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I eat keto and basically we have shifted my kids to just more nutrient dense foods that include some carbs. They are 3.5 and 2. We are eating down our pantry and freezer so they’re eating all those carbs until they are gone but we are not replacing them. DH isn’t doing keto but he’s eating lower carb, again while we eat down our pantry. There’s a lot of rice and quinoa that need to be eaten down!

The way we handle meals is that I make a meat and then the fam gets a plain boring carb like cooked rice, and then the kids get a giant chip and dip tray full of fresh fruit and veg, cheese, pork rinds, etc and they get to choose their sides. I don’t have to technically cook anything separate other than the rice or whatever. I guess once we eat off all our carbs the kids will be more paleo-ish?

This is tonight’s dinner of keto meatloaf for the fam plus the variations.

My kids need way more carbs then me because they’re growing! So we offer them carbs in addition to our keto meals

I don't know a ton about keto diets, but I have no problem with adults choosing to use them. That said, the little I have read indicates that going in and out of ketosis is harmful for bodies, so I'd be very wary of putting a child anywhere near a diet like it, just in case. Plus, as others mentioned above, the best science we have right now indicates that growing brains and bodies probably need a lot more carbohydrates than adults. I'd make sure they are still getting plenty of carbs, but certainly whole food carbs should be fine!

I don't think kids should be on a low carb/no carb diet. Its one thing to cut out processed carbs like white bread, white sugar, white rice and replace them with whole wheat options for them. But children and even adults need carbs.

@Hypatia: Sure its tempting when the kids have really delicious roasted sweet potatoes or beautiful fresh fruit, but I will say that for me, I FEEL so much better on keto that the temptation isn't there for me that much anymore. The first month after I got fat adapted, I got accidentally "sugared" at a restaurant and I felt like death for 3 days afterwards dealing with the keto flu. Once I realized how awful that felt, I just didn't want to have to deal with it again. I got through the holidays and celebrations without "cheating" because I just personally didn't want to have to deal with the fallout afterwards. I HAVE had fruit since going keto since things like blackberries are pretty low in carbs and I can get them to fit and our boys like berries anyway, so we have them around all the time.

Our kids definitely have sugary things. We do regular cake for birthdays, some candy at Easter, they get a cookie on Sundays after church service, and I know they get things like raisins and granola bars at school. I don't have a problem with it, they don't have weight problems, I want them to have some "normal" kid experiences, but we're just choosing not to buy those things anymore for the house. We've still got frozen waffles and pretzels and stuff we're eating down, but just CUTTING what they were eating before has been really wonderful. In the past 6-8 weeks since adopting a more nutrient dense diet that leads with protein and fat, our kids have been acting so much better in terms of behavior. Our youngest who never ate anything but carbs is eating semi balanced now, apparently loves ribeye steak, and willingly eats carrots. Both kids have grown a foot WHILE putting on weight (our boys are long and lean) and ask for eggs and sausage if they only see pancakes on the plate. I do not limit their fruit consumption, if they want seconds of rice, pasta, or whatever, they can have it, but I think your instinct to reduce added sugar in their diet is a good one. Our kids stopped asking for fruit snacks (sure they'd love it if they saw it), but now they're whining for an apples, asking if we can go to Costco to buy more strawberries, and enthusiastically eating peas out of a pod.

I think there's a big difference between eliminating all carbs and eliminating carbs that you find in the middle aisles of the grocery store. I really see no "need" for any carbs from those aisles, even for kids. But for kids, I do think it's important not cut carbs from around the perimeter (fruit, veggies, dairy). I hope that makes sense. Basically I completely agree with @gingerbebe:

I've done Keto and I know it can be tough to stay away from all the carbs, especially in the beginning. What helped me was to buy things that I knew DS loved but I didn't really care for, that way I wasn't really tempted lol.

If your kids will eat it, I would do something like a green smoothie for them for breakfast - easy and full of nutrient dense carbs. And then things that are easy to make in batch like sweet potato, rice, etc as sides for lunch/dinner. And if you do slip up, it may mean slower weight loss but at least it's nutrient/fiber dense and not junk.

Personally I’d give up general snacking foods (bread, goldfish, crackers) but keep un-keto friendly fruits and veg around for the kids. But I think a lot depends on your kids. Mine both hate low-carb veggies and I depend on fruits to keep their bowels regular. And we eat a really vegetarian-heavy diet with almost no snack foods (mostly Bc I’m too cheap/broke to buy snack foods).

Overall I’d see how they adapt and talk to either a registered dietician or their pediatrician about it if you’re worried.

I don't really think healthy kids should be on a diet - any diet. It's probably doable to cook the foods that work for the adults, and also have something in the house just for them. Kind of like with being a vegetarian - I know quite a few people who are vegetarian but cook meat for the family members who aren't, and am planning to do the same thing myself in a couple of years.

@pwnstar: Agree with @gingerbebe: . @Truth Bombs:'s statement was particularly anti-keto for everyone and a generalization that's just not true. I spoke to my doctor when I went on keto and did blood work before and after to ensure that it wasn't negatively affecting my health. My doctor was 100% on board my keto diet!

And those of us on keto are not advocating it for kids. In fact, I think almost all of us have said we still feed our kids healthy carbs and carb-heavy fruit because most kids need carbs.

@gingerbebe: Your response to @pwnstar: doesn't make sense. The OP specifically said she is interested in Keto for weight loss, and is considering putting her children on the plan as well so that SHE isn't tempted by their carbs. Your comments regarding epilepsy and autism are not at all applicable to the conversation at hand. You state you aren't interested in making a point on the the subject of keto for healthy kids, but keto for healthy kids is literally the subject matter of this thread, which is the context in which I made my comments.

Y'all, I'm bowing out of this thread cuz its starting to threadjack and derail. I'm going to respectfully disagree with the other 2 ladies and I hope what I said was helpful to the OP in what we do in our family.

I would not restrict any food groups from my children or have them follow the latest diet trend. Carbs are important for developing brains.