Still Traveling

I meant to check in last night, but I was just too tired, oops. 


Yesterday we started with a hotel breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and yogurt. Of course it wasn't the type of yogurt you really should be eating, but it was grain free, and it was fun for the kids. So there ya go. 


Then we headed to the zoo. Oklahoma has one of the coolest zoos ever (actually, it's ranked as Third in the Nation). I grew up here, and it was cool back then, but there is so many new things, it was like a whole new experience. If you're ever passing through Oklahoma, check it out!


Anyway... we walked around the zoo for five and a half hours! The kids really loved it. And I loved the fact that I was out moving despite missing my Wed appt at the gym. We even got a bit of sun, but nothing more than a light "kissing."  I guess it's true that you are less prone to sunburn when you eat healthier. I have to admit I was skeptical of this claim*, but I am a believer now! I have some very Irish skin and it has always burned within about 20-30 minutes of being outside (in the dead of Summer, I have been known to burn in 10 minutes flat!). And while it is barely Spring, I should still be much more burned than I am now after five hours of being in the sun. Works for me!

The problem of lunch time arose while we were at the zoo. And the kids were starving after walking so long (this was about midway through our walk), so we found the cafe and sat the kids down. So we had three choices: All Beef Hot Dog, Hamburger, Chicken Breast.  We went with the hot dogs (w/o buns) and a side of fresh fruit. It wasn't really enough for the kids to fill full, but it was too expensive to buy as much as they really wanted, so we settled for just what they needed. Tom and I skipped lunch at this point. 

Then Tom left for a radio gig, and I continued on with my girls and some other family members. After a few more hours the kids were about to drop from thirst, so I looked for water, but kept running into soda machines instead. At one point there was a Coke Machine (no water) and a Powerade machine... so I went with the Powerade since I remembered a commercial saying it was pretty good for you. Shoulda known. The SECOND ingredient is corn syrup! UGH  I would have been better off getting them a Sprite.  I told them to enjoy the heck out of it since this wouldn't be happening again. Interestingly, after they each had some of it, there was more of a "you finish it... no, you!" type instead of the usual "give it to me! No, I want it!"  So I suppose the one upside to this is that they are beginning to realize on their own that they don't like this junky stuff. 

So we left the zoo. And went to hang out with my grandparents:

This is Mana (Barbara) and Papaw (Jim) Richard. And they are pretty awesome. They have 3 children, but 23 grandchildren, and... uh... something like... 30 great-grandchildren. They know it all! 


By 5pm I was starving since I still hadn't eaten since breakfast. We packed up the kids, and met the grandparents, one aunt, a cousin, and another second cousin at the local Chinese Buffet restaurant. It is really high quality food and a huge selection. So we were able to stay Primal quiet easily. I had roasted chicken (no MSG), green beans, beef and broccoli. And some cheese cubes.  The kids had a lot of the same, but I did give them some rice since they had been so active during the day. I don't know what Tom had, but it was Primal.  Now in interest of full disclosure, we did allow the girls to pick one dessert from the dessert bar (they choose a brownie). Why?  Like I tell my kids "Because I'm the Mom, and I said."  


So we had a very full day, and still managed to be (mostly) Primal. So it can be done people. hehe


I wonder what food adventures we'll have today.....

Traveling

Since my girls have Spring Break, we decided to drive to Oklahoma today so we could visit some family. It's about a four hour drive (with no stops), but we take an extra hour for the kids to eat and such. 

For breakfast we had eggs. Thanks to Tom for cooking!  

Then I packed a cooler with snacks. Well, at least, I wanted to pack a cooler with snacks. Given that I knew we'd be traveling, I skipped the grocery store this week, so we had very little on hand. 

So I ended up packing:

 2 cans of coconut milk (why? I don't know. It just seemed so... Primally.)
 1 bag of celery
 1 bag cheese cubes
 1 sm bag of dark chocolate chips
 1 lg bag of mixed nuts

Yeahhh... Next time I should go grocery shopping before taking a trip. Lesson learned. 

For lunch we stopped at Two Brother BBQ and had smoked turkey, pork, and brisket. We ordered the green beans (instead of fries or potato salad), but didn't eat many since they were obviously canned. Well, the meat was good!

For dinner we went out with my grandparents to a steak house of sorts. The kids had hamburgers in a lettuce wrap. Tom and I had steak (Tom a T-bone and I had a sirloin). 

But now we're hungry again, so Tom went to Walmart and bought some Organic milk for the baby. And a vegetable tray and a rotisserie chicken for us to munch on. 

So I'd like some cake... which always seems to happen when I travel. Maybe it's the stress of it?  Well, I guess I'll have to just be content with my water. Mmmm. 

Primal at a Glance

Sometimes it gets tedious explaining what Eating Primal means to people, right? And usually the information blows their minds (which is kinda fun), so after about three minutes they turn off their minds and ears. 


I ran across this article, The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan, from Mark's Daily Apple (posted in July) which is a good, quick introduction to why Primal followers eat what they do.


Anyway, it's a good thing to have in your arsenal just as an FYI. 

So the girls are on Spring Break now. They asked if we could go to Oklahoma and visit their great-grandparents and other family members. I think we will head out Tuesday morning and come home on Friday. 

I think it will be interesting to see how we fare staying Primal while on this trip. I'm sure we can stay true to it, but I am curious to see if the emotional level will be lower this time or not. You can read about our first GP and being away from home HERE (well, it starts with this link, but you can read through the next few posts to get a real flavor of it.)

Not a fun time. But, hey, I did it with four kids in tow. You can too!

Kids Going Primal?

I have been asked by several people if I think Going Primal is okay for kids. The short answer is: yes. Feed your kids real food, people! It's more than worth it. Do your best to give them grassfed butter, organic meat (if possible), and a lot of fresh vegetables, some fruit and nuts, and a little honey every once in a while. 


The question is: Do kids need more grains than adults? I couldn't figure this out. Three out of four of my kids have really done well with being Primal and on minimal grains (usually sweet potatoes and squash soup), but my one carbaholic child has been in a slump for weeks. One problem could be that she just misses carbs. Another reason could be she wants to feel like she fits in with her friends. And another reason could be, maybe, that she actually needs some more grains than she is currently eating. 


So what is one to do?  I am thinking kids burn starches so fast that it might be a bad idea to cut them out of a child's diet.  I should note that my kids are not overweight, they run around and play a lot, and they don't sit down and eat in front of TV. If your kids do this (not a judgement) then they really won't burn those extra grains so easily, so maybe pull back on what and how much they are eating. 


Anyway, Tom and I happen to know this awesome lady named Karen DeCoster. She is pretty awesome with things like guns, personal liberty, fitness, and then I find out she's also Primal!, so I wrote to her to ask her about kids and Going Primal. 


She very, very kindly responded to my email, and she gave me a ton of great info. I asked for permission to share with all of you, so if you have kids, you might feel a bit better about what to feed them when GP.   See her email below. And be sure to check out her website KarenDeCoster.com 

So I wrote to ask about kids and carb-flu, and dehydration due to lacking in grains, she wrote back with:

"There is absolutely nothing to this. Folks tend to take stuff off the web and the stories grow bigger - and the facts get more distorted - each time a tale is told. This kind of thing will often be mentioned where conventional wisdom is spewed about ketogenic diets, but your kids are not on a ketogenic diet. But carbs are carbs, and water is hydration. Almost no one keeps properly hydrated because water is usually replaced with sweetened beverages (just look at that aisle in any grocery store). Eliminating sweetened beverages and replacing those with water will not allow for any hydration problems.

Here are some quick thoughts on things.

I would be concerned if your kids really are having any "carb flu" symptoms. Remember that you and Tom, as adults, have had plenty of time to wreak metabolic havoc upon yourselves by eating a diet rich in carbs. For the kids, that will not be true. They, I suspect, are likely addicted to carbs - with all the juice, bread, desserts, baked goods, pastas, etc. in the home over the years. You and Tom are also addicted to carbs. The kids will want and demand sugar (carbs), like an alcoholic will desire a drink. Make no mistake - most Americans are addicted to carbs. Like heroin or tobacco, carbs are tough to give up without uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Most people I know - the workplace is a great working laboratory - are enslaved to carbs.

But those kids have not had the time to become insulin resistant or leptin resistant, like an adult. They have not destroyed their pancreas, other organs, etc. So remember that the formula for long-term quality of life/health for those kids is not low-carb so much as it is _real food_ (which is paleolithic foods by definition). You and Tom necessarily need to absolutely restrict your sugar/carbs for a period of time because you are both addicted to carbs, and you have both caused metabolic damage, and you need to clean things up. Weight is the visible effect; extensive blood panels and wellness exams reveal the more serious effects. Now the kids don't need carb restriction as much as they need to learn that bread and grains (and all simple sugars, processed foods, industrial oils, sweets, etc,) need not be in the diet. 

For the kids, give them lots of fruits. Put heavy whipping cream on top. Make homemade cranberry sauce from a bag of fresh cranberries and put that on their meats, etc. (something like this, only I use pure maple syrup in place of the stevia http://www.primal-palate.com/2010/11/tart-cranberry-sauce.html). Give them dried fruits. Use honey and real (pure) maple syrup to occasionally sweeten certain foods for them. Or even some organic brown sugar. These are all better alternatives to the constant simple sugars and gluten-loaded foods that they were accustomed to having every day. Plus, they can get carbs from many vegetables, as well. They should only be restricted to eating real foods, without getting too caught up in the macronutrient balance. As you and Tom restrict, heal up, and then modify your food life, those kids will be accustomed to real foods and they will eventually reject the junk stuff.

I've been there, done that -- I was a weekend endurance athlete, and I carb-loaded for years. I can't even look at that kind of food now. You'll all get there (the human body is so resilient and self-healing), but you have to peel away from all of those bad habits and smash them.

Hope that helps.

Karen DeCoster"

So given this info--and I completely trust her judgement--I think I will add some organic basmati rice back into the kids' diet. I have never liked rice and since I have weight to lose so I won't be eating it. Tom is at his ideal weight now, and the kids would be ecstatic, so I think it will be fine. However, I will really watch them and see how they react to it. I'm hoping it really helps Veronica to perk up. 

I'm sure I will take some flak for this. As much as I want to have everyone's approval, I still have to do what is best for my kids. If nothing else, I have to say that I did what I thought was/is best for my kids.