A US woman has been slammed online after sharing the keto, carb-free lunch she packs each day for her 11-year-old daughter.
Abby documents her keto lifestyle on her TikTok channel 'House of Keto': A low-carb, high-fat diet, with moderate amounts of protein.
The ketogenic diet was initially created around 1920 as a treatment for epilepsy under medical supervision.
More recently, it's become a popular diet for weight loss, as it causes the body to switch into ketosis and burn fat for fuel rather than carbohydrates.
In a recent video which has now racked up over 8 million views, Abby revealed both her children - aged 5 and 11 - "eat this way".
In her daughter's lunchbox, she packs a lettuce wrap with shredded chicken and cheese, a serving of strawberries and blueberries, as well as a hardboiled egg.
She also includes a "treat" for her young daughter - some chopped watermelon.
"Typically we don't include watermelon in our ketogenic lifestyle... it has more carbs and sugar than we would typically eat," she explains in the video.
"So that will be a nice treat for her."
The video racked up thousands of comments questioning why the mother would place her young children on such a strict diet, and so severely moderate their carbohydrate intake.
"Why is your 11-year-old on a diet? That's weird," one person commented.
"Just curious, have you talked to your pediatrician about your kids being keto?" another raised.
"Why is your daughter keto - for health concerns? Or are we projecting societal beauty standards onto an 11-year-old child?" questioned another.
"Is it safe for a child's body to enter ketosis?" questioned another.
According to children's health experts, the keto diet is not recommended for little ones because it seriously limits carbohydrates. Children need carbs to be mentally and physically active.
Registered dietitian Melissa Fossier says children on a healthy, well-balanced diet should typically eat about 130g of carbohydrates a day, whereas the keto diet limits carbohydrates to approximately 20-30g a day.
"Carbohydrates provide us with energy and important nutrients," explains Fossier.
"Children need carbohydrates for growth and development, to do homework, to read books and to go outside and play."
