So today I served up some leftover hamburger patties for my kiddos. As I was fixing my lunch and carrying on with my day, I suddenly realized that not one of my three children even asked for a bun! I had one ask for blueberries, one ask for milk, and the other ask for cheese, but not one asked for bread! What a glorious day!
This is what our hamburger used to look like:
Hopefully this image doesn’t send you to the nearest burger joint! Honestly, this image does nothing for me anymore. As a self-proclaimed carb-aholic, I am amazed that I no longer have cravings for the bun! The meat – yes! I could care less about the bun though. I never thought I would say this, so I post in order to bring you hope for a happy bunless forever.
I am so grateful too. A typical 100% whole wheat hamburger bun has 25-35 grams of carbs, and generally is about 75% carbs or more when calculating macros (Fat, Carbs, Protein). I’m not even going to talk about the dreaded refined white flour buns! And…30 grams of carbs is about my max intake of carbs on a typical day so that bun would be it.
I knew I had made it past the carb craving stage, but I also knew it would be a more difficult task for my children. After all, they usually eat what they are served and find themselves in places with many offerings. In the beginning of this new “Way of Eating” (WOE), I heard a lot of comments like, “How long are you going to do this diet?”, or “Why can’t we have buns?”
It is hard to explain to children how wheat, something that is grown from the earth, is harmful to them. I used to mill my own wheat and bake my own bread for goodness sakes. I get the questions! I used to think I was doing all the right things by giving my children fresh milled whole grains. Then I read Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD and Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD. Wow! What eye opening reads! Being a faithful person, I always believed that anything provided on earth and grown from the ground had to be good for us. I had no idea how much the wheat we were provided has been changed over the years by human scientists. It is actually very sad! I prefer my family eat things from nature, not the product of a scientist. So, that is why I removed wheat not only from my diet, but that of the rest of my family as well.
I was shocked today when I realized that there was not a comment, not a mention, not a whine for bread! Even the kids get over it!
At breakfast today, I served grain-free lemon blueberry muffins, and my oldest told me that he just doesn’t really care for the muffins anymore. When I asked him why he didn’t like the muffins, he told me that it wasn’t these muffins in particular, it was just muffins in general. He asked for a poached egg instead.
Wow! Breakfast breads used to be a staple, and now they are turning them away! What a corner we have turned.
So, I hope that this gives you a glimmer of hope that the whole family can live this Keto lifestyle. I emphasize lifestyle. This is not a diet for us anymore – it is a lifestyle. It is the way we shop, eat, cook, and live. We love it! It gives us more energy to get through the day and through these years of parenting. The kids notice the difference too. Everyone just feels better, which gives us the willpower to get through the choices that used to challenge us. Now it is not a obstacle for us, and surprisingly our children either. I do want to say, that I don’t offer the options at home, but if we are out, I don’t tell the kids it is off limits. I let them make the choice for themselves. I never want them to feel like the things we choose to eat are “forbidden fruit”. I try to educate them to make healthy choices so that they have a lifetime of healthy eating, not just the forbidden foods we tell them they cannot eat. Example teaches what 10,000 words cannot! Be a great example for the kids, and they will follow suit!
Here’s to healthy eating and healthy teaching! It is possible!
