is relatively safe for adults, but this may not be the case for children and teens unless it’s prescribed by a health professional for medical reasons.

The keto diet is not recommended for weight loss in children because it seriously limits carbohydrates, and children need carbs to be mentally and physically active. Children on a healthy, well-balanced diet should typically eat about 130 grams of carbohydrates a day (approximately 45-65% of their calories), whereas the keto diet limits carbohydrates to approximately 20-30 grams a day.

If you want to start your kids on a keto diet, it is best to consult a health professional first.

What is the keto diet?

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to deliver several health benefits. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.

The keto diet was initially created around 1920 as a treatment for epilepsy under medical supervision. More recently, keto has become a popular diet for weight loss. It is a high-fat, very low-carb diet, which also includes moderate amounts of protein.

People following this diet typically eat foods higher in fat and do not restrict protein foods. Examples of common keto foods include butter, oil, avocado, heavy whipping cream, high-fat cheese, bacon, sausage, and fatty fish, such as salmon. Nuts, eggs, leafy greens, and other colorful vegetables are also part of a keto diet.

The keto diet includes none or reduced amounts of grains, bread, rice, pasta, fruits, sweets, or juice.

Why the keto diet is not recommended for children and teens

The ketogenic diet is a very-low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to deliver several health benefits. However, while the keto diet is relatively safe for adults, this may not be the case for children and teens unless prescribed by a health professional for specific medical reasons.

The keto diet is not recommended for weight loss in children because it seriously limits carbohydrates, and children need carbs to be mentally and physically active. Children on a healthy, well-balanced diet should typically eat about 130 grams of carbohydrates a day (approximately 45-65% of their calories), whereas the keto diet limits carbohydrates to approximately 20-30 grams a day. Carbohydrates provide children with the energy and important nutrients required for growth and development.

The keto diet may also affect a child's focus and concentration, cause nutritional deficiencies, and can lead to high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, weak bones, and kidney stones.

The restrictive nature of the keto diet may also impact a child's growth and overall health. During this crucial time of rapid growth and development, adequate nutrition is important. Overly restricting dietary intake of certain food or micronutrient groups may negatively impact a child's health.

Additionally, following a restrictive diet like keto can lead to unhealthy behaviours and significantly affect a child's relationship with food, potentially leading to eating disorders.

Therefore, unless recommended and guided by a physician for specific medical purposes, the keto diet is not appropriate or safe for most healthy children and teens.

Healthy weight loss options instead of keto for kids

The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to deliver several health benefits. However, while the keto diet is relatively safe for adults, this may not be the case for children and teens unless it’s prescribed by a health professional for medical reasons.

Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet

Refer to MyPlate guidelines to provide children with a wide variety of nutritious foods. If you make a plate like that at every meal, you're doing a great job. Whether a child's weight is high or low, at least you know you're providing all the nutrients your child needs to grow and thrive.

Limit processed foods and foods with added sugar

These foods include soda, sweetened drinks, cookies, candy, chips, desserts, and baked goods.

Choose nutritious snacks

Make sure kids are snacking only when truly hungry and choose healthy options. Encourage small portions that incorporate one or two food groups. For example, try half a peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread, sliced veggies with hummus or bean dip, or unsweetened yogurt with fruit.

Stay positive and give your child the facts

Explain to your child that it's most important to eat the right foods to support healthy growth and maintain energy throughout the day. For example, tell them, "You want to eat fruits and vegetables because they help you concentrate at school, give you energy to play, and make you feel better overall."

Don't focus on the number on the scale

Children come in all shapes and sizes. What's important is how their body functions, how they feel, and how healthy they are.

Offer new foods repeatedly

Even if a child didn't like certain nutritious foods a year ago, offer them again. Children's tastes change as they grow.

Encourage children and teens to pick an activity they love

Walk, run, ride a bike, play a favorite sport, dance, etc. If they enjoy the movement, go for it!

How I approach keto with my kid

I am currently on a strict keto regimen for weight loss. My kid is not overweight, so she doesn't need to lose weight. What I want for her is to be healthy. I want her to know and love healthy foods and be able to make good choices for herself as she grows.

She was eight years old when I discovered the keto diet. At the time, she was on the standard diet of juice boxes, cereals, bread, and lots of sugar. She wasn't overweight as I was always trying to be somewhat healthy, and because of my own personal struggles with weight, I was committed to her not getting fat. She was carrying around a layer of chub that I always thought would thin out as she grew, and so I don't worry about that too much

Ever since she was a baby, I rotated lots of different vegetables in our diet, and by now, I had learned what vegetables she liked and which ones weren't a hit. I'd even gotten her liking green juices as long as there were bananas in there to sweeten the taste. Then I discovered the keto diet and took this up a notch further.

The first thing I did was to eliminate juice boxes, cereal, snacks that come in a bag (anything sweet or cheesy), yogurt with fruit or any additional flavourings, and bread. She still eats plain yogurt; we just add our own fruit and honey to it now instead of buying pre-sweetened stuff.

I still give her oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and allow her to purchase lunch at school, which isn't usually the healthiest thing (think chicken and fries or a beef patty).

When she gets home from school in the afternoons, the keto diet kicks in. She eats a snack that I've prepared, and then my low-carb dinner.

Her after-school snacks, which used to be a cheese or PBJ sandwich, fruit-flavoured yogurt, cereal, or milk and cookies, have been transformed into egg cups, keto pizza, a cheese bun sandwich, or some of my salad if I'm having one.

Just this one change of eliminating her snacks and juices and introducing healthier meals for half of the day has really seen her slim down from some chunkiness she was carrying around, and her energy and focus have benefited too!

Her teachers have commented on her change in body makeup and general attitude, and I know this is all because of eliminating some of the processed foods and carbs in her diet.

This is great news to me because it means that when I have finally hit my goal weight and I'm in maintenance, I can increase my carbs somewhat to include other healthy foods like fruit and oatmeal on occasion and still remain at a healthy weight.

Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Low-Carb Food

• Start by eliminating snacks and sugary drinks.
• Add one new veggie to their diet each week. Load it up with healthy and flavourful fats to get them to be more appetizing.
• Meal prep each week so that you’re not overwhelmed and reaching for unhealthy food when in a pinch.
• Allow your kids to help with prep. Kids love to eat foods they’ve helped to prepare.
• Explain to them along the way why this way of eating is so important. Understanding health from an early age helps to set life-long habits.
• Introduce fat bombs to kids who are not overweight and need the extra fat for fuel. These will also help to lessen sugar cravings.
• Allow them to still have healthy carbs in small amounts. Things like oatmeal and sweet potatoes should not harm your kid when eaten occasionally. You can lessen this over time as they transition to a full ketogenic diet with you.
• Stress less. It’s fine if you grab takeout occasionally. It won’t be the end of the world. They’re growing kids and will bounce back faster than you and I. What’s important is helping them to understand why fast food is not a healthy, every-day option.

Typical diet of a keto kid

A typical keto kid's diet is low-carb, high-fat, and moderate in protein. It's important to note that the keto diet for kids should only be done under the supervision of a healthcare professional and is usually prescribed for specific medical reasons.

Here's an example of a day's worth of meals for a keto kid following a 3:1 ratio, which means they're consuming three parts fat for every one part of carbs and protein combined:

Breakfast:

• 30g Chocolate Hazelnut Cereal (broken-up Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies)
• 6g Organic Valley Heavy Cream, thinned with water to make "milk"

Mid-Morning Snack:

1 Peanut Butter-Butter Mix (with crushed vitamins and calcium)

Lunch:

• 20g Full-Fat Traditional Greek Yogurt
• 30g Tuna
• 8g Shredded Parmesan
• 45g Cream
• 5g Coconut Oil

Afternoon Snack:

Berry Frozen Yogurt Pop

Dinner:

• 40g Egg + 15g Cream, scrambled
• 14g Shredded Cheddar
• 7g Flackers + 4g Butter

Bedtime Snack:

30g Cream + 5g Coconut Oil (steamed with a drop of vanilla or pinch of cocoa powder and crushed calcium tablet)

Frequently asked questions