Musings on primal / paleo and children

[TheWaterHorse]

I came across the primal way of eating on here a few months ago and since then I've started reading more and more about it. I'm particularly interested in the biochemistry of how fats, carbohydrates and proteins are digested and the more I read, the more primal / paleo makes sense, although I haven't read any of the scientific papers that have been cited in what I've read (so I'm assuming that the way these papers have been interpreted in what I'm reading is valid rather than trying to judge this for myself, iyswim).

It all makes sense and I'm slowly shifting my diet more and more in this way. I should add I am interested in this purely for the potential health benefits and not as a means of losing weight.

I am having some problems though in finding ways to get enough fat into my diet (I'm not prepared to start eatings slabs of butter straight from the pack (yet ).

But. more importantly, what do I do with my DDs? DD1 eats an ok diet but she is quite fussy and definitely favours carbs. She is in nursery several days a week so out of my control food-wise on those days but I could in theory start to change her diet on the days she is at home (albeit that could have some interesting results if she objects!).

And DD2 is going to start weaning in a few weeks time. Do I push her diet towards a primal diet or stick to the more conventional approach?

In a way I feel that whilst there appears to be plenty of science to support the primal woe, it could all turn out twenty years down the line to have been a mistake. And it's one thing for me to start experimenting with my own diet and start freely eating saturated fats and so on, but it's another thing to do the same to my DDs.

At the moment, I think I'm leaning towards giving them a "normal diet" but trying to limit carbs a bit so it is somewhere in between. But as I'm almost starting to view bread as poison (and I love bread), this maybe isn't good enough.

Anyway, sorry this is so long. I'm not looking for definitive answers as such, as I'm still reading and thinking about this. But I would welcome any thoughts from others who are following a primal / paleo woe.

Thanks

[HeySoulSister]

How can it be a mistake a few years down the line? Cutting processed food won't ever have any ill side effects. I'm confidant with that one!

My dc eat all my food ( mix of paleo/low carb) that's their choice as they are teens

[TheWaterHorse]

Thanks SoulSister.

Agree that cutting processed food is definitely good and like I say, the science I have read makes perfect sense in terms of carbs raising insulin levels and therefore being bad, the body is best able to run on fat etc.

I suppose I'm just thinking that twenty-odd years ago when I first started getting interested in healthy eating everything I read then also made sense (albeit no biochemistry that I came across to back it up) and now it appears to all be discredited. Whilst there appears to be lots of research backing up primal, I haven't read it myself and it could be the case that in twenty years time the best advice changes again based on new research.

I'm 99% convinced this is the way to go, but then I was years ago when I moved to a low-fat way of eating. It's just taking me a while to fully absorb that saturated fat, cholesterol etc are ok and that wholegrains are not, when it completely contradicts what I have heard through most of my adult life!

[TheWaterHorse]

Meant to add, how long have you been eating paleo? And how did your DCs handle the transition? Did they see you eating that way and want to try it, or did you have to persuade them to try it first and then they decided to change?

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

I haven't managed to get my children over to paleo but I am pretty convinced wheat stuff isn't good for them! several posters on the main paleo/primal thread have successfuly transitioned their children.

Most people on the paleo/primal thread seem to give white potatoes to their children so if you add in starchy veg like squash and sweet potato their diet could be still quite high in carbs and pretty normal. Rice is a tricky one though, it is often considered safe but there are some concerns about arsenic in rice . I think focusing on encouraging your baby to eat a variety of foods is one way to avoid problems where safe food become unhealthy five minutes later. Trying to limit foods which can be addictive might be another idea.

Some standard weaning books suggest adding calories to toddler food with full fat milk cream cheese etc as growing babies and toddlers need the calories so i don't think fat will be too much of a deviation from the norm at a young age. Avacado and salmon are pretty standard baby weaning foods but high fat.

I am not sure that anyone on the main thread limits their childrens carbs though, it does seem to be mainly grains that are reduced.

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

DS seems inclined to be primal/paleo/clean naturally, he's 2 and a half and won't eat pasta, rice, cereal, mashed potato, cous cous, lentils, peanuts, hates processed pizza base etc and not that interested in cakes or sugary things like ice cream.

Basically he likes meat and veg dressed with butter and the odd sautéed potato. Raw carrot sticks and apples preferred snacks. Chunks of cheese, will eat plain Greek yogurt but not flavoured ones.

However he is mad on cheese goldfish crackers and ketchup which are a nutritionally pointless foods.

I didn't encourage this, I went 'clean'. Or paleo or primal or whatever you want to call it quite recently. He just was very determined to eat meat and 2 veg and not fussed by my fairy cakes! I did do blw and always offered protein at every meal but I'm not claiming credit for his tastes - he eats what he wants and cannot be cajoled.

He is a good example to me.

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

Funnily my dc either love veg or meat but none love both They are all pretty keen on things made from white flour though unfortunately particularly veggie loving ds. Guess children don't always conform to one normal way of eating whatever you bring them up eating.

[snowlie]

I think it's hard to change the way you eat because you believe in a healthier approach and not involve your children.

I want to give them the best start possible and that includes the best food. I have always been passionate about giving them additive free, good quality home cooked food, so the transition to primal isn't such a huge one. When kids are pre school it's pretty easy - you cook, they eat but as they get older what other people eat becomes almost as important to them, so compromise is needed for most kids who don't suffer from food intolerances, a balance is required in all things in the healthy foods versus junk foods war. Peer pressure needs to be sympathetically managed.
My dcs get chips made from fresh potatoes and lard or olive oil, as little seed oil as possible. They mostly eat gluten free. They eat rice and have gluten free pasta. They have been brought up on a very varied diet, so are quite used to me trying out new dishes all the time. They eat lots of veg, meat and eggs. They have oats for breakfast with double cream and bananas, so quite a lot of carbs.
I bake lots of Paleo treats for them, I'm obsessed with ice cream making atm - high in sugar/honey/maple syrup but also really high in nutrients - unlike their junk food cousins.

Mil gave them 2 big bags of sweets today - she'd made sure that they were additive free and asked my permission to hand them over - kids were overjoyed ( she doesn't do gifts due to her religion). This moment was more important to me than a primal diet - but it only happens maybe twice a year.

So I would say - aim for mostly clean eating, less focus on wheat based foods as far as possible but eat veg starches and rice, dairy too and be mindful of the importance of treats in a child's diet - and don't make them feel deprived.

[MaryBeardfanclub]

I have been reading loads on primal/paleo eating too and the more I read about grains esp wheat and carbs in general the more I feel like I am poisoning my dcs when I give them puffed wheat in the morning (they love it! although sometimes they now ask to have boiled egg mashed with butter or cheese and ham omelettes like me).

I have followed a low carb high fat woe for over a year myself and feel great. Now I am moving more towards paleo purely because there are so many blogs and recipe books aimed at paleo parenting so lots of recipes to try.

I have recently splurged and bought Eat Like a Dinosaur - for lunch ideas for ds1 who starts school in Sept. We initially thought we'd go with school lunches until I saw the menus - cheap refined carbs, minimal low grade protein and not much healthy fat. I could no way let him eat it. I have bought some lunch boxes with compartments and I'm just embarking on a monthly lunch plan...!

As for them eating fewer carbs, well there have been some successes but ds1 is very fussy and if he likes ribs this week, he wont touch them next week. ds2 gobbles most things up but cant eat/doesnt like big lumps of meat. So I am struggling - they both love LC pizza (base made with almond flour, egg and mozzarella) but ds1 cant take it to school because no nuts allowed. I am planning on making coconut flour pizza bases. But I need a lot more ideas.

They mostly have meat and potatoes meals as John Briffa suggested that was the way to go with children and he seems to speak a lot of sense. (usually sweet potato) So, it's definitely a journey but I am trying to be relaxed about us all moving in a paleo direction - dp has high blood pressure and high cholesterol so this woe would be best for him but he loves bread. I now make bread with einkorn flour, an ancient flour (got it off amazon) which has lower gluten content but I dont eat it. (read Wheatbelly and that has put me off wheat totally)

I just got an ice cream maker, arrived today so we'll be trying out various low carb icecreams this weekend I think, any recommendations?

re weaning, I recently read about a Paleo protein pudding as baby's first food on the mariamindbodyhealth blog - looks amazing.

sorry, incredibly long musings!

[snowlie]

Kallo make a Rice Krispie alternative, with very simple ingredients, yep it's sweet but it's Crispy unlike the sugar free version, which my kids end up adding honey to anyway.

My ice creams are currently made with double cream and condensed milk, they don't require churning - I've lost the paddle for my ice cream machine. I haven't had much success with coconut milk, am going to try coconut cream next to see if the texture is improved.

Downside with homemade ice cream is that it freezes quite hard and can be difficult to scoop so I have started to either line a loaf tin and fill, so I can slice the ice cream or filling silicone muffin trays and covering with cling film for individual portions.

[tillyfernackerpants]

I'm a recent convert to paleo eating as well and have started thinking more about my dses diet.

They both love pasta, rice, bread & breakfast cereals & would generally have some form of carb at each meal. I'd also got a bit lazy with dinner - using bought pasta sauce rather than making my own so I've gone back to home cooking, just have to be a bit more organised lol!

I've started limiting their carb intake but without bringing it to their attention - ds1 has noticed so we've had a chat about balanced diets etc but I don't want them obsessing over food or feeling like they can't have something, especially at school or at a friend's house. Does that make any sense? Interestingly, both dses prefer homemade food to bought processed food now - ds1 says its much tastier, and that shop-bought chicken nuggets are 'plasticky', neither of them pester for McDonald's any more either.

I know I'm rambling a bit but I guess what I'm trying to say is offering a wide variety of food is the best approach, and cooking as much of your own food as possible seems to educate their palate to pick the better option!

[GiraffesEatPineapples]

marybeardfanclub any chance of a few snippets from your lunch plan please!

Not being able to put nuts in lunch box is a real shame obv I understand about nut allergies. My ds isn't great with meat but he loves nuts.

[TheWaterHorse]

Thanks for all the replies, it's been very interesting reading your thoughts. It's also reassuring knowing others are thinking this way / living this way - makes it all feel more normal.

I think I'll try to gradually shift the emphasis of some meals away from bread and rice krispies (which I didn't really like dd1 eating even before I'd heard of primal).

Marybeard I would also love to see some extracts from your lunch plan if you have time to post.