Life

9 Struggles Of Trying To Do A Whole30 When Your Kids Are Picky Eaters

By now, you've all probably heard of the Paleo way of eating (I hate calling it a "diet," because people assume it's something you adopt just to lose weight), but there's a lot of interpretations out there. Well, a Whole30 is like eating Paleo and having zero food-related fun ever. OK, that's totally just my definition and it's not entirely fair, but there's no question doing a Whole30 is hard. And I'm going to tell you right now, it gets even harder if you have to factor kids into the equation.

I've done probably the Whole30 five or six times at this point, and while parts of it get easier with each subsequent attempt (I have a whole arsenal of recipes I can pull out now), parts of it get harder as my children get older and pickier. Our very first Whole30 was when my daughter was 18 months old. She happily ate ground grass-fed beef, sweet potato, spinach, avocado, and eggs for months! It was a dream. Now that she's in kindergarten, her favorite foods are mostly beige, and most assuredly not Paleo.

I want to try another Whole30 now that it's almost spring and I'm no longer trying to eat all the foods to insulate myself up for winter hibernation...but how much fun do you think it's going to be with picky kids? So. Much. Fun. Guys. Here's more or less what it's like to attempt a Whole30 when you are cooking for tiny, very picky humans.

Shopping For So, So Many Things

If I stock up on all the good foods that they are willing to eat, they are totally going to do this Whole30 with me!

Looking For A Recipe, ANY Recipe, With Things They Like In It

There has to be something out there...

Struggling To Make The Ideal Whole30 Meal That Will Please Everyone

It's possible. I will convert them. They. Will. Love. It. Dammit.

Trying To Get Everyone To Eat Said Whole30 Meal

Lure them in with bacon.

Watching Your Kids React To The Vegetables They Don't Like

Damn. I was hoping they wouldn't notice those chopped up in there.

Feeling Like A Failure

I worked so hard on this meal! Why don't you love me enough to eat this food??

Trying To Cook Everyone What They Want

I can make this work. There's totally enough time in the day to cook nine meals, right?

Ordering Pizza For Everyone Else, While You Eat Your Whole30 Meal In The Bedroom Alone

Whatever. I give up.

Continuing To Cook Whole30 For Yourself, While Everyone Else Eats Cereal, Sandwiches, Cookies, and Mac & Cheese

You tried. You gave it your all. You are clearly a superior human being to your children, which is a weird kind of comfort to take, but it's pretty much all you've got left.