The North American diet has grown to be notoriously unhealthy over the years, leading to a variety of health issues for children, adults, and everyone in between. It’s no surprise that parents across North America are seeking out healthier alternatives for their families, and the primal diet is gaining a lot of traction in this respect. Here, we’ll explore how the primal diet can be adapted for a family setting, and how it can help instill healthy habits in North American children.
1. A Healthy Start: Primal Diet for North American Families
Today’s North American family is faced with a difficult challenge: getting and staying healthy amidst a barrage of processed and fast foods. In response, more and more people are turning to the ancient concept of the Primal Diet.
This diet, or way of eating, was how our ancestors ate over 10,000 years ago, and consisted of only natural, unprocessed, and mostly vegetarian based foods. This meant lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and natural fats.
Top Benefits for the North American Family
- Improves overall health
- Better digestion
- Increase nutritional value of meals
- Lower blood sugar levels
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases
- Provides a balanced diet and balanced nutrition
Perhaps the biggest benefit that a Primal Diet can offer is the fact that it requires less money to meal plan and prepare meals. Meats and dairy aren’t necessarily discounted by the supermarkets, so many North American family households are already spending vast amounts to cover meal costs each month. Reducing the reliance on these animal products can create major savings for the family budget.
Another major benefit is that traditional processed and fast foods are high in trans fats, fructose, and saturated fats, that are linked to all kinds of diseases, that a Primal Diet removes from the kitchen. Thisalone can help the family reduce its chances of getting all types of health problems.
Following a Primal Diet is not only achievable for the average North American family, but supplies a myriad of health benefits to them as well!
2. Healing with Nature: Benefits of Primal Eating for Kids
The power of nature is undeniable when it comes to the health of our children. Primal eating is one way parents can take advantage of the incredible healing power of nature and help their kids grow strong and healthy. Here are some of the top benefits that primal eating offers your kids:
- Improved Nutrition: Primal foods are naturally high in essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that help fuel a healthy diet. Eating this way ensures kids get complete nutrition and can prevent potentially serious health problems down the line.
- Fewer allergies: Feeding kids a primal diet helps reduce their potential to develop food allergies and sensitivities. This is because primal foods are free of artificial additives, preservatives, and genetically modified ingredients.
- Healthier digestion: Primal eating also helps improve digestion in kids. By providing healthy sources of fiber and fat, kids’ digestive systems can stay balanced and regular. This can lead to better nutrient absorption and less stomach upset.
- Weight Control: Because primal eating is focused on nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods instead of empty calories, it can be the perfect way to promote a healthy weight for your growing child. This can also help instill healthier eating habits for life.
Eating primally can also be a great way to bring more variety into your kids’ diets. If they’re picky eaters, try adding some new, interesting combinations of primal foods to their plates and let them explore. It may just be that the exciting new flavors and textures open the door to a more exciting and nourishing diet!
Finally, there is the benefit of teaching kids how to make the best of what nature has to offer. Primal eating is a great way to show them how to buy, prepare, and cook all natural foods, and this sort of education can help them develop healthier habits for life.
3. Nourish the Mind: Stress-Free Mealtimes for Kids
When families come together for meals, it can be a great time for bonding and catching up. But it can also become a stressful situation for everyone if kids don’t feel comfortable, or don’t want to sit at the table for long periods. Here are a few things to think about to help make meal times stress-free for your children.
- Encourage conversation: Spend some time at the dinner table chatting about each other’s day or the news. It is important to make meals a time of relaxed conversation and for young children to practice their oral language skills.
- Involve children in meal preparation: Give children some age-appropriate chores with respect to meal preparation. This will cultivate their sense of responsibility and provide them with a sense of purpose.
- Model good manners: It is important to model the behaviours you want to see in your children. Good table manners include no interrupting, no shouting, and no phones at the table.
Invite your children to help plan meals. List some ideas that sound fun and let them choose what they feel like having. This will require less coaxing and coaxing from you, and be more enjoyable for them. If your child has food aversions, this can be the perfect time to make adjustments and try new foods.
Involving children when preparing meals also allows more time for parents to bond. They can work together to slice, stir, measure, and prepare the food. Cooking together also helps children understand where the food comes from and encourages healthy eating habits that will stay with them for life.
Finally, don’t be too strict about the length of mealtime – allow children to get up when they feel full or have had enough. Trying to force them to stay seated can make them anxious and cause arguments. Keeping the atmosphere relaxed is the key to stress-free mealtimes.
4. Planting Seeds for the Future: Priming Your Child for Lifestyle Success
Parenting is a complicated business and this reaches the highest level of difficulty for matters of lifestyle. Numerous studies have shown that children’s lives are drastically impacted by the parents’ influence on their health, social habits, and overall approach to success in life. All of this shows just how important it is to lay the foundations of success from a young age.
Living Healthy is essential for any child’s success. Eating a nutritious diet, regular physical activity, and getting plenty of rest is not only beneficial for the child’s physical wellbeing, but also for their concentration and stability of temperament. Developing healthy habits early on are proof that parents are seeding the soil for a bright future.
The Power of Positive Thoughts hold tremendous weight in a child’s life. Culture, education, and emotional intelligence is essential in any person’s success, and so it’s important to encourage children to think big, and believe in their strengths. Talk to your child about the power of persistence and resilience. Demonstrate the benefits of being kind and considerate to others. All of these elements go a long way in equipping a child with a life full of potential.
Exploring Place and Community stands as another way to prime a child for success. Studies show that connecting children with local communities, the natural environment, and outdoor activities help broaden their thinking and equip them with skills such as resilience, compassion, and problem solving. From actively participating in a local volunteer group, to taking part in the traditional activities of your city or region, to experiencing all of nature’s landscapes, each of these activities provide a young person with essential perspectives.
Prioritizing Education should be at the forefront of any parent or guardian’s concerns. By no means is it necessary to be a scholar yourself to understand the importance of academic excellence in the world today. Reading books to children, ensuring that they attend school, and advocating for the pursuit of higher education all help to condition a successfully-minded lifestyle.
- Cultivate healthy habits from an early age
- Expand their knowledge with positive thoughts and ideas
- Connect them to the world at large through exploration and volunteer activities
- Ensure that education is a priority
Children are our future, and the evolution of healthy diet and lifestyle habits will have an enormous positive impact on their physical and mental well-being. By striving to instill primal eating principles at a young age, families can join hands to ensure North American children of a healthier, brighter future.
