Parents are 100% responsible for feeding our children, both for better and for worse. That is, if they have a balanced and healthy diet, as if they don’t. Currently there are countless options to feed us, and among the most popular is the paleo diet. This is why we wanted to investigate whether it is healthy for a child to eat this diet or not.
The paleo diet, also known as the paleolithic diet or evolutionary diet, is becoming fashionable and is nothing more than trying to feed ourselves today in the same way that we fed ourselves millions of years ago. No, we are not going to go to the savannah to hunt elephants, nor are we going to sell appliances on Wallapop, nor are we going to be so strict, we simply eliminate processed foods from our diet, including legumes, cereals and dairy products . At that time, agriculture and livestock did not yet arrive.
It’s good but for a limited time
The human diet must be rich in nutrients, healthy, varied and balanced. However, the paleo diet is not balanced, but rather is very high in protein and fat, and restricts very key food groups such as legumes, cereals, and dairy.
Also, when talking about growing children, there are certain food groups that should not be overlooked. A child can be on a paleo, vegan, vegetarian, meat-eating diet, etc. but as long as they do not lack essential nutrients that can affect their growth and development .
It is recommended that this diet go hand in hand with professional advice such as a pediatrician or an expert in infant nutrition so that our children do not suffer from nutritional deficiencies in their growth stage.
In the case of this type of diet, it is best that they are done only for a limited time until the objective is achieved, such as losing weight. When it comes to children, those periods of time must be shortened a lot, to avoid consequences such as excessive weight loss and eating disorders. It is best to follow a healthy and safe diet both physically and mentally.
Beware of creating an eating disorder
By eliminating certain food groups we can create disorders in children, be it rejection, obsession, fear of food, etc. The child must grow up with access to information, and be able to decide what he wants to eat and what he does not want to eat.
These fears, insecurities and distrust towards food are generated by a lack of understanding, letting oneself be carried away by parents, not being informed. Not to mention that, if he does not understand the reason for that decision, he will feel rejection from his peers and from himself for not freely eating what he wants. This leads to embarrassment if found out, guilt if you eat it on the sly, fear of consequences, etc.
For example, legumes and whole grains are a very rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, which children are missing out on. As well as dairy, with the importance of calcium and vitamin D. In addition, carbohydrates from bread, pasta, rice, and other processed foods not allowed on the paleo diet, offer the energy that children need.
Minors spend carbohydrates up to 4 times faster than an adult, so not consuming enough can have direct consequences such as excessive weight loss , discouragement, apathy, weakness, etc. The paleo diet is very low in carbohydrates, and a child with a normal rhythm of life and normal physical activity needs a lot of carbohydrates.
