DS on low fat diet-help please!

[worm761]

hi. my ds just got put on a low fat diet. any websites that will help me? i need to learn how to read labels. i am ashamed to say i really don't know how. never done it. DS is going to be 10 yrs old in may, is 53 inches tall, and weighs 100 lbs. he keeps gaining weight. i don't have a bunch of junk food in the house. and we eat pretty healthy already. but the doctor is concerned about his thyroid and possibility of diabetes. we have to get some blood work done for this. ds keeps gaining weight. he was weighed 2 wks ago at a sick appointment for an ear infection, he has gained a pound since then. anyway. i was wondering if you guys would have some suggestions for me. maybe some websites where i could teach myself how to read labels, and what they mean. also, he needs to start exercising regularly. we are doing some stuff, bike riding, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks. i am doing this diet and the exercise with him. i figure he didn't get this way by himself. some of it is my fault. so i will do it too. i am rambling now and will stop. but thank you for any advice you can give and thank you for reading this.

 

[lindalinda]

there is a very good website for the labeling. www.nutritiondata.com. You can put in any food and you will get a nutrition label for it. Then at the top you can change the serving size and the label will adjust. On the page there is a section that says some like "healthier replacements" that will list different foods in the same category. I would NOT worry too much right now. But this is the healthy thing to do regardless. If the tests all come back ok and the Dr wants him to lose weight, I would just cut out the junk food and exercise more (turn off the tv and limit the video games) I wouldnt limit calories much for a growing boy. Lots of kids tend to put on a little weight right before a growth spurt, thats what my son did at this age, and hes skinny as a rail now.

 

[Cruise04]

Another idea is to increase his water intake and watch how much juice or gatorade-type drinks he's drinking. Reading labels is hard and prepare for a longer time when you get groceries. When I started reading labels I went from a 30 minute trip to a 2 1/2 hour trip because I was reading so much. Some things say they are low carb but then go up in fats, low fat but go up in carbs so be careful of that stuff.

Don't cut out protein but watch some of that as well - some of it has a lot of fat - peanut butter, peanuts if they are really oil-ladened (but nuts are good for you too, just in limited quantities).

Do you have a nutritionist in your area? If so I would recommend that as well. They are generally very knowledgeable and can really help you out with how to read labels and other questions of what is good fat and what is bad fat. Saturated fat is not good, Monounsaturated fat is good.

Good luck!

 

[malibuconlee]

American Diabetes Association website should have lots of info for you.

 

[worm761]

thank you guys for the help and advice.