Shannon Cooper And Baby Grace
Shannon has loved food her entire life, and she has spent many years researching diets and how certain foods can affect the body. Shannon’s philosophy is that food should be a fuel for your body, but it should also taste good. She also has always said that the food we eat can be like a slow acting poison. It was with this knowledge that when she found out that she was going to have a baby, she knew what she had to do.
Shannon Cooper
Most of us have heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” but how many of us really follow that? Shannon Cooper takes this a little further. She not only believes that we are what we eat, but also that we are what our food ate. For instance, eggs from free-range hens have more Omega-3 in them than caged chickens. Produce that is not organic has a lot of harmful chemicals that can poison us.
Produce In A Grocery Store
Shannon lived this healthy life for many years, especially after she had earned her degree in agricultural science. So, when Shannon found out that she was pregnant, she knew that she would use her knowledge and expertise to feed her child. So, when Grace was born in 2014, Shannon made a drastic decision that was met with a lot of criticism, but she definitely didn’t care. Shannon was now a mother and she was going to choose the perfect diet for Grace.
Shannon Cooper Pregnant
People couldn’t believe the diet that Shannon had in mind for Grace, but with her educational background, as well as being into fitness and being a wellness coach, no one was going to tell her how to feed her baby. Shannon even has a blog where she shares tips about nutrition and wellness, as well as what she does to raise a healthy family. What she didn’t realize, however, is how her choice of diet would make headlines across the globe.
Shannon Cooper Expert In Wellness
Now that Shannon was going to be a mother, she wanted to makes sure that her baby was going to be healthy. Shannon knew, thanks to being a wellness coach, that there were right and wrong things to do when it came to nutrition. Most parents feed their children a lot of processed food with chemicals, but Shannon was definitely not going to do that. So, she decided that she was going to put her baby on a strict diet, and she wasn’t going to back down.
Shannon And Grace
Shannon chose to feed Grace the same diet she is on: Paleo. In fact, this isn’t really a diet, it’s a way of eating. If you know anything about Paleo, and you haven’t actually done this way of eating, you might be a little shocked. But, Shannon had been eating in the Paleo way for many years, and she knew exactly what to feed her baby. Grace would be eating whole foods with nothing processed, like jarred baby food.
Baby Grace Getting Ready To Eat
You might be wondering why Shannon would choose this type of diet. Most people are unfamiliar with this way of eating. It is also known as the Paleolithic diet, or the “caveman diet.” Basically, you only eat food that people from the Paleolithic Era would eat. Back then, the people were hunter-gatherers, and their diet consisted of meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables.
A Paleo Meal
Shannon chose this diet for herself many years ago because she had a number of food allergies, which made her feel ill. What she discovered is that when she removed certain food, such as grains and legumes, she felt a ton better. So, she took out all of the processed food from her diet, including sugar, beans, and grains, and was amazed by how fast her allergy symptoms went away and how good she felt.
Shannon After Eating Paleo Foods
Though all of our bodies react differently to food, Paleo is one that should work remarkably well for almost anyone. You have to cut out carbs (except fruit and veggie carbs), sugar, and processed foods that have additives and preservatives. Though it all sounds great, it is important to mention that this diet is still questioned by some people in the medical community, and there are pros and cons to eating a Paleo diet. This is why people were so shocked that Shannon would feed Grace like this.
Shannon And Baby Grace
The Paleo diet is pretty healthy as it promotes eating whole, real foods instead of chemical-laden processed foods. According to research, the cavemen ate about three times more fruit and veggies than we do today, and their diets were higher in protein, fiber, and Omega-3s. they also got more minerals and vitamins from their food than we do. This sounds like a very good way of eating for a baby, but people still judged Shannon for it.
Adorable Grace
Though the diet that the cavemen ate was certainly healthy, there are a lot of things that people who love Paleo tend to forget. The cavemen ate healthy, but they weren’t necessarily healthy people. The people of the Stone Age had a number of health issues including diseases and parasites. So, even though they were putting good food in their bodies, they still had a lot of health issues to contend with.
Paleo Diet
All Shannon wanted for Grace was to make her feel as good as possible, and she knew that the Paleo diet would do that. Yet, her decision was still controversial. No one really knew how this type of diet would affect a baby. After all, it also eliminates dairy, and most people think babies need milk. In this case, Shannon was going with what she knew, but many people, including doctors, had something to say about it.
Shannon Cooper And Her Family
Before totally putting Grace on the Paleo diet, Shannon decided that she should talk to Grace’s pediatrician. However, there is not a lot of research on children and the Paleo diet, so the doctor said it wasn’t a good idea. Shannon stuck with her instincts, and she decided that she was definitely going to stick with the Paleo diet…but she would make a single exception to the plan.
The Many Faces Of Sweet Grace
The one exception that Shannon made on the diet was to give Grace milk, which isn’t allowed on the Paleo diet. However, Shannon did not give her milk from cows, she fed Grace breast milk. So, it wasn’t really a huge exception. Breast milk is totally healthy for babies, of course, as they cannot yet digest solid food. Some parents, however, who give their children Paleo foods don’t even do the breast milk, though. Now we are wondering what the babies eat!?
Breastfeeding Mom
Some parents transition their breastfed children to formula within the first year of life. There are Paleo formula recipes out there, but thanks to Shannon’s experience with nutrition, she noticed something…even though she was advised to switch Grace to formula, she ignored it. Why? Because some of the ingredients in these recipes were not nutrients that a baby should get. In fact, some of the ingredients could make a baby get really sick, and in some cases, the baby could even die!
Homemade Baby Formula
There was never one time in her life that Grace ever had baby formula. Shannon breastfed her baby until Grace was ready for solid food, and when she was, Shannon kept to a Paleo plan. She was definitely not going to give Grace jarred baby food, so she decided that she would make Paleo baby food herself. Shannon knew that when people eat whole foods, like the Paleo diet contains, they stay fuller, longer, and get better nutrition. It sounded perfect.
Paleo Baby Food
Since Shannon was going to make Grace Paleo friendly food, she knew exactly what was going into her little girl’s body. She started to ween Grace off of breastfeeding by creating meals like veggies and organic chicken, and then would puree the ingredients up to make it easy for Grace to eat. This was also a good idea because Grace would start getting used to eating in the Paleo way. Of course, all of Grace’s food would be unprocessed and free of chemicals, preservatives, and processed sugar.
Jars of Paleo Baby Food
Since Grace had been born, Shannon had posted information about her diet on both her blog and her social media pages. So, fans of Shannon have seen Grace grow up eating foods like broccoli, which other kids turn their noses up at. Grace is actually healthier than the average adult! By the time Grace was totally transitioned off of breast milk, however, people were still questioning Shannon’s decisions. She brushed it off, though, and kept Grace on Paleo.
Grace Eating Her Dinner
As a year old child, Grace was eating mostly fruits and vegetables with organic meat. Though it sounds simple, making food like this isn’t very quick to prepare. It takes time, especially when you are making food for babies. Shannon, for instance, would make Grace quinoa porridge for breakfast or chia pudding for dessert. But, Grace hasn’t had some foods, including processed sugar or simple carbs like bread. These are foods most kids love, but Grace? She never had them.
Grace Looking Up A Shannon
People are naturally curious about what a baby on Paleo eats during the day. After she stated eating solid food, Grace ate much like any other 1-year old, she just ate a Paleo version. For instance, for breakfast, she typically had eggs, fruit, and veggies. For lunch, Shannon gave her things like roast chicken and broccoli. Dinner would be pasta made of veggie noodles with bolognese sauce. Snacks were often fruit, and for Grace’s birthday, she even had a Paleo-friendly panna cotta made with strawberries.
Strawberry Panna Cotta
How did Grace react to the Paleo diet as she grew up? According to Shannon, Grace loves the food that she gets, but at the same time, the little girl doesn’t know any other food. However, the affect of this diet on her has been remarkable. Shannon has said that Grace had only gotten sick one time in the first couple of years of her life, and she is around sick kids a lot. Shannon says that Paleo is great for the immune system, and this is proof that Grace’s is as strong as possible.
Shannon And Grace At The Beach
Some people have accused Shannon of doing things to ensure that Grace never gets sick, but Shannon denies it. She says that Grace is around children with coughs, colds, and runny noses all of the time, but she just doesn’t pick up any of the illnesses. Shannon also doubles down on the fact that a diet that is nutrient rich, like Paleo, has given the entire family very strong immune systems. But, is it all due to eating the Paleo diet?
Baby Grace Showing Off Her Skills
Though Shannon is a really big fan of the Paleo diet, she isn’t as strict as you might think. On her blog, she has explained that she would never say that she is on a strict Paleo diet. She has also said that she is not totally gluten-free, dairy-free, or carb-free, and she’s definitely not a vegetarian or vegan. Instead, Shannon takes things she likes from these different ways of eating, and then adapts it to suit what she wants and what makes her feel good.
A Paleo Salad
Grace has been successfully raised from a baby to healthy child on the Paleo diet. But, Shannon knows that it is very unlikely that Grace will remain a full Paleo eater as she grows up. Grace will, at some point, come in contact with “forbidden” food, but Shannon knows just what to do. She’s going to let Grace eat what she wants, even if it’s things like a non-Paleo cake at a friend’s birthday party. The world is not Paleo-friendly, so she can’t expect Grace to be Paleo 100 percent of the time.
Grace As A Baby And As A Toddler
As mentioned, Shannon doesn’t totally stick to Paleo 100 percent of the time, and she hopes that Grace will do the same as she grows up and becomes an adult. All Shannon wants for her daughter is for her to be healthy and happy, and she will let Grace make her own decisions. Shannon has even said that its likely Grace will overdo it and feel the effects of bad food, and the next time, instead of eating 10 pieces of cake, she will stick to two.
Grace And Shannon Cooking Together
One reason that Shannon doesn’t want to restrict Grace’s diet now is that she wants her daughter to feel good about what she eats as she gets older. She knows that eating disorders are very real, and she doesn’t want Grace to get caught up in that. Women, in particular, commonly have eating disorders, and Shannon doesn’t want Grace to think if she eats a piece of bread, or something, that she should feel bad about it.
Shannon And Grace Reading A Cookbook
Though Shannon has gotten a lot of praise for her decision to raise Grace on the Paleo diet, there are still plenty of people who try to put her down for it. Shannon, for her part, doesn’t understand any of this. In fact, she’s very confused as to why people are making a big deal about it. From Shannon’s viewpoint, she is confused as to why parents will blindly feed their kids chemical-laden food with preservatives.
Shannon And Grace Posing For A Photo
Shannon hasn’t been criticized by only everyday people, though. Even some doctors are weighing in about how she is feeding Grace. One doctor, Rosemary Stanton, thinks Shannon is making a big mistake by putting Grace on the Paleo diet. Dr. Stanton has said that the Paleo diet is way too restrictive, and there is no valid reason for having her on it. The doctor also said that it would be very difficult for Grace to learn about a balanced diet.
Shannon And Grace Together
Shannon blows off comments like those that came from Dr. Stanton. It is actually a common thing to hear from people, but Shannon doesn’t care. Grace doesn’t eat anything strange, she is very healthy, and she loves the food that she gets. Though Shannon doesn’t give Grace foods like cereal or toast, she has said she would not have a heart attack if she saw Grace eating a piece of bread. Shannon knows that it will happen sooner or later, though.
Grace And Shannon With Veggies
Today, Grace is in first grade, and she is growing up. She has been on the Paleo diet for her entire life, and she really seems to be thriving. Shannon just cannot believe that Grace is growing up so quickly, but she is so happy that her daughter is so healthy and happy. With Grace getting older, Shannon knows that she is approaching the day when she will go off of the diet, but she’s okay with that. She just wants Grace to make good decisions.
Enjoying A Day Out Together
Shannon has made it clear several times that she would never force Grace to stick to the Paleo diet if she ever decided that she didn’t want to do it anymore. Even at her age now, where she is with other children in school, Grace hasn’t said that she wants to stray. Grace is very happy to eat the foods that she has to choose from on the Paleo diet, and even when on vacation, she is happy to eat things like fruit when she wants a sweet treat.
Grace And A Snack
Shannon has made a goal of always being open and honest with Grace about the Paleo lifestyle and her relationship with food. Shannon also knows that at some point, Grace might question why Shannon chose to do this. In order to make it easier for Grace to understand, Shannon has included Grace in many of her projects for her work as a wellness coach, so Grace already has knowledge about nutrition.
Shannon And Grace At Christmas
Shannon expects that she will stay mostly Paleo for the rest of her life, but that doesn’t mean she does it 100 percent of the time. For instance, when she goes out to dinner with her friends, she doesn’t make a big deal about it. She said she just eats what is on the menu, and sometimes even orders things that are in indulgence, even if it is not considered Paleo-friendly.
Shannon Enjoying The Limelight
Shannon also has an interesting eating philosophy. She said that people should just eat when they want. The habit that we have fallen into that we must have a breakfast, a lunch, and a dinner isn’t really necessary, and Shannon doesn’t often have three meals. She said she doesn’t just make a meal because it’s noon. She said it’s best to listen to her body, and if she doesn’t want breakfast, fine…if she has a huge breakfast and big dinner and skips lunch…fine.
Shannon And Grace Making A Meal
Though Shannon has certainly been criticized for her decision to put Grace on the Paleo diet, she really knows what she is talking about. She is well-educated in food and nutrition, and she does independent research all of the time. She describes herself as loving coffee and bacon, and also has a background in science and agriculture. She also has a certificate in wellness.
Shannon’s Feat Of Strength
Shannon has a blog, My Food Religion, and she loves to help other people eat healthy. She also has an Instagram account, where she posts photos of her recipes, and of course pictures of Grace. Shannon also makes a living hosting workshops and classes for people who want to eat healthier. One of the most important things that Shannon wishes people would know is that just because you eat healthy, it is possible to make it taste great.
One Of Shannon’s Creations
Shannon is a huge proponent of the Paleo diet, and she swears that it can change your life. She also recommends adding other wellness practices, including meditation. Shannon shares a lot of these tips on her Instagram account, and she also shares product recommendations. She takes a total wellness approach, and recommends that others do the same.
Shannon And Her Dog
Shannon’s blog is very popular, and it allows her fans to regularly access her recipes. In addition to this, she has published several e-Books that have a collection of recipes that are Paleo-friendly and give people tips on how to improve their overall wellness. Shannon’s recipes are a great testament that you can eat a diet that is free of gluten, dairy, grains, and sugar, and still eat delicious food.
One Of Shannon’s Delicious Recipes
Shannon is in love with the Paleo lifestyle, and it has totally changed her life for the better. This diet has allowed her to clean out her body of bad things and improve the way it functions. She is very focused on gut health, and the Paleo diet is perfect for that. She believes that the gut is the “heart” of our health, and in order to be truly healthy, we must have a healthy environment in our guts…and that is directly related to the food we eat.
Shannon