Katie Ballue-Dommel Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Hello. My husband and I just started the Whole30 program this week, and I am totally confused on what to do with our kids. My almost 3 year old is acclimating well. She is loving soup, squash, roasts, broccoli, etc. But she also loves her cottage cheese and milk and cheese and so on. My 19 month old loves to eat food, and I'm not too worried about his nutrition there. But he can't have soy or dairy, and so since about 13 months he has been on almond milk or, more recently, coconut milk. My main concern was calcium and vitamin D, and I made sure he ate lots of black beans and other things like almond or coconut yogurt and fake cheese. The past few months, he has been having a lot of mucus in stools (even my daughter has) (and sorry...TMI) and this and our own issues are what has brought us to Whole30. Now that we are learning more and more, I am just wondering what on earth I am supposed to feed them to help them get their nutrition, and yet help them be healthy and not want processed food or sweets and not have GI issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted October 13, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 13, 2012 Carageenan is a common ingredient in the almond milk and coconut milk that comes in a carton and carageenan is unhealthy. None of the milks in a carton are really good for you due to the additives. Twenty minutes of sunshine produces plenty of vitamin D that the body can really use, so on days when you can get your kids outside, they get enough vitamin D. I take 5000 units of D3 on days I don't get outside. Dark leafy greens are rich in calcium. I think you should eat at least a serving per day. Milk is far from the only source of calcium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernadette Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I'm in the same boat with my kids wondering what to do. My 4 year old son is currently drinking 1-2 cups of So Delicious Coconut Milk. My 7 month old daughter will be off of formula in a few months and I was wondering what to do with her. What is carageenan and why is it bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Once they are eating solid foods, kids don't need milk or milk substitutes at all (just like adults don't). Offer them water, or, if milk is more of an emotional comfort thing, maybe wean them off it slowly using canned coconut milk or homemade almond milk (without the nasties). Here's Melissa's take on carageenan: Carrageenan is a concentrated, refined seaweed extract used to thicken processed foods, and is found in everything from deli meat to yogurt to chocolate. Carrageenan is significantly inflammatory if it gets into the body, which can happen with increased gut permeability. (Carrageenen is actually used in laboratory studies to createinflammation.) Furthermore, carrageenan may be degraded to components which can cross even a healthy gut barrier, even in tiny amounts. This makes it potentially nasty stuff; therefore it's out for the Whole30. We caution folks not to fall into the "it's natural" trap, as there are plenty of unhealthy substances that start off as a plant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernadette Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Good to know missmary. Thank you. I wish I wouldn't have switched my son from cow's milk to this. Now we will have to ween him off of this but better late than never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.