Steak is delicious, but it may be hard for little ones to chew.
Also, many parents already find it difficult enough to get their kids to eat fruits or vegetables, but limiting their options to less-sweet picks could prove even more challenging. So, what is a parent wanting to transition their entire family to a ketogenic diet to do?
You may have found many foods that you love on a ketogenic diet, but if you have a family, the question is: can keto work for the entire brood, even the picky eaters?
But the family-friendly keto recipes available, all perfect for adults and kiddos alike, are giving families straddling diets as a mixed dietary household a chance to do so with grace—often winning over even the most initially protestant nay-sayers along the way.
Remember, results are often the best testimony to convince apprehensive members of your household.
When your spouse notices your firming frame, that's likely to get their attention than anything else you could say on behalf of the plan.
Objection: Spouse Doesn’t Do Keto
A lot of couples make dietary changes while involved in intimate relationships, and this can present unique challenges to navigate to stay on track and avoid ever-present temptation you're bound to encounter daily in your fridge and cupboards.
The exquisite taste of a lot of the new recipes you'll start making and the positive visible body changes you'll witness due to the keto lifestyle tend to at least pique a spouse's interest.
Just live by example, and your loved ones will likely follow along when they're ready.
Honestly, being the change, remaining open when your challenged spouse has questions, and inspiring your spouse and kiddos who may be on the fence, through your success on the diet, will likely be the most potent agents of change within families.
How to Fix:
We know it's hard not to share the wonders of keto, as you experience rapid results, especially with those closest to you, but not everybody is ready for change at the same time.
Start by making Konscious Keto's strawberry ricotta cheese pancakes to break the fast, and enjoy them along with some sugar-free, thick, maple-flavored syrup with a side of bacon and eggs.
Ease into the afternoon with a savory yet slightly sweet and very creamy keto pumpkin soup.
And last but not least, dine on a delicious platter of carne asada and a side of keto chimichurri sauce with a tray of cream-cheese filled and fried jalapeño peppers for dinner. Experiment and enjoy it all!
Maybe even whip up some irresistible ooey-gooey keto cookies to add a sweet treat to the meal plan that the kids and adults in your household will enjoy equally.
Objection: Kids Aren’t Low Carb
Kids do tend to love fries, chips, cookies, and cakes, but the question is whether that's a result of nature or nurture.
Is it possible to raise healthy children on a low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet, and remain sane—while curbing their carb intake without depriving them of the normal pleasures of being a kid?
With all the school birthday parties and supermarket marketing placed at children's eye-level to inspire endless amounts of "Mommy, can I have this?" moments related to high-calorie junk food they don’t need, can be frustrating as a parent working to keep their child’s diet clean.
Well, fortunately, it's possible to construct meal plans specific to the health considerations of all members of your family.
Growing teens may thrive, eating more protein-rich foods along with dark leafy greens and ample amounts of fat. In contrast, others will operate better with moderate protein intake and lower amounts of fat.
Take the time to determine your needs or expedite the process by working with an experienced coach to eliminate a lot of the frustrating guesswork involved in beginning a new dietary plan.
Those who are athletes or otherwise very athletic may be able to maintain ideal levels of metabolic ketosis while eating higher levels of net carbs.
In contrast, others find they're body's require a minimal amount of carbs each day to see desired weight-loss results.
How to Fix:
Consider elevating your kid's carb intake to around 50 total grams a day, and do your best to comprise the calories consumed of whole and organic foods.
Keep the recipes fun for the kids, like making chicken nuggets cut into creative shapes, crisped up in the air fryer, maybe. Or start seeing if the kids enjoy bunless double cheeseburgers—a dinner option all family members can enjoy.
Also, keto-friendly and kid-friendly options, like chicken fingers and our king keto taco casserole, are available on our site and easy to prepare ahead of time.
Objection: Family Doesn’t Want “Healthy Food”
Well, this part is easy: keto foods often taste like decadent cheat foods that fool even those not eating a low-carb, high-fat, diet.
You'll have different dietary challenges, based on your household make-up, and they're varying food preferences, and this spectrum of eating styles coexisting under the same roof can become tricky.
How to Fix:
Meal prep is so essential when feeding family members on different meal plans.
Focus on keeping delicious casseroles, like our king keto taco casserole on-hand, prepare a savory batch of faux mashed potatoes, and ensure you have some grab-and-go foods, like BBQ wings, to keep you satisfied throughout the week.
Objection: Meal Planning for Families
We advise customized meal plans for individuals on a ketogenic diet, and the same is true for families approaching the eating style together.
Look at it like this, it's probably standard for you, your spouse, and each of your kids to be using a separate electronic device at the same time—everyone is operating using the same frequency (r.e., WiFI). Yet, all are tuned into their individually-chosen programming. The same is true for each person's need for a customized keto meal plan.
Feel free to take our simple customized quiz to receive your personalized meal plan today.
Also, one of the excellent benefits of doing keto as a family unit, even if your meal choices may vary, is you'll find that most recipes tend to require similar ingredients, which can simplify your grocery list.
How to Fix:
Sit down and look at each family member's personalized meal plans, along with the ingredients needed to make the recipes noted on everyone's plan, and start your meal planning strategy from there.
Again, you will start to notice a pattern of overlapping ingredients.
Whether eggs, heavy cream, butter, or almond flour and your favorite sugar alternative—the similarities aren't hard to discern as a common core of keto ingredients, over time.
Organize your grocery list around the meals you plan to make for the next few days, and you'll simplify the meal prep process, which can feel a bit daunting to some.
Also, freezer meals will act as a faithful ally in the effort to remain on track during the week and then thaw, warm, and enjoy these delicious dishes whenever the tribe is voracious and time is limited.
Here are some of our favorite keto-friendly freezer meals to consider keeping in rotation for your family:
Breakfast:
- Cheesy sausage biscuits
- Sausage Cream Cheese wheels
- Broccoli and bacon quiche
- Spinach and feta pie
Lunch:
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Keto Meatloaf
- Pesto Meatballs
- Cabbage Lasagna Recipe
- Slow Cooker Kickin' Chili
Dinner:
- Tuna Casserole
- Meatballs Alla Parmigiana
- Mexican Zucchini Lasagna
- Cauliflower Hamburger Casserole
There are so many keto-friendly recipes to make, even if you are looking to please the pickiest eaters.
Objection: I Want to Do Keto on My Own
If you're not a joiner, we understand, not all of us are. But, without being too triggering, we’d like to share that we’ve have found that our Konsciouus Keto members who stay plugged in to the online community tend to experience more success.
Going it alone may seem like a great option, even a noble challenge aimed directly at fortifying your self-discipline. Still, there's an almost magical thing that happens when like-minded people join together to share their experiences as they work toward a common goal.
How to Fix:
We love to welcome new members into our Konscious Keto community as the experiences and knowledge we share as a collective are priceless.
Also, consider finding relatable channels on platforms like YouTube, to locate a tribe of people with a journey that reflects yours to keep you encouraged.
Objection: Food Sensitivities/Elimination Diets
A ketogenic diet is a form of an elimination diet, a ditching of refined carbs and sugars. However, there are other diets, such as the GAPS diet, popular in the autism community, that have a similar approach of removing many foods, then reintroducing them individually to identify the allergen(s) that may be affecting your health.
How to Fix:
Some restrict to the level of a carnivore diet, where they are mainly eating only fat and protein, no fruits or veggies, and then choose to reintroduce some low-glycemic food options to monitor how their body reacts to each new dietary addition.
Add each new food of your choice back into your diet slowly, really take the time to monitor how you feel after eating any newly-reintroduced fare to determine which foods work well in your system or not and adjust your meal plan accordingly.
Simple Keto Meal Plan for Families
Beginning a new lifestyle while adulting and parenting are not for the faint of heart. We know how challenging and frustrating it can be to want to make a change but feel unsure where to begin.
Again, please take advantage of our customized keto meal plan quiz for weight loss here to determine the ideal approach for every member of your family who chooses to follow a ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic lifestyle is one that can be adapted well by a single household member but can change the health of an entire household, and generations to follow, when adopted as a familial way of life.
The meals eaten on keto are unforgettable, sometimes preferred to their high-carb iterations once you start trotting them out at family or friendly functions, and are perfect for helping your body transition from burning sugar to fat as fuel.
From the best nut-free and keto-friendly cookies to make for your kiddos' upcoming school bake sale, to the new keto dishes your entire family will devour: just deliver the tasty keto food and let it win people over all by itself.
Sources
- Successful Medical Weight Loss in a Community Setting. (2015). Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy, 05(01). doi: 10.4172/2165-7904.1000248
- Thiele, E. A. (2003). Assessing the Efficacy of Antiepileptic Treatments: The Ketogenic Diet. Epilepsia, 44, 26–29. doi: 10.1046/j.1528-1157.44.s7.4.x
- Successful Medical Weight Loss in a Community Setting. (2015). Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy, 05(01). doi: 10.4172/2165-7904.1000248
- Low-Carb Diet Beats Low-Fat for HDL-Cholesterol Levels. (2010). SciVee. doi: 10.4016/20185.01
- Hopkin, M. (2005). Meat diet boosts kids' growth. Nature. doi: 10.1038/news050221-5
- Dupuis, N., & Auvin, S. (2016). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Ketogenic Diet. Oxford Medicine Online. doi: 10.1093/med/9780190497996.003.0017