Kids and the Whole 30 challenge?? Help please!

[staceylayne]

If you aren't familiar with Whole30 it is a month long elimination of sugar, dairy, all grains, soy and legumes (I think that's it?). So eating meat, veggies, fruit and nuts (but not peanuts). After a month we'll add stuff back slowly to see how it affects us. A lot of people start out with the Whole30 and go on to eat paleo or primal after that. We're doing this because I need a serious sugar detox and we're trying to determine what in our diet has been causing DH some intestinal discomfort. And we really just need a reset as I've been lazy with meal planning and prep so the whole family has backslidden when it comes to healthy eating. :doh

I just don't know what to do with the kids, ages 5.25, 3.5 and 16 months. I'm already not looking forward to all the extra planning and preparation, not to mention having to feed myself so much good-for-me stuff (veggies and I aren't the best of friends). :shifty So when I imagine trying to make such drastic changes for the kids too and fighting those battles every day...well, it just sounds miserable. (As I type I've diagnosed part of the problem as my attitude. :bag I'll work on that.)

BUT, I have a hunch that at least B is sensitive to something in his diet and it would be really good for them to have a "reset" also...they've been having a few too many grilled cheese or cheese quesadilla "meals" of late. And I know lots of you folks have kids on pretty restrictive diets as well and you've made it work.

So...how did you do it?

And would it be ok to kind of modify it for the kids? Like allow rice and corn and black beans but still stay away from dairy, gluten and soy? And what about the baby??

[Katigre]

If yo'ure going Whole 30 with the kids then I would add in the higher carb paleo-friendly items like white rice and quinoa but ditch corn for sure as it's a grain.

FWIW, I have not been strict with the kids in our eating and they've gradually aligned with a more paleo approach and haven't even asked for the grains I do keep in the house for them in a few days which has surprised me.

[staceylayne]

If yo'ure going Whole 30 with the kids then I would add in the higher carb paleo-friendly items like white rice and quinoa but ditch corn for sure as it's a grain.

FWIW, I have not been strict with the kids in our eating and they've gradually aligned with a more paleo approach and haven't even asked for the grains I do keep in the house for them in a few days which has surprised me.

Thanks for the tips! I still need to learn more about paleo eating. May I ask why white rice over brown or wild?

I *wish* my kids would eat quinoa. I love it and have prepared it in a variety of ways but they're still not interested. :-/ Maybe after a few days without pita chips, cereal and sandwich bread they'll be more inclined to try it. :shrug3 Here's to hoping!

[Katigre]

This has some info on the topic (especially toward the end of the article) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-rice-unhealthy/

Here is the food pyramid I work from and might give you some good ideas: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/introducing-the-new-primal-blueprint-food-pyramid/

www.paleoparents.com has recipes too and their stuff tends to be kid-friendly, their cookbook has good ideas.

You could do tapioca pudding, smoothies, baked goods from www.elanaspantry.com (watch the sugar content), etc...

[staceylayne]

Thanks so much for the links! :) I'll look more closely after kids are in bed.

Is it ok to restrict baby's diet so much? :nails I've just had "MILK FOR BABIES" drilled into my head for so long...she doesn't really drink milk but eats plenty of yogurt and cheese.

[Katigre]

I would really not intentionally restrict their diets much :no. If she likes yogurt then see if she'll switch to plain with berries instead of flavored (lots of added sugar). Basically, within each food group they eat now opt for healthier choices but don't cut out any food group that doesn't have a known food reaction.

[Mother of Sons]

I think whole30 is fine for kids. Don't look at it as restrictive. It's not. Focus on the good food you can eat. There is a ton of healthy and amazing food to eat on this diet!

For example are you going to feel deprived if you had:

Fried eggs with onions, peppers and ham with mixed fruit for breakfast

Taco salad with guacamole for lunch

Cinnamon apple slices for snack

Bacon wrapped stuffed chicken with roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes.

It's not a deprivation diet. Focus on the ingredients that are good and make tasty meals. Just be prepared at first to make a lot.

[ncsweetpea]

When I did Whole 30 I would make a Whole 30 meal and offer white rice as a side for anyone who wanted it if it went with the meal. Like chicken stir fry.
Most meals I did completely Whole 30 and people ate well.

You may want to check out a blog called Whole Family Strong. She writes about feeding her kids Paleo. With photos!

I would also do a lot if menu planning so you have a concrete plan in place when something not so healthy calls your name.

[chasingbutterflies]

When I did Whole 30 I would make a Whole 30 meal and offer white rice as a side for anyone who wanted it if it went with the meal. Like chicken stir fry.
Most meals I did completely Whole 30 and people ate well.

You may want to check out a blog called Whole Family Strong. She writes about feeding her kids Paleo. With photos!

I would also do a lot if menu planning so you have a concrete plan in place when something not so healthy calls your name.

I know this is an old thread, but I found it while searching. I am doing this too...I'm doing Whole30 since low carb seems to agree with my body, I needed a reason to go off of dairy, and I need to lose some weight. We've been doing a lot of meat/veggie/rice on the side type meals. The kids and DH happily eat the rice, I skip it, everyone's happy ;)

[MomtoJGJ]

What else could you use to fill that spot besides white rice? I think this is something that would be good for us, but DH would have to have CARBS (in his mind... he's the type who, when ordering at a restaurant, he'll get mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and french fries!)

ETA: and he would'nt want rice every day....

[chasingbutterflies]

I wouldn't have any problem doing pasta, etc either. I am trying to avoid sides that tempt me to eat them though :giggle IOW I'm not going to make DH homemade mac & cheese anytime soon...

Sweet potato fries? Baked sweet potatoes? those are paleo and still nice and carby.

[staceylayne]

I'm the OP and we're on day 3 of our challenge. I'm officially avoiding dairy, added sugar, soy and wheat for the kids. I wouldn't be so strict except I want to discover if one of these things causes B's loose stools and mild eczema. (I realize it's not sugar, but I think a sugar detox is good for all of us right now.)

So they can still have their oatmeal with berries in the morning and I'm willing to offer rice or non-wheat alternative at supper time, but haven't needed it yet. (Like I said...it's just day 3 ;)) The kids have been doing great! We're calling it our "Healthy Food Challenge" and so far they've really been WAY less distressed about the missing bread, cheese and sweet snacks than I expected! And less distressed than I've been, honestly. :shifty

[MomtoJGJ]

I think I"m going to do this between our trip to MS and then when we go to AL in July. It won't be a whole 30 days... more like 3 weeks... but I think I'd be able to find out who it benefits in that time. :think I've told DH and I told him it wasn't going to affect him too much because his breakfast will still be the same.... but instead of sandwiches for a meal each day we'll have two "big" meals each day. (for us pretty much anything not sandwiches or cereal is big meal)

hmm... can you do rice cereal with almond milk? I'm trying to think of things for the kids that would be similar to their sweet stuff they get. We don't add sugar to cereal.

Where can I go to see more specifics about this?

[staceylayne]

This (http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/) is a good place to start. :)

[chasingbutterflies]

if you're okay with dairy, unsweetened greek yogurt + berries is a big hit with my boys.

[MomtoJGJ]

I think I"m going "all the way" with the exceptions of white rice, oats, green beans, sugar snap, and snow peas.