I took my son to the doctor today.  It was scheduled as a basic checkup and flu shot.  He has not been to the doctor since since starting school, he is 9 now.  I am blessed that my son doesn’t get sick and we haven’t had any emergencies.  So today I pick my son up early from school and went for the appointment.  The nurse weighed my son and marked his height, 91lbs. and 4’7″ tall.  I thought that this was perfect.  All this time I thought that my son was a little heavy, but I was relieved now.  Then the doctor came in.  The went through the routine and then it came to question time.  So I asked, “How is my son on height and weight?”  I was told, “well, he’s a little on the heavy side.”  This made my heart sink.  I don’t want my son to go through what I did.  His doctor basically said what we all know, watch fried foods, increase vegetables and make sure that he is getting at least 30 minutes of activity a day.  Whats weird is that I have been trying to start this with him lately already.  I explained that I eat by the South Beach Diet Plan already.  I have already begun to limit his potatoes, switch his rice from white to brown and increase the amount of vegetables he eats.  I was told that this was great and that we were already on our way.  Great!

After getting home, I googled South Beach Diet Plan for children.  This is what I found:

South Beach Diet A to Z: Kids on the South Beach Diet

Kids on the South Beach Diet
Before putting your child on the South Beach Diet, be sure to talk to your pediatrician who can tell you your child’s ideal weight. She may want to look at the diet if she is not familiar with it.

If she says it’s ok, Dr. Agatston says kids should do Phase 2 of the diet. Be sure your child’s meal plans include extra calcium from dairy foods. Adding several servings of low-fat dairy products is important for a growing kid’s health. Low-fat milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt are all excellent choices.

Please note that pre-teens and teenagers should also refrain from doing Phase 1 of this diet and instead follow Phase 2.

Jennifer R. Scott
Weight Loss Guide About.com

This makes allot of sense to me.  Now we can make our meals for our whole family.  We no longer have to make one meal for the kids and one meal for us.  I will try to add within the next few days some kid friendly recipes for you on the Recipe page.  Welcome to a whole new phase, South Beach for Kids!