switching my children to raw... help?!

[LadyAngora]

ok, so i'm on board with raw, and so is my husband... we have an infant who's loving bananas and nut milk, so we're all set there... however we also have a 2.5 year old who isn't so keen on going raw.

what can i do to encourage him? what are some good YOUNG kid recipes to get him used to eating raw?

he's used to going to grandma's house and getting cookies, french fries, chips, hot dogs, etc... and i have to admit, there are times we break down and swing by the mcd's to get fries for him...

sometimes he likes: apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, raisins, applesauce, but none of this is predictable... he did at one time like carrot juice too, but it's been a long time since he's wanted to try any again. obviously, veggies are the weak point here...

please, please, please, any help is much appreciated! :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

At that age you should be able to control what he's eating. Send him to grandmas with what he should eat and tell her not to feed him that crap. Really no toddler should be eating like that - whether they are raw or cooked.

I have been making some amazing almond cookies lately, they are so easy:

2 cups almonds
1/2 cup honey

grind almonds in food processor, add honey and process into a ball. Roll and flatten in slmond flour/shredded coconut and chill.

Put them in his lunch bag and those are his cookies.

It is not too late to change his palette. If he continues on, he will probably reject a lot of natural foods.

Hope that helps!

[wyjoz]

check this post: http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21204&highlight=eachpeachpearplum that for sure will do ya: Joz

[LadyAngora]

sharon, thanks for that recipe... i'll give those cookies a try!

i do feel like i should be able to control his food, but he is a very, very strong-willed child. sometimes this is a good thing, other times, quite frustrating!

i know that in the end hunger wins out... but by then, he's so worked up, and he's still very picky... i guess he's just not hungry enough? :confused:

wyjoz, thanks for that link! i knew this had to have been discussed before, but i wasn't able to find where!

[Sharon in Colorado]

I think even if you gave him rice cakes (so many kids love those) it would be a better alternative to the fries. My 8 year old son still loves those, and they do have their fair share of junk, but I try to give them better cooked choices because I'm in a mixed food type of household.

[Rawkinlocs]

As Sharon said, it is much more easier and better if you can make the switch now, at this age, than later on when he's older.

One thing you have to do is to set some boundaries...decide what you will and will not allow in the house any longer and stick to your guns. My children are not totally raw either, but there are just some things they know I refuse to buy but I'll give them "healthier" cooked food options and even those are limited. If the foods aren't in the house, he can't whine and beg for what's not there. When at Grandma's...I've gotten to the point where I don't even sweat what goes on outside of home because they're home more than they are anywhere else (might be different if they spent MOST of their time away at daycare or a relative's house, etc.) and so as long as they are eating as healthfully as possible at home (where they are the bulk of the time) then I don't worry so much about when they're out. I remember once my brother-in-law wanted my daughter to come to his house to babysit for two days and she didn't want to go because she said "they have too much junk in their house and I don't want to end up sick"...so they know, they learn and while she does like her junkfood, she knows that at least at home there is fresh fruit available rather than cupboards full of junk food to binge on.

Start out with what he likes (raw-wise) and begin experimenting with other things such as fruit leather, dried fruit slices, pudding, etc.

[raw-siobhan]

This morning for breakfast I made my two older girsl agees 7 and 11 a chocolate shake that was made of some almond mild, water, 3 bananas, a tbls of raw cocao, a smidge of vanilla. They loved it. My 5-year-old still refuses raw...but sooner or later she will fall in line. Just be persistent. My youngest is my strong willed one too and she puts up quite a fight, but eventually she will get with the program.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Was also going to say that for a 2 year old, it is very common for them to go a day only drinking and not eating.

So if he refuses to eat what you offer him it wouldn't be the end of the world.

He would just be that much more hungrier when you break out the good stuff!

[Live Free]

I always seem to have difficulty with daughter eating. She is 3 years old.
I have heard that this can be common in a toddler.

I took her to the doctors the other day for a checkup and he said she was eating just fine, because I gave him a food log.

But I totally know what you are saying. I am trying now to give her the same things everyday. Stuff that I know she will eat. Although it isnt all raw

Its better than fighting with her to eat. I just try to keep all the perservatives, additives and the like out of her diet.

[MaineMomof4]

We just went RAW about 3 weeks ago and my kids are saying they're hungry or they want to eat all the time but my 5 year old wants cereal, tortilla chips, things like that since he's used to having them (the "healthy kind" of course) but he will eat fruit and veggies but I feel like I kind of have to force him and I feel like there are only so many choices and he gets bored of the same thing repeatedly. What do you do when you feel like you feed your kids fruit all day long and they want to eat non stop and are asking for other stuff? I think or I KNOW if he had a choice between fruit or crackers, tortilla chips, cereal, etc. he would probably choose those not fruit. Hmm.. hard to know the right thing to do all the time. I did try trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, a little granola, and a tiny amount of organic chocolate chips and they loved it mostly because of the chocolate chips but before I would give them more they had to eat everything in their bowl so that they weren't just eating chocolate chips. I've also been giving them occasionaly some of the whole food bars as a TREAT which they really seem to like. ANY ADVICE from anyone who has been doing this awhile? Thanks! :)

[cassidy]

You can make
Smoothies (all kids love these don't they?) My daughters favorite right now is banana and almond butter (sometimes I throw some spinach in).
Banana Ice cream - you can always add frozen fruit
Fruit leathers
Dips for veggies
Flax crackers and other types of crackers
spagetti (sliced zuchini and marinara)
make a carrot cake!
chocolate pudding
guacamole with fairly girls corn chips (replacement for their tortilla chips)
You can make them "cereal" in the morning with grawnola and dried fruit with almond milk.

[Zella Juice]

whats the easiest way to make grawnola? My kid is a cereal freak. He would love a cereal alternative. And he loves his peanut butter sammiches. Anyone know how to make a raw bread? :rolleyes: