Customer Reviews

Raw Kids: Transitioning Children to a Raw Food Diet

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was written by a mom who transitioned her older child to a raw foods diet to overcome his behavioral problems, which she suspected were caused by food allergies. That may sound strange, but it's not an uncommon phenomenon. Not all families need to cut out all cooked foods to overcome their child's problems, but that's exactly what worked for Cheryl Stoycoff's family.

In her introduction, she lets the reader know what not to expect from the book: it isn't a primer on raw nutrition for children. She wrote it for those who are already convinced of the benefits of a raw diet but still need advice on how to help older children make the transition. Much of her advice is based on the simple premise that you first set an example, then you enlist your child's cooperation - as best you can.

I like that the author is realistic about the fact that some kids will transition more easily than others. She encourages loving patience and praises the benefits of any change toward a healthier, more whole foods vegan diet, rather than lamenting the difficulty of going 100% raw with kids. And she covers not only dealing with children themselves, but also briefly discussing handling school, relatives, and social gatherings.

Also included are chapters on "The Diet-Behavior Connection" and "Meal Ideas" complete with a section of her own tried-and-true kid-friendly raw recipes.

This is a short book, an easy read, and it answered many of the questions I had when contemplating how one could possibly get a whole family to go raw. Though you would probably want to get another more thorough nutrition manual, this book provides sound advice and a view into one family's experience, which is always an interesting read!

this is a good little book to get you started in the direction of transitioning your kids to raw food. when I first bought it, I actually got it for myself (I'm big on getting kids books when I begin something - guess I'm a big kid inside!) Anyway, I figured that I'd try it for kid-tested foods that I might like. The author doesn't feed her kids 100% raw, at least at the time of her writing and I like that she writes about how she follows the rhythms of the seasons and her kids. Certain times they are hungrier than others and she honors that. She talks about how her kids behavioral and physical problems were healed with raw foods. Very interesting little read.

Without knowing a thing about the benefits of a raw food diet, I bought and read the book anyway because it stressed a vegetarian diet. I'd been a vegetarian for 6 years, but couldn't lose weight after my son was born 2 years ago. I met Cheryl and her husband, Clyde, who were very supportive and suggested that I eliminate cooked starches from my diet. Honestly, I thought the advice was silly, but after reading the book I understood what they meant. I was living on potatoes, pasta, rice. When I ate fruit for breakfast and snacks, a huge salad for lunch, and another salad for dinner, I easily lost 6 lbs. in 2 weeks. I also have much more energy and clarity of thought. I feel so much better. I eat all the avacadoes and olives I want, and even some cooked beans. My family is now about 80% raw and I'm about 95%. Try it - it's not as hard as you think, and the results are worth it!

For the price, I felt the book lacks content. The information it contains is good and informative but I was looking for a book with more recipes and information.

This book is good for anyone who wants to improve their diet for any reason. My husband experienced a marked improvement in his ADD from eating raw, so I know the author is accurately describing her child's transformation. Stoycoff pours her heart out about being a parent and bucking mainstream culture. The book is not all honey and roses. It goes through the trials and tribulations of a family's journey toward better health. The kids aren't made out to be little robot-angels, but regular kids who have to be convinced to eat healthy food. This book is especially good to empower people to consider a choice other than meds for kids with behavior issues.

I don't have children but I have a niece and nephew and therefore was interested in what this book had to say about kids and the raw food diet. I personally have read over 75 nutrition books including a dozen or so on the raw foods diet, so I already knew how healthy it was. I was reading it for the children, but it turned out to be a great book for me too.

I loved this little book. It's just good, realistic, common sense advice about living a raw or mostly raw diet whether you have children or not. It's a great first book on the raw diet for those who don't like to read; this may inspire them to read further. And for me, it was just a nice practical guide to this diet that sometimes seems overwhelmingly challenging. I'm glad I've read all the books I have read on the raw diet. I learned a great deal from them. But they made it seem so difficult, and indeed, in many ways it is. However, this book made it seem more feasible, less overwhelming, so it's great for those of us who have been struggling with it for some time, as well as for the beginner.

And lastly, the information about her son and how he has benefited from this diet is information I wish all families were aware of. It's tragic to think how many children may have their entire lives adversely affected by something that could be taken care of almost overnight through dietary changes.

A tiny book with a big message.