Paleo Diet with Kids?
Mon, July 01, 2013 11:11 AM
My doctor points out that there is no conclusive evidence supporting the role of diet in ulcerative colitis. My UC is well-controlled with meds and after my initial diagnosis at this time last year I have had only one brief (a few days) flare. My husband, however, has just now discovered the Paleo Diet after reading about it in a magazine and would like to try it out. We are both healthy and active, but between the two of us have family histories of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, so getting healthier can't hurt! My main concern with the diet is incorporating it into my children's diets. My guys are 6, 3, and just turned 1. Grains (cereal, crackers, pasta, rice, sandwich bread, tortillas) are an absolute staple in our house, so I am having a hard time picturing how we would eat without them. Has anyone done the paleo diet with such young children? What was your experience with it?
Joined Jan 23, 2013
Mon, July 01, 2013 12:56 PM
Reply posted for tm96.
The paleo diet is one among many fad diets that flicker across the mediascape and then fade into a well-deserved obscurity. There is no scientific evidence that supports the exaggerated claims of this diet's proponents. See the following assessment from Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-paleo-diet-half-baked-how-hunter-gatherer-really-eat . Your best bet is to serve a balanced, diverse diet that draws on a variety of food sources and that stresses natural, preferably organic foodstuffs to minimize your family's intake of potentially damaging chemicals. According to the respected New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, there is, "widespread agreement that we eat too few unprocessed plants and too much hyperprocessed food, especially food containing sugar and those carbohydrates that our bodies convert rapidly to sugar. There is also compelling evidence that we eat too many animal products (something like 600 pounds per person per year) and too much salt." This scientific consensus runs precisely counter to the advocate of the paleo diet (see the entire article at http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/why-im-not-a-vegan/?_r=0 . You might want to check out two of Bitman's recent health-oriented cookbooks: 1. http://www.amazon.com/Food-Matters-Cookbook-Revolutionary-Recipes/dp/1439120234/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372701192&sr=1-7&keywords=mark+bittman and 2. http://www.amazon.com/VB6-Before-Weight-Restore-Health/dp/0385344740/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372701192&sr=1-1&keywords=mark+bittman . (Keep in mind, however, that while consumption of whole grains and high-fiber foods might be good for your husband and children, it might pose a challenge to someone with UC--speak to your GI doc about this.)
kman484Joined Apr 15, 2013
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