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Kids going "more" raw?

nycgrrlnycgrrl Raw Newbie

I am trying to encourage my two boys, aged 2 and 5, to eat more raw. THis morning, I made them a berry/banana shake with a bit of organic milk in it. They love it. I have been reading Fresh, by the son and daughter of the Raw Family and he suggests NOT pushing it, just offering lots of fruit and setting good examples (which I am—my eldest helped me make my green smoothie yesterday, and was like “what’s this?” and “hey, that’s cool”)

Any other suggestions for helping kids go more raw—any good recipes? My kids HATE vegetatables, btw, but like fruit.

Comments

  • my guys have been around raw for 2 years now. They are now willing to try anything I make. So far their favs are:

    raw applesauce (blend apples, agave, and cinnamon in the FP.) -they like it better than the jar stuff.

    Gus’s rawlmond joys-my (then) 9 yo developed the recipe-i posted it here in goneraw.com

    raw “ice cream”-just push frozen fruit thru the hopper with the blank on your juicer-or make it in the blender and add a tiny bit of juice

    raw pizza-tho they had to try it quite a few times to get used to it.

    salads with HM honey mustard dressing

    iced chai mate latte-I’ll post the recipe later

    the garshbrowns recipe found here @ goneraw.-tho for yung kids you might want to cut the onion and cayenne down.

    Alissa Cohen’s crepes-THEY RAWK!!!

    Taco “meat” made with walnuts-I think the recipe is here…

    germinated brown rice-order it @ dhccare.com Don’t cook it, just soak it for 12-24 hours. I usu put sesame oil, ground sesame seeds, a dash of stevia and Bragg (they are allergic to Nama Shoyu) and scallions-we call it “Chinese Food” LOL!

    I also have a rule-the ONLY thing between meals is plain fruit or veggies. They usu opt for celery or apples or bananas or grapes. I NEVER put a limit on how much they can eat as long as it is all raw.

    My other rule is-you do not have to eat your cooked vegan supper-but you can only have plain fruits and veggies until the following day. My 4 yo dd has had supper like 2 times in the last few weeks!

  • Zaphirah Sunflower how do you make your HM dressing. I have tried to make this on several occasions and it taste awful. I assume that I am putting to much ground mustard in the recipe, but when I taste the ground mustard by itself it reminds me of peroxide. Am I using the wrong stuff, I would love a good recipe if you have one.

    nycgrrl did you get your colonic over the weekend.

    With my nine year old I just try to keep it simple and let her help in the kitchen as much as possible. I also have the same rule as Z sunflower, she may eat any fruits and veggies that she likes through out the day, and I usually will keep some raw desserts near buy that we all will sit down and eat together. I have noticed that my daughter likes her smoothies much better if I use fresh squeezed orange juice as the base and freeze the fruit. She eats hers with a spoon in the morning and then has a green juice straight.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Zaphirah – Thank you for all the ideas! I have found that my son’s being around it leads to his asking to try things once in a while. Good idea on just fruits & veggies between meals…

    I also tell my son (age 6) that he can have as much as he wants of the raw stuff. Sometimes I make a raw dessert just before making his cooked meal, and he eats a bunch of dessert while he’s waiting for me to cook his buckwheat pancakes, or whatever.

  • Oh I forgot-I am called the World’s Greatest Mom when I make RAW PIE and call it supper. LOL! My dc are all different. Ds#3 eats 10-20 apples a day, but won’t eat much else in the way of raw. Ds#2 is very interested in getting off his med-so he is really working hard at enjoying raw foods. Ds#1 is adventuresome in the raw taste-testing and often just “feels like having a raw supper”. and dd is a MEAT AND WHITE SUGAR GAL-she gets it from her dad! LOL! but LOVES celery and often eats just fruit or veggies for supper.

    The MAIN POINT is that I don’t force it on them. I did 2 years ago when the twins went gf/cf. I forced them for 1 month to facilitate detox. It blew up in my face BIG TIME. Just about EVERYTHING I made was met with hesitation and 98% of it went in the compost. Now, after being around it on and off for 2 years-and my exp w/ 100% for the last 8 months, they see how AWESOME it is.

    They watched me struggle to lose weight for 4 years, then they watched as it MELTED off when I went raw. (I’ve lost 75 lbs total in the last 4.5 years-so it was very noticeable to them.) I also tell them the truth about food, where it comes from, chemicals, ad-gimmicks, store products placement, shiny boxes that “trick” you, etc.

    As far as HM dressing-I use store bought prepared mustard. Probably not considered raw, but then I add in cold pressed olive oil, and raw honey and apple cider vinegar. For some reason the exact recipe is escaping me right now, but the basics are: put mustard, ACV, and honey in blender. (I may or may not have added a little garlic and a dash of salt?) Then SLOWLY add the olive oil while the blender is still going. Add it still it turns thick and almost a creamy consistency-probably a cup or more.

    They told me they liked it better than the organic store bought stuff. go figure! LOL!

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Hey! I am 12 years old here, and have been mostly raw since birth. I did go through little phases of Ezekiel breadm which isn’t raw but sprouted, and when a toddler there was a little bit of occasional meat in there. When I was 2 years old, I was constantly eating fresh fruit all day, as well as some non-raw things like the meat and sprouted bagels. I also would eat lots of soup (broths) which didn’t ruin the body because it’s liquid form was easier to digest. Have you tried doing soups and fruits and the like. I was really all over watermelon (which apparently is a vegetablle not a fruit) and it is very filling. My mother would buy a big organic watermelon and eat the whole thing in 4 hour.

  • sorry to be dominating the thread here…hope it’s okay. blush, but RKC just reminded me-altho this stuff can be expensive esp in the beginning when they can never seem to get their fill because they are so enzyme and nutritionally deficient-in the long run it seemed to pay off for us. Our twins (ds#1 and #2) have been 50-95% cured of their autism, respectively and no longer get sick with asthma. So the pay off has been HUGE.

  • nycgrrlnycgrrl Raw Newbie

    hi rawkidchef- my kids hate soup—sigh. But they love watermelon! I will respond to everyone else’s posts later—we’re heading to the park!

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    my mom once got a child to love vegetables by using japanese veggies tools to make all sorts of shapes with the veggies… flowers, bugs, leaves, long ribbons. the japanese are very creative with food presentation and kids generally respond well to fun presentation.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    ha! I am using some of these techniques to lure my husband into eating raw. even though he cooked before for both of us, he is lured by my cool looking raw pizzas and smoothies and desserts. basically, people really like good, pretty, tasty food.

    the other ideas I have from teaching kids is if you have them prepare part of it they usually are more invested in trying it.

    I think you are doing well, they will learn from your example. if you like it and are trying new things, they eventually will too.

  • I still have a very blunt motto ” Kids eat what you Feed THem” end of story….... My daughter doesn’t have a job or a lick of money to buy anything. I only post this as I am so annoyed that I just got off the phone with a co-worker complaining her daughter only wants to eat sausage and hot dogs…. Helllo stop buying it… Sorry for the frustration you guys thanks for reading.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    you are SO right. not only that… kids acquire a taste for what they are fed. no child is born craving pop tarts (unless of course that’s all mommy ate when she was prego).

    it’s easier to educate a palate than to re-educate a palate though, so i applaud the small steps you guys are taking!

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    you are SO right. not only that… kids acquire a taste for what they are fed. no child is born craving pop tarts (unless of course that’s all mommy ate when she was prego).

    it’s easier to educate a palate than to re-educate a palate though, so i applaud the small steps you guys are taking!

  • I hear ya ardesmond. My 10 yo twins are gluten/dairy free. it has cured their autism about 50% for one boy and 95% for the other boy. I hear other parents with autistic kids say “Oh. I could never do THAT.It sounds so complicated” or “my child only likes milk and cheezits. he would refuse to eat” and I feel like saying “No crap! He lives on it because he is actually ADDICTED to it. If it ain’t available he will find something else to eat. He will not starve to death if nestle quick and crackers are off the list of available foods.”

    GRRRRR! Yeah, it’s sooooo much easier to let your kid remain frustrated, tantruming, unable to communicate freely, and miserable. What the heck to they want? A pat on the back for parent of the year????

    I know one mom who’s child is severe ADHD and she won’t even cut out the food dyes. It’s too much of a pain-yet this child is getting YELLED at every 5 min. for impulsive stuff that he does. Both his parents are obese and I don’t think they want to give up their sad food…

    okay-I’m stepping off my soap box. It’s just such a sore subject for me. Kids and grown ups alike often make FUN of what my dc eat and it makes them self conscious. people say things like “EWWWW! I could never eat THAT.” or “What the hell is that???” All my ds says-well, at least I will live to 100 and they’ll probably have a heart attack at 45.

  • Right on Zaphirah

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Zaphirah – Absolutely right! one question – what do you mean by dc & ds in your posts? I’m assuming you’re talking about people in your family?

  • green girlgreen girl Raw Newbie

    Hi Everyone

    I just wanted to share my excitement! I have been a raw vegan for 4 months now and my 3 1/2 year old son Simon finally drank a green smoothie today! My 2 year old daughter Sophia is much more receptive to raw food, but this is a definite breakthrough for my son!

  • green girlgreen girl Raw Newbie

    Hi Everyone

    I just wanted to share my excitement! I have been a raw vegan for 4 months now and my 3 1/2 year old son Simon finally drank a green smoothie today! My 2 year old daughter Sophia is much more receptive to raw food, but this is a definite breakthrough for my son!

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Woohoo! :)

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Woohoo! :)

  • I am feeding my kids smoothies in the morning and then they pack their own lunch. They do not want any thing messy, so they usually just take a fruit and a Larabar. This does not seem like enough to me. I also offer the option of dried fruits and nuts, but my older son (15 yrs.) who has been going strong at about 98% for the past almost 3 wks. has stopped taking nuts and dried fruits for the most part. His food intake is about 1/4 of what it used to be! Since my percentage is not as high as his I am still hungry and worry about him! I do not have a dehydrator. Any comments?

  • My daughter eats a salad or zoodles and marinara while at school with some fruit, we make our own lara bars, and she also likes chia seed pudding. I would pack your kids a little more or make sure you are loading up on greens when they get home. I know it can be hard but trust me after awhile it will become very easy. I have to make lunches for two adults and one kid so right now I wake up at 4am to have it all prepared by 630. And don’t put the dehydrator off for to long, get you a cheap 60.00 one, anything helps. You can make fruit leathers , tasty burgers , kale chips, and the list goes on.

    Note: if your kids don’t like salad to much, try to make a nut butter dressing with almond butter, lime, ginger, garlic, olive oil and a pinch or rep pepper flakes. It taste great. Here is a link of a similar recipe. I would leave out the nama shoyu and substitue it with 1 tbsp of curry

  • ardesmond2 – thanks. What are zoodles and marinara and chia seed pudding? I tried making my own larabars, and my younger son likes them. (dates, almonds, pine nuts, coconut) It was kind of a variation on a donut hole recipe I got on you tube by the oriental gal. Also, I did not see a link. Could you add that? My older son loves red pepper, and I like curry. The youngest loves um… well…. sugar! Anyway, thanks so much for your response!

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    I love chia pudding! I add coconut, chia seeds, agave nectar, vanilla and a dash of seasalt to almond milk. It is coco-chia pudding. Raisins and other things can be added as well. I got the original recipe on this site for Indian”rice” pudding, by Raw_Chocoholic. It is more like tapioca to me.

  • kevin7197kevin7197 Raw Newbie

    I’m slowly introducing the raw concept to my boys. I only have them on weekends so I have to compromise to some extent since I have no control over what their mother feeds them. I also make grocery shopping part of our routine. It provides opportunity to talk about food choices. They’ve recently started expressing an interest in what I’m doing in the kitchen and have started joining in!

    I do agree with the position of kids eating what they are given. If it’s not in the house, it’s not an option. I’ve always maintained an open kichen policy and kept it stocked with many healthy choices. So long as it’s healthy, they can eat whatever and whenever they want.

  • AziahAziah Raw Newbie

    This is a great thread. I am taking notes myself for my kittens!

    Z. Sunflower – it is nice to see another GF/DF person who has found their way here. My girlies also can’t have soy.

  • One fun way to get the younger kids to eat raw veggies: dulse and kelp flakes in shaker bottles. I have these bottles on the table instead of salt or pepper. My 2 year-old daughter loves to coat her raw peas, broccoli, etc in the salty-tasting sea veggies. Another hint: an agave and lemon juice dressing make lettuces and herbs really enjoyable for her. She especially loves arugula, and will eat a bowl of it. Dehydrated granola in almond milk with raisins is a great breakfast. My daughter does eat cooked foods as well, but I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more raw, particularly greens and veggies.

  • have_merseyhave_mersey Raw Newbie

    The dulse and kelp shakers are a wonderful idea! Especially since my neices’ mother is a bad salt addict, it’d be good for her and them.

  • Hey! You should definitely make them the raw peanut butter and banana sandwich. Believe me, this will become their new favorite food.

  • nycgrrlnycgrrl Raw Newbie

    thanks everyone! i made them a straawberry spinach smoothie and both kids drank like 1/2 a cup—which is HUGE considering neither has EVER eaten anything green. They are also eating tons more fruit. Basically I just put out a bowl of it and without even asking it’s gone in about 20 minutes! So thank you, I appreciate all these suggestions.

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