Paleo/Primal and kids

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geekpryncess
geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
I'm trying to switch to a paleo/primal way of eating, because I feel losing the sugar and gluten are what I need to do for my body. I've been losing and gaining the same 10 lbs for the past year and I'm over it.

Anyway, I've been trying to switch for the past couple of weeks, with the mentality that I would do it gradually, as I finish up non-paleo stuff in the house, I don't rebuy it. However after my son suggested nachos last night and my ridiculously quick answer "yes" (demonstrating my lack of willpower here...), I finally decided/realized I need to go through the pantries and just pull out all the grains and rice and chips and stuff. Started doing it this morning before work and already have the entire kitchen table filled, and I haven't even touched the fridge or cabinets yet!

My question is, is it fine to expect my child to eat full paleo/primal (he's 12)? I am sure he will have non-paleo stuff when at school, etc. but do I need to go out of my way to make sure any specific thing is kept in the house for him? My friend who eats very healthy says she likes to keep carbs for her son, who is in sports, etc. because he needs them. Idk if that's scientific or not. I just want my son to be healthy. But as a single mom, I also need to have food around for him that is easy for him to prepare. Like sandwiches, tortillas, etc. (Not saying I need to specifically keep those around, but what are easy paleo alternatives?)

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  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Yes, it's fine for him to eat Paleo. There's no reason for him not to.

    If he's highly active, you may need to increase his carbs (boys, especially, lose weight really easily on Paleo, it seems), but you can do that by keeping fruit, potatoes, and other Paleo carb sources around for him. Make your own fries from potatoes and sweet potatoes, make mashed sweet potatoes, etc. If it's tolerated and if you want, you can even keep white rice around (often considered a "neutral" grain, because it doesn't really have the anti-nutrients that brown rice and other grains have).

    As for "easy to make" stuff, you can do a lot of the same things you probably do already, just nix the bread and eat it from a bowl, or lettuce (or bacon) wrap it.
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    Thanks for the response, that's good to know about the rice. I do have a large bag of white rice that I can keep for him. I'm not a huge rice/pasta person so that's not much of a temptation for me. My weakness is sweets, but the hardest "healthy" thing for me to give up is going to be beans. I love(d) beans - bean soup, chili with beans, nachos with beans, etc. I'm pretty sure about half the stuff on the kitchen table right now is about 6 or so cans of beans, along with 2-3 bags of dry beans, haha. I'm still debating whether or not to make one last pot of bean soup before I haul all of that stuff off!

    It's going to take a bit of adapting to get used to new foods, he's never been a big fan of sweet potatoes (one of my favorite thanksgiving dishes! of course smothered in brown sugar and marshmallows...ack). But I think if I start experimenting and making them in different ways, we'll both learn to love other ways of preparing them.

    I figure I'll just start making some of these recipes and if he's hungry, he'll eat. If not, well then, he'll get hungry eventually and have to eat something anyway! LOL. I would say he is moderately active. Up until the last year or so, very active and thin, but last year or so he's slowed down and staying in more and starting to put a little weight on. He used to have an adorable baby 6-pack but now has a small belly bulge. Nothing you can see when he is clothed, but I can tell I need to change up both of our diets somehow.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    I 100 % agree with dragonwolf on the higher carb for growing boys and man in general. My son almost 5 and he is already on the low end of normal weight and my husband is a skinny fat , who used to be severely underweight and even the worst SAd diet he never been obese, so they need higher carb.
    I cut out wheat and bad grains, but I kept the white rice, and all kinds potatos for them, and they eat a lots of fruit.

    I also bake paleo goods. I bake coconut paleo bread /tortillas and almond flour muffins and even some cookies for them.
    I know many paleo people despise paleo baked goods, but it makes the transition so much easier for kids and family members who are not 100% on board and can not leave the idea of sandwich behind (yet?).
    I think paleo coconut bread/tortillas are a good compromise , as they only have coconut flour, eggs, salt, baking soda , but no sugar if you end up eating it is fine. Paleo tortillas great for making pizza and even quesadilla if you keep the cheese for them, which I do. Coconut flour is like a sponge it takes so many eggs, and very easy and fast to bake. A half cup coconut flour absorbs a dozen eggs and makes a dozen 4" flatbread. I make it on the weekend when the oven already on for a roast , and gets my me through the week making sandwich for them.

    Of course the muffins and/or cookies have honey and/or maple syrup so they high in (natural) sugar, so that is a bit iffy if you can not resist them. I no longer crave them, hence I do not mind keeping those around. I bake sweet stuff from almond flour once a month in a large quantities and freeze them in small batches, and just pull them out as needed. Freezing actually improves the texture and they defrost super fast.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Thanks for the response, that's good to know about the rice. I do have a large bag of white rice that I can keep for him. I'm not a huge rice/pasta person so that's not much of a temptation for me. My weakness is sweets, but the hardest "healthy" thing for me to give up is going to be beans. I love(d) beans - bean soup, chili with beans, nachos with beans, etc. I'm pretty sure about half the stuff on the kitchen table right now is about 6 or so cans of beans, along with 2-3 bags of dry beans, haha. I'm still debating whether or not to make one last pot of bean soup before I haul all of that stuff off!

    It's going to take a bit of adapting to get used to new foods, he's never been a big fan of sweet potatoes (one of my favorite thanksgiving dishes! of course smothered in brown sugar and marshmallows...ack). But I think if I start experimenting and making them in different ways, we'll both learn to love other ways of preparing them.

    I figure I'll just start making some of these recipes and if he's hungry, he'll eat. If not, well then, he'll get hungry eventually and have to eat something anyway! LOL. I would say he is moderately active. Up until the last year or so, very active and thin, but last year or so he's slowed down and staying in more and starting to put a little weight on. He used to have an adorable baby 6-pack but now has a small belly bulge. Nothing you can see when he is clothed, but I can tell I need to change up both of our diets somehow.

    I always hated sweet potatoes, in large part because of the "drowned in sugar and covered in marshmallows" monstrosity, though I didn't really care for fry-form, either. Then my husband found a mashed sweet potato recipe that I fell in love with.

    About 5lb of sweet potatoes
    3/4 cup of milk (I use dairy milk, but I bet almond milk would rock in this)
    1/2 cup butter/ghee
    1/2 cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not the Aunt Jemima crap)

    Peel and cube potatoes, boil until soft
    Add everything to a large bowl and blend together
    Enjoy!

    Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Foods also has a recipe for cayenne mashed sweet potatoes. I haven't tried it yet (thinking about doing it tonight), but when I do, I'll report back.
  • spatulathumbs
    spatulathumbs Posts: 125 Member
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    I have a two year old and a husband who is 6'3 with a very healthy appetite, and since I am the main reason for switching our household to a healthier way of eating, I've definitely dealt with the same kind of issues as many parents here have, I'm sure. What i discovered, though, was that my son loves cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, carrot straws, meat and cheese rollups with mustard for dipping... we do have the occasional PB&J when we're out and that's the least-worst option, and even with my own eating I am not 100% strict paleo. But mashed sweet potatoes with butter and bacon crumbles on top? He's sold. So just try to add in new things as you go, be flexible, give him the chance to try and taste and have his own opinions. My son doesn't always eat a ton of food but I do notice that when we're out and about, he's all over the fig newtons/oreos/breads/crackers because we don't get them at home.

    Give it time. You will come up with good ideas for him and especially so if you involve him in the decision-making process. 12 is a great age to learn some good cooking skills and if you work together to pre-prep things you will have much better success. For example, you two can chop and steam-sautee veggies like carrot circles, chopped red cabbage, and spinach, then top with cooked ground beef and some cumin, cheese if you tolerate it, and your own mix of taco seasonings for an amazing meal that you can portion out and freeze. If he can operate a microwave he can heat a snack like that for himself. I just think Meat + 2 Veg + seasonings = yum. Lol. But I am lazy. :)
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    Dragonwolf, that recipe sounds delicious, and I will be making that this weekend!

    redheadmommy, the coconut flour tortillas sound like a good compromise, I just have to find time to make this stuff. My son is pretty easy going about foods, he loves to try new stuff and has never been a picky eater. He will try anything once. He eats sushi, and even weird stuff at the Chinese buffet that I wouldn't touch, like baby octopus!! Ick! I can't really think of anything off top of my head that he absolutely doesn't like. He did get a little upset with me at the store today because I wouldn't buy him any cereal, even though I stopped buying cereal a few months ago. He was even trying to get me to go for the Cheerios (not his first choice normally) because "they're healthy, mom!" LOL.

    Finished cleaning out all the cabinets, pantry, and fridge - came out to 11+ bags of non-paleo food! Yikes. There are still some things in the fridge like soy sauce and whatnot, but that stuff I use like once a year, so I'll just give to my mom or someone else when they come to visit. Feels very cathartic to get all of this out of my house and hopefully it will help me to get on the right track with making better choices and decisions.

    Today was my last day of "riding the fence" as far as my food intake. No more grains and sugar! Going to try to do the whole30 and then adapt to an 80% or better paleo diet.
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    spatulathumbs, I like your suggestion about meal planning: 1 meat, 2 veggies, & seasonings. I am lazy too (aka mom/full-time job/full-time student) and have little to no time for extensive recipes and meal planning! That thought process will help me keep from getting overwhelmed (like I was there for a bit) thinking I have to make all these fancy recipes with a ton of veggies I never heard of. Like a parsnip. What the heck is that?!
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Parsnips are good! At the store they look like white carrots. They taste sweeter can be turned into awesome fries.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    Yup, dump the non-food. Health is priceless.

    My child eats Primal/Paleo. Children will of course resist change- remember: you are the mom- but this lifestyle is absolutely healthy for children. Since I enjoy a ketogenic version of Paleo, I do allow my child more things than I allow myself. She eats more fruit and I even let her have rice, potatoes, and organic popcorn (this is where I cave in too) a couple of times per month. I also make homemade granola bars that do have natural sweetening in them, but I reduce by half what the recipe calls for.

    There have been vast improvements in my child's behaviour and health since making the change 16 months ago.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    I just wanted to share my fav paleo blogger thought on kids carbohydrate needs.
    http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/08/carbohydrate-recommendations-for-kids.html
    She practically recommends ~40% carb intake for kids, which translate to half - three quarter of their plate to be fruits and vegetables. She not advice to count it, but gives an explanation of higher carb needs
    Human breastmilk contains upto 55% of the calories from carb, which gives a very good indication of small children needs as kids used to be nursed for 4-5 years in the gatherer societies. She share the view of The Perfect Health Diet, which recommend 20-30% carb for adult ( for maitanance).
    Based on this obviously the older the child is less the carb requirements, but 40% is a good rule of thumb.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    I don't think that breastmilk in and of itself is a justification for a diet high in carbs. The oligosaccharides in breast milk are estimated to be about 200, and the 140 of them that are identified are found in no other foods in nature. Also, the oligosaccharides are unique in each mother. Obviously, breast milk is a complex food that has no replacement. In fact the protein, fat, carbs only make up a small part of breast milk. Surprising! (According to my calculation, carbs are 42%, but it depends on the mom and her own diet and whether it's hind milk or fore milk and how long breast feeding has occured.)

    I'm sure that my child probably gets 40% carbs, but I don't think there would be any negative impact if her carbs were at 20%. If her carbs only came from vegetables and reasonable amounts of fruit then it would likely be at 20%. However, I do let my child have fruit based smoothies, sweetened yogurt (limited), potatoes and rice (occasionally).. etc. Obviously, she has no metabolic disorder where carbs need be strictly limited but it would be the first thing I would look at if there is a problem. And honestly, I do think I allow her too many carbs. But she also doesn't enjoy fatty foods as much as I do so I respect that perhaps her body has different needs than mine.
  • mandabrett
    mandabrett Posts: 139 Member
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    I'm gradually transitioning my kids. As of now I have them gluten free other than my daughters bread addiction. My husband won't let me stop buying it. We have made a lot of progress still despite the bread. In the next few months I hope for a paleo home. My husband is the only barrier and his only vice is he feels he has to have it bread. We will make it all the way eventually. It's so hard to change their diets. It's best though. No doubt.
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    I'm gradually transitioning my kids. As of now I have them gluten free other than my daughters bread addiction. My husband won't let me stop buying it. We have made a lot of progress still despite the bread. In the next few months I hope for a paleo home. My husband is the only barrier and his only vice is he feels he has to have it bread. We will make it all the way eventually. It's so hard to change their diets. It's best though. No doubt.

    I guess that is one small plus to being a single parent household. I get to make all the rules, lol! I hauled everything "bad" away this weekend, although I am still finding a few things I overlooked, it's still very refreshing to know that the majority of my pantry is healthy now. I don't think we're going to miss the bread and such too much, as it was I only bought a loaf or two a month.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I'm gradually transitioning my kids. As of now I have them gluten free other than my daughters bread addiction. My husband won't let me stop buying it. We have made a lot of progress still despite the bread. In the next few months I hope for a paleo home. My husband is the only barrier and his only vice is he feels he has to have it bread. We will make it all the way eventually. It's so hard to change their diets. It's best though. No doubt.

    It might help to switch to a gluten free bread, such as Udi's in the meantime. At least that would get them off the gluten stuff entirely.