“Santora”
Three rounds for reps of:
155 pound Squat cleans, 1 minute
20′ Shuttle sprints (20′ forward + 20′ backwards = 1 rep), 1 minute
245 pound Deadlifts, 1 minute
Burpees, 1 minute
155 pound Jerks, 1 minute
Rest 1 minute
Growing Up Paleo
Last night Eric and I ran into a friend who, over the course of the past six months, has moved to a Paleo way of eating and reaped the benefits. Both physical and health related indicators have improved and he was a happy camper, except for one thing – his elementary school age kids wanted nothing to do with Paleo foods. “Why can’t we have the good food?,” they would ask him. He shared his thought that if his kids had been fed Paleo foods from the get-go (as babies) that it wouldn’t be so difficult now. In other words – growing up Paleo had some significant advantages.
Not having kids it was difficult for us to recommend ways to transition a child from a traditional grain-based western diet to not only eating, but maybe even loving, Paleo foods.
Many Roots folks have seen the benefits of Paleo in their own health and fitness and successfully implemented it into their children’s way of eating.
So, what’s the secret? Post to comments.
After a year and a half of paleo, I still occasionally get the “when are we going off the diet? … I hate the diet,” from my six-yr-old Rex. First, I remind him of all the wonderful things he loves to eat, and eats more of since going paleo, namely fresh fruit, but also meat. Second, I remind him of his allergies that went away, especially the severe asthma attach that freaked us all out. He doesn’t have allergies or asthma since going paleo and he’s not on any meds.
Elsie (11) is probably celiac, if not just very gluten intolerant. She used to have severe abdominal cramping, and dark circles under her eyes. We figured out the gluten thing before going paleo, but there’s a good overlap. She’s in 3rd grade, and one of her classmates has Type II diabetes. She gets it.
Denham (13) is lean and getting stronger (now that she’s in Foundations!) But there was a time just a couple years back when Dia & I were very concerned about her weight. It seemed like she was on a path to obesity and we didn’t know what to do. Thank you paleo. Denham is old enough that the results (and seeing how her peers struggle) is motivation enough.
Finally, I would just say that nobody wins if you take a zero-tolerance attitude. Your kids will feel deprived and you’ll never hear the end of it. At our house, we do Friday Night Ice Cream Dance Party. So once a week, my kids get ice cream after dinner. This goes along way towards a since of compromise, instead of me being this food-nazi that never lets them have anything they want.
I would encourage all parents to move in the paleo direction. Your kids are more adaptable than you. I’ve come to believe that i have never done anything as beneficial for my kids than getting them off sugar and grains. Love them by helping them to thrive.
A little late in reading this but, wow, can’t believe there’s a kid in Elsie’s class that’s type II diabetic. I knew it was a problem but never knew anyone who knew a kid with it… especially here. Scary!
Hank,
Do you have resources and recipe sources you recommend?
Ben
http://everydaypaleo.com/http://www.growinguppaleo.com/
should have been two sites:
http://everydaypaleo.com/
and
http://www.growinguppaleo.com/
Ben, I don’t really have any resources to offer (but I’m going to check out Tracy’s websites). I’ve always been the family cook, so it was just a matter of tweaking what I was already doing. But, I can throw out some things that I do that help make it work.
1. Sunday Routine. Every Sunday I plan out meals, make my grocery list, and go drop a small fortune at Whole Foods. This includes breakfasts (mostly eggs and fruit) and lunches (mostly lunch meats, salads, veggies, fruit, nuts, chix/tuna salad if I’m feeling ambitious). The Sunday routine is critical for me b/c I work, and if I waited until after work to figure out what I was going to make for dinner, the paleo project would be sunk.
2. K.I.S.S. (i.e. Keep It Simple Stupid). Paleo dinners at my house are usually some piece of grilled meat and two veggies or leafy green (often one of those veggies will be starchy: sweet potato, cauliflower, squash, cabbage, etc.). I try to buy what’s seasonal and on sale. That means lots of salads in summer, and more squash/root veggies/brussel sprouts this time of year. The meat I grill is typically coated with olive oil, salt & pepper. The green veggie is often steamed. To add appeal, I love to drizzle some melted butter (or olive oil) and fresh lemon juice over green veggies, salt & pepper, delicious.
3. Make extra. Packing paleo lunches for the kids (or yourself) is a lot easier when you have great leftovers!
Welcome back TYD! It will be nice to see you around the gym and have you back on the Roots Team for Sectionals!
Thanks Molly, it’s good to be back!
My kid has been paleo from the get-go (I stayed paleo through pregnancy and now I’m paleo and he’s breastfeeding). Hopefully he’ll be happily paleo his whole life. At 2.5 months, he’s doing great – happy, thriving, never sick, and sleeps amazingly well. I attribute it to good nutrition.
I have no children….that I know of, but I’ve had a lot of discussions with parents that I’ve helped with Paleo and here’s the top 3 things they’ve told me:
1. Presentation is key. The cooler or more fun it looks, the better the chances are that they’ll enjoy it.
2. Let your kids help. Kids love getting their hands dirty, so when it comes to cooking let them get dirty. This also prepares them for the future when they’re on their own. It’s sad how many college kids have no idea how to cook and no intentions on learning.
3. Lead by example.
Honey (aka “paleo-sugar”). Feed them lots and lots of honey. Drizzle it on EVERYTHING! They will love you for it, and they won’t be able to complain because their little mouths will be stuffed with honey-covered goodness.
Bacon and Eggs in the morning. My kids aren’t exactly thrilled on the cerials I allow in the house (anything with sugar in it) so the transition of breakfast in our household with 2 you daughters one of which is particularly picky with food was sold with bacon and eggs!