Inquiring minds want to know what my daughter eats during an average day. She eats a pretty low carbohydrate diet in general. She doesn’t eat grains at all and doesn’t load up on fruit either. I do offer her a piece of fruit with nearly every meal (unless I forget which I often do because I don’t eat fruit…).
Breakfast:
1 thick slice of uncured bacon
Raw ground, grassfed beef
1 pasture raised egg scrambled in bacon grease
1 mandarin
Lunch:
pemmican with raw honey
1 hard boiled pasture raised egg
Beef and vegetable broth
2 slices tomato
Dinner:
Homemade coconut chicken nuggets
Peas and broccoli sauteed in left over bacon grease
Half a banana
Coming up with ideas
Probably the best resource I know of for kids recipes can be found at Everyday Paleo. Sarah Fragoso is a mother of three and a brilliant cook. She has a cookbook available for purchase on her website which offers quite a bit more interesting recipes than you would ever see here. I don’t like cooking elaborate meals. I keep things very simple around here. But I think it’s interesting to note that keeping things simple works just as well in this house as fancy cooking works in her house.
Some tips for making it work
- Eliminate packaged foods. The overly salty, enhanced colors and flavors will make natural foods seem dull, dirty, or earthy. Not only should processed foods be unavailable in the house but they should be removed from the list of “quick” options. In time, kids taste buds will forget the textures and flavors of packaged foods.
- Be consistent. Switching between primal diet and the SAD diet is confusing. How can you expect kids to know if it’s a primal day or a junk food day? They will beg for the junk food every day if they think it is an option at all.
- Keep food simple. Retrain taste buds to expect the flavors that grow on this earth. This makes it easier to offer snacks when you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to prepare special “kids snacks”.
- Offer fruit and PLENTY of fat. Kids have less of a need for protein than do adults and they have a pretty intense sweet tooth. Keeping their fat intake high will ensure they are satiated so that they don’t rely too heavily on carbohydrates.
- Be stern. Kids will beg for grains and sugar when they first make the switch (although this will get easier). If you give in, they will not respect your authority or take this lifestyle seriously.
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May 7, 2011 at 8:27 am
Good grief, you really have me thinking here. I may actually be able to turn my kids into primal beings.
Of course then there is the outside world… bake sales, friends’ houses, all places, where my children will pig out. Because even though they technically understand why I’m making these changes, they are unwilling to make them with me, when they’re away. I’m so happy for you, because you seem to have done this with your daughter ever since she was born. She’s a lucky girl.
May 7, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Keep trying to implement these changes at home. Find something they love about the primal diet and go with it. My daughter has been doing this since birth but she has outside influences too! There was a time when even she got fed lots of rice and other junk from other people and had to go through the same process of getting off it just like the rest of us.
Now we have kind of a deal. She has her special treats which she knows don’t have chemicals and food colorings, etc. (we talk about this stuff). So when she’s out and people offer her things, well, of course sometimes she takes it, but usually she refuses and then asks me for a special treat later.
One of her favorite things is pemmican with honey on top. We’ve found a few things she really loves and they are really special to her.
I have to add too that as kids get healthier, they become much more willing to follow this. They have fewer cravings, aches and pains, and mood issues. I believe you can do this if you are consistent and just keep it up!
May 12, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Hey there! I’m so excited to have found your blog (from a comment you left on Mark’s Daily Apple). I’ve only gone Primal for 2 weeks and am shocked at my transformation already! I’m a single mom and I can’t wait to convert my son to Primal. Do you suggest a total overhaul and immediate change or do you think eliminating/replacing one thing at a time is a better way? My son tends to buck change (he’ll be 5 next month). Gotta run and read all your posts! Jamie
May 12, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Adding in healthy foods to boost the child’s nutritional status could be beneficial because the added nutrients will help the boy’s mood and over all health. But in my experience the resistance won’t stop until you eliminate the source of the cravings.
During a phase when my daughter was eating grains a lot with other family members, she still ate great food at home but would whine for carbs and grains nevertheless. We went on and on like this until I finally got everyone to quit feeding her the grains. Then the whining was over, like a miracle.
Some people definitely need to be more compliant than others. If he’s giving you a lot of trouble, he may be one of those.
June 6, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Hi Peggy, I noticed the raw meat, is it uncooked? We don’t eat uncooked meat, and was wondering if you guys do. Just haven’t seen that before? Is that safe? Sorry for the ignorant questions.
Just found your comment on Mark’s Daily Apple also, and as a parent of 3 kids (almost 7, 4.5, and 20 months) also am interested in how to get the grains out. My hubby and I both are paleo/primal. Thank you so much!
June 6, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Hi Natalia,
Yes it is raw beef on her plate. That’s about the only way she’ll eat beef! I wrote previously about eating raw meat here https://theprimalparent.com/2011/04/06/it-is-safe-to-eat-raw-meat/
September 7, 2012 at 8:53 pm
I really hope you have an idea for me…we have been Primal for six weeks. My son is 23 months. He has never eaten much meat or eggs or cheese, he just won’t even put it in his mouth. For the first time today he ate a little egg. I don’t know what to get him to eat! He begs for bananas, and I have tried to keep them to one a day. He also enjoys coconut milk. I have been trying to get gelatin in drinks for him, but I can deal with all that. My biggest concern is with his poops. He is pretty much straight diarrhea for six weeks! Eliminated any dates, nut butter, almond milk, any (coconut flour) breads. what can be causing this? Bananas? Not enough protein? He has been enjoying chicken and sweet potatoes or carrots for lunch, and spaghetti squash with meat sauce for dinner, that type of thing. Ideas? I know asking the pediatrician will get me a full explanation of fiber and grains, so I don’t want to turn there…
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