How is it possible to do this with kids???

[baker-in-exile]

We're on day 6 of a whole family whole 30. I did one last year with good results and after a holiday season of binging on delicious, wheat-y, sugar-y baked goods (baker-NOT-in-exile over the holidays ;-)), I felt like it was really time to press the dietary reset button for everyone. Kids are 7 1/2, 4 1/2 and 19 months.

 

Our meals are according to the template and I'm trying to offer lots of kid friendly options - baked sweet potato fries, chicken "nuggets" (breaded with almonds), lightly brined veggie sticks (carrots, celery, cucumbers splashed with ACV and Himalayan salt). I been limiting fruit intake, but not to the extreme.

 

The problem is - my kids are miserable. Especially my 7yo, she is so grumpy, touchy and unreasonable about everything. We do have some underlying behavioral issues (which is one of the reasons I wanted to do the w30 with her) but holy cow...this is a new level of difficulty. Did I mention she appears to have very similar metabolic/blood sugar issues to what I had as a kid (symptoms said hypoglycemic, tests were negative)? She's very slender, eats constantly when we're off plan...

 

How do you go about eliminating snacking for a child who is literally hungry every hour? She's cleaning her plate at each meal and in the same quantity she would eat in a normal meal. She's eating carb-dense veggies like sweet potatoes and lots of fat (avocado, nuts, ghee, etc). I'm seriously questioning whether this is best for her right now...I would love to hear from other parents who have gone through this with their kids. I know that for her situation, she would benefit from the elimination of processed sugars and wheat products...but I'm wondering if she'd be better off if I included some grains like organic oats.

 

I just kind of need input and/or a shot in the arm. The other two are fine. Middle child is having a hard time eating her veg (as usual - nothing new there), but doesn't seem to be too hungry or unbalanced. She seems to have a naturally slower metabolism. The baby doesn't care - she eats what we eat and still nurses (a LOT).

 

 

 

[Mom2A&M]

I would let her eat as much compliant, healthily food as she is wanting and not limit it to three meals. I don't understand how adding oats would help.

[missmary]

kids are not the same as adults, and it is perfectly normal for them to be snacking. I would offer as much on-plan food as she will eat, 5 or 6 times each day or on request, and not worry a bit about too many carbs or too much fat. As long as she is healthy and active, she should be able to self-regulate her intake.

[bookluvingbabe]

Some days my six year old out eats both me and DH.  And some days he lives on air.   Sometimes the out eating us goes on for a few days.  We make sure it is nutritionally dense and hope we don't need to buy him new shoes when it is over.  Kids seems to grow in waves so as long as he is eating junk, we let him go to town.

[baker-in-exile]

Haha! MY 7yo is always out-eating both me and DH. We just shake our heads at the grocery budget and wonder when we adopted a football team.

 

I guess the answer is that I am just going to be CONSTANTLY cooking/preparing snacks. Which is probably partly where my frustration was to begin with...despite my efforts to have healthy snacks she can grab herself, they are gone in a day. I was raised with plenty of maternally-instilled food issues and I have NO desire to give my kids a scarcity complex or make them feel in any way like they're being rationed or limited or anything but OMG I am so tired of making snacks all the time. ;-) And they get bored so quickly! Carrot sticks are the "best ever!" one second and the next it's "I'm so tired of carrots! they're boring! I want bread!"

 

Oh well...it's good to know other mothers have succeeded here. That helps. Thanks ladies.

[bookluvingbabe]

Also, if you decide to include a grain in her diet, white rice is pretty innocuous and seems to make most kids insanely happy.  

 

Applegate cold cuts (turkey bologna and organic roast beef) are nice to have on hand to throw at children when hungry.  

 

The six year old will still eat frozen lima beans so we do those quite a bit.  

[Emily]

Can your 7yo help (and ultimately make) her own snacks? I have a 7yo also… she will get herself a carrot from the fridge and wash it (we don't worry about peeling it). She will also make herself an apple and almond butter (she puts a scoop of almond butter in a bowl, bites into the apple, then uses a spoon to put some almond butter on the bite part). She loves making herself ants on a log (with almond butter). She also likes black olives and hard boiled eggs.

 

Finally she will sometimes make herself a "salad" with pre-washed greens and already cut up chicken from the fridge.

 

I get that it is still a ton of prep work for parents; but I also involve the kids and helping them be independent (but still safe!).

[Emily]

Lol, the frozen lima beans made me remember -- when our seven yo was five she loved frozen green peas so much that she would "sneak" them out of the freezer!

 

Frozen pinapple is another liked snack (yes, a lot of sugar, but at least it isn't candy is my mindset)

[Noelle]

Some days my six year old out eats both me and DH.  And some days he lives on air.

 

My six year old does this too! It's a little maddening at times (six hard boiled eggs one day, none the next), but I figure he knows what he's doing.

 

I agree that giving your kids as much Whole30-friendly food as they want is the way to go, and not worrying about sticking to the "three meals, no snacks rule" (which also doesn't apply to nursing moms, for what it's worth). It's also completely exhausting to be preparing things constantly, so the more you can do in advance, the better!