Anyone done a Whole30 with a large family?

[jenp8]

I have 7 kids (ages 17 down to 1) and want to do a whole30. My kids are pretty good about eating whatever I fix so I'm planning on just making large amounts of what I am choosing to eat. Since I am having to learn new dishes (I usually cook from scratch anyway, but am used to using grains, legumes, dairy etc) AND cook such large amounts, I am trying to plan out meals and shopping lists and I'm feeling very overwhelmed at getting this right, having enough of the right foods on hand, and not falling back into familiar dishes because I don't know what to fix. Any suggestions?

[Karen]

I have 4 stepkids. I get by when I do a big cook up on the weekend. I plan my meals, shop, and prep all the food. Chop, marinade, etc. Kids can help. Then during the week I just cook them and don't have to prep anything. Good luck, you can do it!

[ednjenn]

I have 8 kids and 1 on the way.   From 15 on down.   I am super struggling to do something like this for a large family both in what it takes to prepare and purchase, to what we eat overall.   They are all "Healthy" by medical standards with body fat, all 50th percentile on the nose etc.   However it's the parents who want it and we have a 1 year old with eczema who could benefit I'm sure.   The derailment always happens around the sustainability of that much fresh food.   with a breakfast of 2 dozen eggs, pounds of fruit etc it gets crazy to feet our 11 folks this way not to mention super expensive to cut out the oatmeal, the wheat bread, the rice and pastas.    We have yet to manage it.   So Dad eats one way, mom another and kids yet another, but all together.   We've done the whole 30 as parents but not as a whole family unit.   Now I (dad) am trying to do it again and make it through the work week fine but home is a challenge.   Interested to see how many people answer up!

 

 

[ByGraceAlone]

I'm gearing up to do our first W30, and we have 5 kids, ages 9 down to 10mo. My plan will be to make up simple lunches (baked chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, with lots of butter) for me and my husband on the weekend that we can grab-and-go through the week. Also planning to make some kind of mini-frittatas for breakfast. Kids will probably still have some oats and sandwiches at breakfast and lunch, and eat a Whole30-compliant supper together. I will try to feed the kids W30 breakfast and lunches when there's enough to go around, but while I'm just trying to wrap my head around how to do it for myself, I'm not worried about whether the kids follow 100%. I'm going to focus on getting their meal and snack ratios to reflect the W30 template, making sure they get quality protein and fat each time they eat, because they've fallen into a rut of mostly carb-y meals.I imagine I'll be able to tweak their diets more toward the end and after my W30, once I've got a handle on it.

[ByGraceAlone]

Oops, I meant to say clarified butter in our lunches.

[Kelsy_Eldee]

I'm curious as well! We are a family of 12.

[SavvyMama]

I'm also interested in this. I have 5 children 19 down to 2. My kids are having health issues so I have to make this work. Here's the ideas I have so far, but I'm still trying to plan all this out:

 

COSTCO

 

canned chicken

aidell sausage

turkey burgers

almond butter

chicken and ground beef

 

sweet potatoes (if they still have them, they are seasonal there)

maybe regular potatoes? I hate to do non-organic but the organic ones I find are so small and don't cook up right

frozen organic green beans, brocolli, seasoned sweet potatoes (there are SO good)

-my issue with Costco is that they recently had a food recall on their organic fr veggies so my trust has been lost some, yk?

 

 

Obviously, there is more I need to figure out but I'm just throwing out some food ideas. I'll write more here when I get more figured out, I'm at the very beginning stages of planning this.

[Karen_Suep]

Just be careful with the canned chicken. My Costco has non compliant:( but I've found compliant tuna! Just remember that because it seems like it should be compliant doesn't always make it so. Read labels for eeeeverything.

[solmon]

    Don’t force younger children to eat everything on their plate – kids quickly get tired of the same taste, which is why they often only eat half of their main course but still want a pudding – they’ve simply got bored with the taste of the main course.

    Avoid using food as a reward – it simply becomes more desirable. But that’s not all – other foods become less desirable, too. In other words, telling children they can have some sweets if they eat their veg simply makes the sweets more alluring and the veg less appealing!

    Get children involved at mealtimes – younger children in particular are far more likely to eat something they’ve made themselves so let them help you cook healthy meals such as fishcakes, homemade burgers, fruit muffins, wholemeal scones, smoothies and sandwiches. Meanwhile, encourage teenagers to eat with the family.

    Encourage children to eat regularly, especially breakfast – studies show that breakfast eaters tend to be slimmer than people who skip this meal.

    Don’t make your child’s weight and size an ‘issue’. To help your child lose weight focus on good nutrition, avoid using the ‘diet’ word, don’t weigh your child regularly and lead by example – if you eat sensibly and exercise frequently, your child will be more likely to do the same.

    Talk to your child about the benefits of eating well and looking after their body.Health is generally not a priority for children so focus on other issues that are important to them.

    For example, for teenage girls explain that a healthy diet will give them glowing skin, shiny hair and strong nails, give them more energy to go shopping with their friends and help them concentrate so they’ll perform better in their favourite subjects at school.

    For boys, explain that eating well will help to build and tone muscles, give them great skin and help them do well in their favourite sports.

    Find out what’s on the menu for school dinners and discuss with your child whether they’d prefer packed lunches. If they want school dinners, talk to them about the healthier options they could choose, for example, a jacket potato with cheese and salad rather than a hot dog and chips. If they’d prefer packed lunches, follow the tips for healthy packed lunches.

    Encourage the whole family to be more active and include plenty of fun activities, for example, playing football in the park, going ten pin bowling or going for a cycle.

    Use sports activities as an opportunity to spend some quality time with your children, too. For example, mums and daughters could go to dance or aerobics classes together, while dads and sons have a game of squash.

    Take a look at what the whole family are eating – kids rarely have bad eating habits on their own so if your child is gaining too much weight, it’s unlikely the rest of the family is having a healthy diet. If this is the case, encourage a healthy, balanced diet for everyone.

[Busymomma13]

I am a mom to 13, but "only" nine are still living at home, lol.

I am eating Whole 30, my hubby is now gluten and sugar free (working towards W30), but my kids are eating the way they always have

I am going to change that, but I need to get healthy and find more money to be able to get my well family W30 compliant, plus get then mentally ready too!

[kirkor]

Send @HealthyForPNG a message, she should have some good tips.

[ntmom7]

We have 7 very active kids from 15-3. No one has body fat or weight issues. They all run cross country (except the 3 year old) and we homeschool so they are always outside. We are 16 days into our whole 30. We are going through 2 dozen eggs for breakfast and then some. I'm often not getting enough to eat because they are eating a TON!!!! We have always eaten well. We live on a homestead and have a dairy cow. Normally when they are still hungry we say have another glass of milk. We are doing a whole 30 while she is waiting to have her next calf. They ate 10 lbs of potatoes for dinner one night along with their chicken and other veggies. I don't mind the amount of food (so much). But I'm killing myself in the kitchen. Aside from precooking veggies for breakfast eggs, and precooking chicken for lunches, any prep ideas? It's canning season here as well, so I've been chained to the kitchen for the last 16 days. My family loves the food, but I'm exhausted. Any tips or hints? Also, we need more fat. I only have a few that like avocados. We are eating coconut with raisins for breakfast with our eggs and veggies, ranch, pesto, and guacamole. Any other things I can add? Thanks for the help. 

[J9er]

First of all, you are amazing!! What an awesome thing to do for your family. What about using your slow cooker? I have no experience cooking for that many people, but I do lots of prepping, to spend less time in the kitchen.

I make huge batches of food because I dehydrate leftovers for backpacking trips and using my slow cooker has saved me. You could aim to have something in there every time you're prepping. I buy large pork shoulders and make Nom Nom Paleo's kahlua pig, or Mel Joulwan's chocolate chili. Just google whole30 slow cooker, and you may get some ideas. A lot of people are starting to use pressure cookers more too, and there are tons of pressure cooker recipes out there. Mel Joulwan's website also has a great batch cooking guide. Maybe you could try that, on a larger scale? Just google Mel Joulwan weekly cook up.

I don't know if using frozen vegetables is an option for you? I'm not the hugest fan, but I use them to send in my husband's lunch because he doesn't mind, or if I really just don't feel like prepping. Even if you used them for the occasional meal it would help save time.

As for fat, drizzle coconut oil or olive on the food before serving, make mayo, dollops of coconut cream, there are tons of sauces you can make, but I imagine you want to get away from making more things!

[CarolineatMyCasaCaoba]

Wow, so many big families!  I've got 4 toddlers, so a little nervous.  I used to be pretty good about serving clean food, but now that they're pickier (2, 3, 3, and 4), and let's face it I'm more exhausted, I've been resorting to sandwiches, and rice pudding a lot lately.  

Gonna start our whole30 today, hoping to get back on track.

[HiD]

So grateful to see this thread! 6 kids. 5-17. A head of cauliflower baked is an appetizer that they scarf down. A 10 pound bag of carrots is annoying to peel, but when baked they eat them super fast (and then I have to peel another 10 pounds). Chicken by the 10s of pounds, shredded, and then used for everything for a bit. Then a turkey, then a pork roast, etc. WOW. Avacodos by the dozen. Frozen bags of veggies in their brown rice. Venison from Grandpa. It's just never ending. I just never understood the complexities of cooking HEALHTY for this many people (and I work!). A little overwhelmed...

We have a pressure cooker (Instant Pot), and I'm trying to use that more. Beans and rice are must, for the kids (not for hubby and I). 

[walley5]

Family of 12 here....  I'm on my 4th Whole30.  The first one, the whole family did it.  We ate great - my husband loved it, because I was the one doing the planning and cooking ;-)   We ate a lot of salads for lunch, kind of like a salad bar where I would put out greens and then lots of toppings for them to choose from.  Right now I am the only one doing it and I have to say it was easier when we all did it.  I am making Whole30 dinners for everyone but they make their own breakfasts and lunches on weekdays so they eat differently for those meals.  Usually eggs for breakfast - often scrambled with sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms and sometimes potatoes.  Dinner is usually a meat with some veggie sides.  In the cooler months when we've done it, soups and stews were good.  Applesauce, fruit, and nuts are good snacks.

[CatholicDad]

It's good to see other families are living Whole30.  We are a family of 7, including my dad who lives with us (he's not following the Whole30 program).  It's been awesome to see the kids get involved in preparing our meals and eating foods other than ramen noodles or boxed mac and cheese.  I'm curious to see just how their tastes change over the course of our 30 days.  Of course as they are kids, we ask them to try to stick to the plan but, I'm not going to force my 15 year old son or younger kids who's still growing to not eat a healthy snack from time to time.

[tgarcia02]

Hi there!!

Wow! Compared to most in this forum my family of 6 (3 children (ranging from 10-15) & an 18 year old nephew) is really small! I guess it just feels much bigger than it actually is. Anyway, I've begun reading THE WHOLE30 and plan on implementing it in our household on June 18, 2018. I have to admit I'm very nervous as I continue to read through THE WHOLE30, create grocery lists, meal plans and begin the process of purging the non-compliant inventory in my pantry/fridge/freezer. I'm interested in seeing how larger families, especially those that include children, have fared on the program. Are there any non-obvious suggestions or experiences that any of you have had that could be beneficial to me and my family? I mean... knowledge is power, right??

The main goal is to "reset" our bodies in order to determine what works best for each of us as individuals in order to live our best lives in a more health-conscious manner. (Spoken like a true millennial... I know.)

My 11 year old son has seasonal (although they're really more like year-round) allergies as well as digestive issues. I'm super interested to see the response his body has regarding his allergies while on the program. I'm not a fan of constantly feeding him allergy medications and hope that cleansing his system will reset his body and reverse the severity of his allergies. As far as his digestive issues go, he's cut back on his dairy intake which has helped drastically but hasn't eliminated the issue completely. I'm super interested in seeing what benefits he experiences with his stomach and digestive track while on the program.

The rest of us have more "minor issues" we would like to see improve that include: lethargy, migraines, sleep deprivation, an inability to focus or concentrate, lack of motivation, etc.

Any feedback regarding your own experiences would be great. I've began discussing my plan with so many individuals and while I have great support, there are also many naysayers.... I mean, is it really possible to do the program successfully with your family or am I being overzealous and unrealistic..??

The Newbie,
Tina

[ntmom7]

We are trying this again. I have started a blog this time to track what we are eating. Tonight we ran out of food yet again. I made a HUGE pot of chili and there was not enough left for "second dinner" after sports. I read back through some of my older posts and realized that we struggled with this last time too. Anyway, here is the link to my blog if you want to follow along with what we are eating throughout this. We just finished day 7. It's much easier this time around with the instant pots we own. I'm trying to keep track for other large families. We have 7 kids. Last time we did this there just was not a lot out there for meal ideas for big families. Tina, our 11 year old has the same issues, and we are also trying to clear up his ears. He has tubes and is constantly filled with fluid. Hoping to curb the mucus on him and help with the acne for our 15 year old. So much work, but easier this time around since all of the kids are older and more independent. 

https://rebelroadtn.wixsite.com/idontneedanexpert

[AR3825]

I don’t have a huge family, but I’m really curious about if fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables are more sustainable? I only have one, and when she hits a growth spurt the pantry is torn through. I can’t imagine trying to keep 5+ fed this way which is why I’m curious about the fresh vs. frozen. I was trying to move on because this topic is not directly related to me, but I can’t put it to rest in my mind until I can get answers based on your experiences. That is if you all don’t mind sharing.