Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Hi All,

Since our family has gone Paleo we have noticed the usual changes, weight loss (for the adults), health improvements, more energy etc.

Most surprisingly our children (two boys ages 6 & 4) have since going on a paleo diet virtually lost interest in TV.

It seems almost too good to be true, and I think that maybe we are kidding ourselves that it can have such a big impact on their behavior?

Whilst myself and my wife are moderate-strict paleo the kids are on a pretty relaxed primal some carbs (though less than before) with porridge for breakfast along with meat and veg etc the rest of the time.

I am wondering if it is a coincidence or is it something that other parents have observed?

flag	asked Aug 6 at 20:07 Brewster 313●7

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What do they do with their time now instead of watching TV? have you, as a result of going Paleo, increased your family's outdoor involvement? – Caveman Kyle Aug 6 at 20:19

Hi Kyle - they just play. Mostly imaginative games, cooking, space, fire fighting, hunting, building dens out of toys etc. We have always been very outdoors, but what is very noticeable it the lack of interest in TV (well online streaming via lovefilm or iplayer). We got rid of the TV ten years ago but via technology has crept back into the house via the internet. – Brewster Aug 7 at 19:16

It sounds like your kids are getting to be kids, which is wonderful. If you ditched the tube 10 years ago, and the kids are 6 & 4 now, I'd suspect that the diet is not affecting their TV time ;) – Caveman Kyle Aug 8 at 16:50

Thanks Kyle, I meant the TV thing in the looser sense to include streaming media. Still the good thing with streaming media is that there are no ads, which is the thing I dislike most about TV, especially for children – Brewster Aug 9 at 6:20

davidlaplante · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-08 16:34:33Z UTC

That's awesome to hear! We got rid of our TV 15 years ago and we view it as the best choice we made as a family. That said, the technology creep has made access to media ubiquitous so we've had to become creative with limiting access. Moving the wifi router into our bedroom and turning it off at 9pm is a pretty easy hack. We also have a box in the living room where all phones/tablets must be placed during "dinner and downtime". Kindle gets the exception for reading. No Xbox or Wii.

We've not really forced Paleo on the kids but asides from dealing with sleepovers and camps where food is out of their control they pretty much adhere to it. And they've learned some lessons. Last week at a camp our oldest ate two hotdogs and puked them up. They're starting to become pretty aware of foods that make them feel good and foods that make them feel bad.

We do feel a little smug in that over the years everyone has really started to notice and remark that our kids are the most energetic, sick the least, and do not have an ounce of bodyfat on them. They just run circles around their Slurpee chugging Doritos chomping friends.

The best part is when they freak people out by snacking on KerryGold butter. We've had many calls from parents "concerned" at their consumption of butter.

DePaw · Answer 2 · 2012-08-06 20:56:27Z UTC

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Decreased insulin increases the fat that can leave the fat cells, this increases the amount of energy available to the body.

When given drugs that stop insulin production obese sedentary people loose weight and spontaneously start exercising.

answered Aug 6 at 20:56

DePaw
1,976●3●10

Thanks DePaw, maybe that is it, insulin crashes avoided? – Brewster Aug 7 at 19:20

Paleo, Kids and TV

2 Answers