Raw Kids and Weight Gain

[laurao]

Hello everyone. I'm super new to this forum, and fairly new to the raw food world. (Loving it!). My husband and I are all raw, but my very thin to begin with 3-year-old daughter is only partially there. (Which I'm happy about!)

Does anyone have advice or experince on feeding a tiny tot to keep her weight up. Since day one, she's always been below "average" weight (about 5%) and tall! I already put coconut meat/butter/oil or avocados in her smoothies. Some of her favorite foods are avocados, nuts (esp. raw cashews), and raw Kale (love that!). I sprinkle seeds on her food too.

She's a healthy & active kid, so I'm not really concerned too much. She's not a big eater though. Any extra information would be helpful.

On an extra note: it's in her genes to be thin to begin with. My mom tried to fatten my brother and I up on sugar, ice cream, and milk shakes right before bed. LOL, now I'm on the same but opposite quest. Yes, I find this humorous!

Thanks again!

[Raw Angel Mom]

One thing to remember is that unfortunately the standard weight established for children is based on a population that have more overweight children. If you visit http://www.thegardendiet.com/ you will see that their children are perfectly healthy and they all are under weight and taller then most children.

If your child is up to it, i would introduce her to green smoothies. My daughter loves it. Also, if you try to do a hemp seed milk and do a milk shake with it, this is rich in Omega 3. I recommend that you get also baby green by Michaela. Excellent book.

[laurao]

Thanks Raw Angel Mom!

I love your ideas, especially the hemp milk. I am able to sneak a lot of things into her morning smoothie she has every day. It's primarily blueberries and bananas with a lot of other 'minor' flavors. I'll gradually make it greener and put some hemp seeds in it too.

Yes, I do agree our children's standard weight and height chart is a reflection of our industrialized diets. Like I mentioned, I'm not that concerned about her weight compared to 'normal'... but seeing as how she is pretty darn skinny I want all the options I can get to keep her in her own healthy weight as I transition her to raw. The nice thing is, she chomps on fresh, raw kale leaves (monkey see, monkey do - I never even asked her to eat it. She just has been watching me! Now that's the power of action and role-modeling).

And an excellent book! I have it... yeay!

[Ginger]

If she runs thin, then that's just the way she is. She may gain if she is actually underweight though, raw helps underweight people to normalise eventually just as it helps people lose enough to normalise. I agree with Angel Mom that the standard weight established for children is based on a population that have more overweight children. Just make sure to offer her a varried colorful diet and get enough rest, excercise & sunlight on her skin and she will be fine, thin or not. :)

[SmilingRawDancer]

It sounds like you're on the right track by giving her oils etc, but yeah I'd try and give her glasses of nutmilk throughout the day, because liquid calories aren't as filling, so she's likely to have more of them. You could do lots of fresh juices too :)

Good luck! I wish I was fed raw as a child.

[laurao]

Great and thanks. You are right, if she's thin, she's thin and can still be healthy just as she is! I'll keep that in my head! And that's also great advice on giving her lots of nut milk/hemp milk. She's pretty active already and I'm getting her out in the sun more. She's already a great hiker! (Love it!)

I appreciate the responses so far. THANKS.

[ManyLittles]

Most of my kids are naturally skinny, on a SAD diet. They are given as much to eat as they want, and sometimes I really have to encourage them to eat more. They're still thinner than most kids. I'm transitioning them to raw, and just plan to watch their weight closely, and adjust their diet as needed. I always recommend everyone buy an infant/toddler scale and start weighing their kids as newborns at least once a week, and never stop, so you can keep an eye on it. I've heard a lot of stories, and all it takes is one gossipy, judgemental moron of a neighbor to make one phone call, and you're in trouble. I hear it a lot from people online, especially. So documenting it and keeping tabs on your child's health and weight is always good, because you have proof you're on top of the situation.

[Conscious Midwife]

If she is healthy cool:D

You could try aplle slices with nut butter, banana and cashew icecream

Avo slices on Ezekiel bread

Soy milk

[laurao]

Thanks again for more feedback. I will keep you posted as we transition her slowly. She's at around 27 pounds now, and just turned 3 last week. She's happy, energetic (like the energizer bunny!) and keeps sprouting up (tall and slim)! (Hey, sprouts are thin and full of life, vitality and energy too!)

The snack ideas are good ones, thanks. I'll offer some of those today. Cashew/coconut ice-cream is a favorite in our house!

[michigan roman]

havent got time to read thread , but heres some weight gain items :

seasame seeds - high in calcium and protein , grind up . add to like banana smoothies . doctors used to use seasame to put weight on people .

avacado

banana

walnuts - grind coarse sprinkle on salads

almond milk

coconut milk very nutricious , with alot of healthy fats . many say good for kids

sunflower and flax seeds , ground up added to things

cold pressed extra virgin olive oil in salad dressing

* for me , a 49 year male vegan of 15 years , i lost weight my first 18 months raw . now at 27 months raw im 10 lbs over my pre raw weight and running to burn off flab :o

and how i put weight on was the above list

* a women , RAWLOVE , has a blog / site where she tells about raising her 3 year old on raw . shes real cool and im sure would answer any of your
questions . shes around here i believe , and sometimes at www.rawfreedomcommunity.com , and www.goneraw.com . and i think her blogs rawbabyalex , so address is maybe www.rawbabyalex.com .

[laurao]

Thanks michigan roman. Great info. ;)

[sleeknraw]

Hi laurao. I'm totally late to this discussion, but I have a two-year old son who sounds a lot like your daughter - 115th percentile for height and about 30th for weight.

You've received some excellent advice from everyone, but please note that coconut fat is a potent metabolism booster. So if you're trying to get your little one to maintain and gain weight, you may want to steer clear of the coconut products for now.

As for my monkey, most days he eats a ton: LOTS of nuts and seeds, breast milk, hemp milk, raw veggies, berries, carby fruit, green smoothies, low-mercury seafood and organic, grass-fed meats. I do worry some days about how skinny he is, but honestly, he's super energetic and ahead of the curve in every way so chances are he's just naturally lean.

Good luck with your daughter and your journey. If you'd like to chat more and exchange ideas, please email me. I'd love to know if anything worked particularly well for you guys etc.

[laurao]

Thanks SleeknRaw!

Good thinking on the coconut. You know, what we've found is that she is excelling in everything too. Her mind is as sharp as can be, her energy surpasses many her age, she doesn't seem to 'crash' and doesn't need to nap either. She rarely is sick and bounces back in no time at all. Being 'thin' is just in her genes and her doctors agree, she's a healthy, thin kid.

She isn't all raw, but by her choice too, seems to prefer a vegan diet (mostly). She loves nuts and seeds too, as well as has an avocado a day, along with loving Kale. (I love this!). Also, we do supplement her diet with a super green powder in her morning smoothies, Juice Plus (fruits & veggies in concentrate form), and she has loved Fish Oil since she was about a year old. So, I'm no longer concerned and have appreciated all the help and advice here on the forum. Thank You one and all!

Oh, and one last note: On her 3-year check up she actually jumped in her chart from about 5-10% to around 20%. :)

[RaisingAlex]

MR - Love the new photo..

I post all of Alex's daily menu's on his blog. He has been raw since conception and is thriving on a raw vegan diet.
The blog addy has changed so here it the addy for you.

www.rawtoddleralex.blogspot.com

Raw Love
Melissa