Shannon Cooper is an Australian health and wellness coach known for her blog My Food Religion. When she became a mother in 2014, she made the decision to raise her daughter in a very special way. Indeed, she imposed a diet without sugar or carbohydrates! It’s quite controversial, but Shannon proved the cynics wrong.
1. Shannon knows a lot about nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle.
She is a true health enthusiast who loves to study nutrition, diets and what certain foods do to the body. She conducted her health research for much of her adult life, which led to a drastic decision that eventually affected her daughter as well.
2. Shannon made a drastic decision that affected her daughter’s health.
Cooper decided to raise her daughter Grace with the paleo regime since birth. This meant that Grace would not eat processed and jarred baby food like most children of her age. Countless people told her she was wrong to do so, but Shannon was not going to back down on her idea.
3. What is the paleo diet?
A Paleo diet, aka the “caveman diet”, means that you only eat meat, fish, fruits and vegetables that people of the Palaeolithic era consumed. Shannon discovered the diet in 2010 and it completely transformed her life. But how would this affect a newborn?
4. How would the strict diet work on baby Grace?
Cavemen had a relatively healthy diet, but this is not enough data to prove that they lived a healthier life than today’s people. The paleo diet also emphasizes cutting cereals, legumes and dairy products, which are essential in today’s diet. How did Shannon get it to work for her baby?
5. Shannon was warned to be light-hearted.
Before Shannon adopted the paleo diet for Grace, she sought advice from a pediatrician. Shannon received a warning to be careful.
6. Shannon, however, made an exception.
In Grace’s best interest, Shannon made an exception by breastfeeding Grace for the first few months. This was entirely appropriate since Shannon was already on the diet herself. After all, you are what you eat.
7. Shannon ignored some advice.
When it came time to switch from breast milk to solid food, Shannon didn’t use the recipes Celebrity Paleo’s chef Pete Evans developed or the jarred baby food sold in the stores. Instead, she remained faithful to her ideals of the paleo regime.
8. Shannon cooked her own baby food.
She filled her daughter’s food with the healthy nutrients she needed, and all specially prepared meals were sugar-free, preservative-free and unprocessed. The only thing left to see was how it would affect little Grace’s health.
9. It must be said that Grace ate healthier than most adults.
Grace has eaten a lot of fruits and vegetables and has never eaten carbohydrates and other sweets that children love. With such a restricted diet, many people were still wondering if Grace was getting enough nutrients. Shannon wouldn’t see the results until Grace grew up.
10. The results were quite astounding.
Her mother claims that Grace only caught a mild cold once in the first few years of her life and that she doesn’t catch anything even when she is around sick children all the time. Shannon believes that the paleo diet has strengthened Grace’s immune system.
11. What will Shannon do when Grace gets older?
Although Shannon has successfully raised Grace with the paleo diet so far, she knows that this will not be the case for her entire life. There will inevitably come a time when Grace will encounter foods that are not authorized by this diet, and Shannon will let her decide for herself.
12. Shannon wants Grace to feel good about what she eats.
Shannon explained on her blog: “I take what I like about different approaches and food recipes and adapt it to what makes me feel good. Women, in particular, have enough problems with eating disorders,” she continues. I want Grace to eat what makes her feel good.”
13. Shannon believes it is possible to eat whenever you want.
The idea that there is a fixed time for breakfast, lunch and dinner is really a human concept, but Shannon follows it in a rather vague way. “I feel like I can eat more intuitively rather than just eat because it’s lunchtime, etc. I listen to my body and the signals of hunger.”
14. Shannon hopes Grace learns from all this.
Shannon tries to have open and honest conversations with her daughter about their lifestyle. She involves Grace in many aspects of her career, and the knowledge Grace acquires from Shannon will hopefully allow her to make conscious and informed decisions on her own.
15. Shannon helps others live healthy lives too.
Shannon’s blog, My Food Religion, contains tons of healthy recipes that incorporate aspects of various diets. She has also made a living by giving private tutoring and workshops for people who want to learn how to cook healthy meals and change their lifestyle.
