Australian Mother Jacinta Keeble has shunned a mainstream diet and embarked on a Paleo journey with her family. Whilst it may not be for everyone it’s always interesting to have a sneak peak into someone else’s pantry and meals… read on for her story!
“Our Paleo journey started when my son Maxwell started eating solid food.
He developed eczema and I couldn’t work out exactly what was causing it.
He would scratch at his skin until he bled and couldn’t sleep because he was so uncomfortable.
Was is wheat, dairy, egg or some kind of additive or preservative causing his break outs or was it something else? I wasn’t sure and every time I gave him food other than meat, veggies or fruit his eczema would flair up and we would be back at the doctors picking up another prescription of steroid cream. I bought a Thermomix and I started to make all of his food from scratch hoping to end his itchy problem!
Shortly after this time I became very sick with gut issues and no matter what I did and which doctor I saw I was still getting sicker and sicker. One night an article popped up on the Quirky Cooking Facebook page about Little Mashies founder, Talisha, struggle with gut issues. I sent her an email desperate for answers and bless her, Talisha responded and what she said changed my life. She educated me about probiotics and bone broths and other things I could do to improve my gut health.
I began to delve deeper into the power of nourishing food and found out how it could heal my body. I learnt not all bodies are the same, what is healthy for one person quite literally poison for another and started trying to work out what was the best kind of food for my body and my sons bodies, respectively.
I first heard about Pete Evans and Paleo, again, via the Quirky Cooking Facebook page (where would I be without Jo Whitton?!) Deep down I knew processed food, wheat and dairy was making me sick but they had such a hold on me I really struggled to give them up!
I started The Paleo Way Program and soon learnt why that was; dairy, sugar and wheat are addictive, they light up the brain like cocaine does. It slowly dawned on me what I knew all along, I was a food addict and as long as I continued to eat these things I would be sick, tired and overweight.
At first cutting out wheat, grains and diary was really hard. What was I going to eat? What on earth was I supposed to feed my kids?
My eldest son Charlie is a selective eater and doesn’t like his food touching or mixed together in a meal, I really struggled and slipped up so many times.
After a while I got into a routine. I found some recipes that the kids liked and made big batches and froze them. I got a Yumbox, so the food wasn’t touching, and made breakfast and filled lunchboxes at the same time in the morning so food was sorted for the first half of the day no matter if we were at home, school or out and about. Soon I noticed my kids starting to eat their veggies. They no longer had pasta, bread etc to fill up on so they ate their veggies instead.
I started a Facebook group to get more Paleo Lunchbox Ideas and another one to talk about local food suppliers and exchange recipes and advice…”
Here’s what we wanted to ask Jacinta… In a nutshell what is Paleo to you?
On a basic level, Paleo is swapping grains for more veggies. I used to think it was eating lots of meat and copying cavemen but it’s not.
How do you eat day-to-day?
My plate is probably 60% veggies (including fermented veggies which is good for my gut) a bit of protein, a bit of fat to keep me fuller for longer and some herbs and spices to bring the dish together.
What about treats? And what about the kids?
I don’t eat perfectly, I still indulge with a raw dessert or some dark chocolate every now and then.
I don’t stress out when my kids go to birthday parties and eat junk food and lolly bags because my problem is not with lollies, chocolate and junk food on occasion at a birthday party. I try to fill my kids up with nutrient dense food before we go anywhere but if they want to indulge while they are at a party I let them go for it.
Thanks Jacinta for sharing how your family eats with Baby Hints & Tips!
All information provided is opinion, for nutrition information or dietary advice please speak to your own family health expert.
Have you tried Paleo for YOUR family? What do you think of Paleo?
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