Day 1....starting tomorrow with a young family... Help!

[Dee-dee Martin]

I am currently a vegan 90% of the time and now am going to try and go Raw. This will prove a big challenge for me because I have 2 small children as well and they are vegetarian but Im not sure how to go about making food for everyone in my family without accidently "cleansing" the wee ones too much. I also want to be able to have energy to keep up with everyone while my body is detoxing... if anyone has any ideas, pleaaaasssseeee let me know!

[Dee-dee Martin]

Thank you everyone! I feel better about it now. I should mention my daughter is 7 and my son is 18 months and recently weened himself. We also do a vegan multivitamin/greens tablet everyday and they do love all the healthy stuff but I do make a lot cooked things (not in microwave) but cooked nonetheless and a lot of the snacks I've seen in the raw recipes include many nuts and seeds and I've had major gas pain issues with those kinds of things before and was just afraid that they could experience that too. I could just not make those kinds of things but we like variety too and can get bored pretty quick of the same ol' thing. lol My husband is great, he just eats whatever I put in front of him (when I met him he only ate meat and cheese). 

update for todays meals:

Green drink for everyone this morning with Kale, broccoli sprouts, bananas, celery, pomegranite seeds, rasberries, blueberries, and apple juice (I was going to put coconut oil in it but SOMEONE put it in the fridge last night and it was solid this morning) ;) 

Lunch was Couscous and another green drink for me followed by some jasmine tea

Snack was apples and cereal bars for the kids

Dinner is a Curried caulifower soup with sunflower seeds. 

Trying to make sure I get at least 10 glasses of water today also.

[Wendi Grant]

Small children have an easier time than older kids and grown ups do!  Give them lots of variety and new things to try and don't make a big deal out of it! Make it exciting and they will join right in!!!  I wish I had started my kids on raw foods or at least no junk foods when they were young.  Now it is hard with teenagers to correct old BAD habits.  BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!

[Janet Carol Ryan]

You are in such a great place, already 90% vegan and going raw while your little ones are little - yeah! I believe that the little ones are naturals at raw - so getting the raw way and healthy choices established now (before they are exposed to advertising and peer influences) is such a blessing all the way around. You are a beacon of light for  your family. Come to the 'hab regularly for support and inspiration. Rawk on!

[Jazzy Me]

Dee-dee,

It sounds like you are doing fine already. So, what about detox? They probably don't have a lot of detoxing to do. They haven't been alive long enough to have done much damage lol! Seriously though, from what you've said, it sounds like you are already on the right path for you and your children. If you are feeling anxious about what to feed your children, believe me, they can feel your anxiety, and they do react on it by NOT eating.

My daughter feels like she's in the same dilemma...What do I feed this boy???

My daughter and her husband are both vegans. My daughter is very high raw. My grand baby is being raised as a vegan. She does include some cooked foods in his diet, such as lentils, tofu, oatmeal, quinoa, and brown rice. BUT he really seems to prefer green smoothies, fruits (including fresh tomato and plain avocados), and seaweed. Seaweed??? Yes, she buys those crunchy seaweed snacks from TJ's and he LOVES them! Anyhow, she gets very anxious when he won't eat what she considers to be a whole meal. Sometimes he will eat only the tomatoes out of his salad, or he will only eat grapes, and that's all he will want. He used to LOVE bananas, but now he won't eat them. He turns his head when he's offered a bite of banana. By the way, she is still nursing, and that makes a difference in a childs appetite...

I said all that to say this.... You are doing a great job, so first of all, relax. If you want your children to eat raw with you, you have to eat raw first. Meaning you have to eat and enjoy your food in front of them. Children always want what their parents are eating. So, if you are eating a banana, nonchalantly offer your kids a bite. If they take it good. If not, don't trip. There will be something else that you eat that they will want. I mean, if you do feed them cooked food while you are eating raw, it's not a crime. No one is going to come and arrest you LOL!!!!

I told her, and I'm telling you again. Relax. Children will eat when they are hungry. If you are still nursing your child(ren) then they may not need as much food, as mom's milk is very rich, nutritious, and filling. So, give yourself a break. The best thing you can do for your children is to give them a loving, healthy eating, calm and relaxed mom.

[Dee-dee Martin]

Thanks guys! I will def. be adding the green smoothies, they love all the things Deborah mentioned also... maybe it wont be too detoxing for them since they already eat those things. What about nuts and seeds? What kind of quantities should we start out with? We do nut butters already..

[Deborah Grissam]

I went to a party this weekend for 2 year olds and the menu looked like a raw food restaurant. apple juice boxes, grape juice boxes, baby carrots, fresh pineapple, grapes, celery sticks, apple slices, wheat thins , hummus, almond butter, spinach dip...... The mom said that was what the kids liked to eat and they really did munch down!

[Debbie V]

Definitely green smoothies, for you and the wee ones. Easy, portable, and delicious.

[Susan : )]

I suggest adding fresh Green Smoothies to your family's existing diet!!!