In
2015, Shan Cooper went viral for feeding her infant the controversial paleo
diet. Grace, now eight years old, grew up eating mainly fresh produce, eggs,
meat, and eggs and no processed sugar. Her mother is known for her blog ‘My
Food Religion’ where she shares healthy recipes using “ingredients that are as
close to their natural state as possible and have been through minimal
processing.” But while many adults opt for healthier lifestyles, Grace has
grown up eating healthily.
The
Baby Who Ate No Refined Sugar
At
13 months old, Grace’s diet included breast milk twice a day in addition to
meals such as eggs fried in coconut oil, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
carrots, roast chicken, avocado, sauerkraut, fruit, organic beef, zucchini
noodles, and the like. She does not usually eat dessert but Shan made her
strawberry panacotta with coconut cream (without refined sugar) to celebrate
her first birthday.
According
to her mother in 2015, Grace had only gotten sick once at that age, and Shan
attributed her immunity to her nutritiously-dense diet. “She spends a lot of
time around other kids who are sick all the time — who have snotty noses,
coughs, colds — but she just doesn’t pick it up,” she said. “It’s certainly not
because I’m shielding her from any of that stuff. I absolutely think a nutrient
dense diet is giving her a strong immune system.”
Shan
adopted the paleo diet to improve her health after suffering from food
allergies. So she slowly began cutting out gluten, dairy, and processed foods.
“I just got sick of not feeling great,” she said. “That had become my
normal and (I decided) that wasn’t going to be normal anymore.”
The
paleo diet is based on what cavemen would have theoretically eaten during the
Paleolithic era, focusing on lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, seeds, and
nuts. The plan restricts refined sugar, grains, legumes, dairy, and processed
food in general. However, experts have expressed concerns about the diet,
particularly because it excludes healthy grains and legumes, good sources of
fiber, vitamins, and many nutrients, as well as dairy, which is a good source
of calcium and protein. Others criticize how the diet oversimplifies how ancient
people used to eat; after all, geographical locations would have provided
different food sources, and research has found early human diets included
grains thousands of years before farming became commonplace.
“I
am not Paleo…”
While
Shan keeps to a general paleo diet herself, she is not strict with it. As she
writes on her blog, “I am not vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free,
dairy-free, fat-free, carb-free or any other food ‘denomination’ in its
entirety. I take what I like from different food approaches and recipes and
adapt it to suit what make me feel good.”
Naturally,
it takes a lot of time, effort, and care to prepare food from scratch every
day. But Shan is not uptight about Grace sticking to the diet. “(What she eats
now) is not weird, not anything strange, that normal people wouldn’t eat. She
loves it. I don’t feed her toast or cereal or anything like that. Again I
think, ‘sure that stuff is not going to kill her.’ If she eats a piece of bread
I’m not going to have a conniption.”
When
Grace was still a baby, Shan acknowledged that she’d soon be attending birthday
parties full of sugar, cake, and to eat. “I’m not going to not let her go to
kids’ parties. She’s going to go to kids’ parties and eat what’s there. I’m
never going to go to Grace, ‘You can’t eat anything at this party but I packed
you some kale, here you go.’”
In
fact, Shan believes that children are naturally intuitive eaters. She plans to
cultivate that intuition as Grace gets older, helping her understand which
foods make her feel good and which not. And that often comes with trial and
error. “She’ll be old enough to know she can choose whatever she wants to eat.
She’ll probably come home jacked up on sugar and cake and say, ‘mum I don’t
feel very well.’ And next time instead of eating 12 cupcakes she might
only eat three.“
Creating
a Healthy Relationship with Food
“I
don’t want there to be any disordered eating around food,” said Shan, noting
that many women suffer from eating disorders. “I want Grace to eat what makes
her feel good. That’s the reason I eat this way. I don’t think eating a piece
of bread is going to kill me. When I go out with dinner with friends, I’m
just going to eat what’s on the menu. I’m not going to be a jerk about it.
She’ll also learn what makes her feel good and what doesn’t.”
Today,
Grace is now eight-years-old and her mother is a pro at finding healthy
alternatives to typical childhood junk food. Of course, people want to know the
truth: Has Shan allowed Grace to eat sugar now that she’s older? About four
months ago, a follower asked
her this on Instagram: “My question is, will Grace tell you if she wants to
try something sweet, like candy?” To which Shan replied, “Absolutely. She’s had
candy before at kids’ parties.”
After
all, it’s important to have a good relationship with food, and the freedom to
eat unhealthy things can help cultivate that. It’s all about finding foods that
give you satisfaction and nourishment, and reducing foods that make you feel
sick.
Sources
“The
baby girl who has never eaten a carb: Meet Grace, who has been on the Paleo
diet since birth – and her fitness fanatic mum says she has only been sick once
in her life.” Daily Mail. November 1, 2018
“Paleo
diet: What is it and why is it so popular?” Mayo
Clinic. August 25, 2020.
“A
bit about me…” My Food Religion. Shan Cooper.
“Meet Shan Cooper, the Mom Who Will Help You Find Healthy Alternatives for Your Kiddos.” Mama’s Cut. Sara Vallone. July 30, 2022
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