The PRIME Pursuit

Having children puts an interesting twist on following a paleo or primal lifestyle. We receive a lot of questions regarding how to implement it with young children, and it is not always an easy task.  So, with great enthusiasm, we introduce you to a great tool for teaching your kiddos about the paleo lifestyle.  Sarah Fragoso, author of Everday Paleo blog and cookbook, and founder of Everyday Paleo Lifestyle and Fitness, recently published her first children’s book, Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship.  The book provides a great platform from which to present the paleo lifestyle to children.  You will certainly close the book with newfound motivation and confidence as a parent, knowing you are pointing your children in the right direction for nourishment and wellness from a young age.

The scenario: A young boy named Jimmy deems his paleo dinner “oopity goopity” and refuses to eat it. The Paleo Pals swoop in and take him on a super hero journey, Charles Dickens style. They show him where unhealthy processed foods are made, where you can find healthy paleo foods, how to have fun cooking paleo style, and how great you can feel when you eat paleo foods.

First of all, she had our kids attention at “oopity-goopity” and it got even better from there:

Things we loved:

• Balances the complexity of paleo with the simplicity required for young readers
• Illustrations are colorful, bold, and attractive to kids of all ages
• Helps children to feel that our lifestyle and food choices are mainstream and established in everyday society
• Portrayal of the processed-foods factory was dark, scary and smoky
• Portrayal of the farmers market was vibrant, scenic and fun
• Small “science” lesson on how paleo foods make your tummy feel better
• Pointed out that kids performed better in all areas after eating paleo lunches
• The list of paleo-approved foods and kid-friendly recipes at the end of the book
• Specific tips on involving your children with the recipes…”Kid Jobs”
• Exciting yet simple recipes for busy families. The apple “sandwiches” and pancakes are so tasty and have tons of kid-appeal!

Things our kids loved:

• The carrot rocket ship that transported the Paleo Pals on their journeys
• The fact that is was based on super-heroes…period
• The phrase, “oopity-goopity”–they would just not let this go
• The fact that Jimmy’s family “eats like we do!”
• The Paleo Pals and Jimmy working together to make the paleo soup
• The kids doing handstands at the playground
• The P shirts “hidden” under the clothes of the kids who ate paleo foods
• Chanting out paleo-approved foods at the end of the book
• The colorful recipe pictures–especially the coconut milk ice pops and the kabobs

Suggestions:

• The dialogue was long in places, and younger eyes began to glaze over.  A shorter board-style book geared solely for 3-5 year olds to accompany it would help.
• An adolescent version with more of the “science behind why paleo is better.” This would help older children take ownership of their diet and help them fully understand it for what it is worth so they can walk in confidence, despite potential questioning or even ridicule from their peers.
• Let “oopity-goopity” come full circle at the end with something like, “turns out the factory processed food was oopity-goopity, huh?”
• Address the reasoning for the absence/scarcity of dairy in our diets in future adventures
• Not sure how Kindle publishing works, but we found the iPad and Kindle versions hard to read for children. The text was segmented, and the pictures were small.

Overall, it was a fantastic book and we give Paleo Pals five strips of bacon! We are all looking forward to future adventures with the Paleo Pals. Congratulations, Sarah, on your accomplishment in publishing this book!  You have certainly paved the way for us and other paleo/primal families. We look forward to carrying out the ideas in your book and spreading the word!

You can find and purchase Paleo Pals: Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship here.

Below is our own little Paleo Pals inspired Prime Pursuit family field trip to our local winter farmers market and our lunch prep afterwards:

A love of fresh herbs can start at a young age!

I want some beets, Mom!

Five cheers for paleo foods!

Check out those fun looking mushrooms!

Little ones can help add spices and stir

Older kiddos can help peel and chop!

Carrot and parsnip fries

Carrot and parsnip fries with easy tuna/spinach burgers

Our best to you and yours,

Heather and Leigh

Tags: introducing paleo to kids, paleo and children, paleo book, paleo kids, paleo pals, Paleo Pals Book Review, Sarah Fragoso Paleo Pals