So you’ve made the choice to start your family on real foods. You’ve seen the benefits, and are committed to the change. But what about your partner or the kids? Got a husband that refuses to acknowledge there are food groups outside the “Beer, Meat and Bread” categories? Concerned your kids will (shock horror) not go straight for the carrot instead of the chocolate at afternoon tea time? Maybe the children’s grandparents are regular babysitters (bless their cotton socks!), and they need to be on board too?
It’s important to have as much support surrounding you, particularly in the initial stages of the change to additive free foods, so let’s look at what you need to do to get the family on board.
There are 3 steps involved, so I’ve split this blog into a series consisting of three parts…
Part 1 – Get the right information ready to tell others
Part 2 – How to inform the kids
Part 3 – How to inform adults (your partner, parents etc)
Yes, I’m neglecting the school, the sports coach and the playgroup and a thousand other places that need to get on board because your kids spend most of their time there, but that’s for another day 🙂
Get the right information ready to tell others
It all starts with you informing yourself as much as possible, so you can then empower and inform others in your family. So this blog is dedicated to covering what you need to know, which in turn will help you get your partner or kids or parents up to speed and on board.
It’s rather hard to convince others of the need and benefits of additive free foods and why you are making the change without knowing the answers yourself. I’m afraid this is one of those times where you can’t just say “because I said so” to cover why you are making the move to additive free foods… It won’t cut it for the kids and it certainly won’t cut it for the adults!
So what information do you need? When faced with something new, most people have a lot of questions and concerns and may raise them to try and persuade you not to make a change. By addressing some of the common questions, you can be ready to help inform your family and get them on board. Here are some of the common questions:
- Why do you want to change?
- How do you stop having effects from food additives and how long will this change take?
- When do we start?
The first question your family will ask is why?
Why?
When talking to your family about the decision to change to additive free foods, the first question most kids or partners will ask is Why? You can answer this question by checking out the following factsheets…
Click here for a general introduction to food additives (what are they, who is affected by them, how and why the affect you, where you find them)
Click here for information on the common foods containing additives (more on where you find them)
Click here for information on the common effects of food additives (more on how they affect you)
You don’t have to be an expert on food additives, but it helps to know the basics. The main information you need to know is how and why do food additives affect your kids, because the greater their awareness is about the link between moods and foods, the more motivated they will be to change and the more involved they can be in the change process. Ultimately, it means they’re more empowered and feeling less like it’s a dictatorship.
Understanding the additive-addiction cycle will help you explain to your family how and why food additives affect them. It helps highlight how food additives mess with little bodies and minds, the connection between what we eat and how we behave and the habits we fall into thanks to the addictive nature of additives and processed foods.
For info on the additive addiction cycle, click here.
When informing your family about the change to additive free foods, knowing what to expect during the change can also help alleviate fears. Click here for information on the feelings that crop up during a change process.
How?
Once your family knows about food additives and their effects, the next thing they usually want to know is how you plan to stop the family eating them, and how long it will take.
To stop the effects from food additives, first we need to break the pattern that additives have created in our bodies and cleanse our systems. Then we have to teach our bodies and minds how to make good food choices.
Giving your family a little information about what to expect when breaking patterns and habits and cleansing your system can help dispel the myths and concerns.
How long it can take is a more complex question to answer, as it depends on how additive free you plan to go. Are you taking small steps or going the whole hog? Click here to get some clarity on what your start point is and how far you plan to go.
Once you know what level you’re aiming for, it’s a matter of knowing a little about food sensitivities to be able to answer how long it will take to make the change.
Food sensitivities build up over time. Little amounts every now and again can usually be absorbed with minimal effects or only create symptoms for small periods of time. If your kids have been consuming chemical cocktails of additives for a while, it’s going to take a little more to get it out of their system.
So what time frames are we talking about here?
There’s no exact science – we’re all unique individuals, so it’s difficult to give precise figures. But there are some basic guidelines that may help. Usually, it takes around 2-3 weeks to detox their little systems of most additives. During this two weeks, there’s usually a ‘peak’ in the effects (due to the additive-addiction cycle) around days 3-5. Any ‘mistakes’ along the way will usually set you back to either square one, or at least add on a few extra days to the detoxing timeframe. I recommend allowing at least 3-4 weeks to really make sure the changes are starting to take a hold and become the new routine or habit.
Of course, ultimately, this is a change of lifestyle, which means you’re aiming for a permanent and lasting change. So whilst it may take 3-4 weeks for things to take effect, it’s essentially going to take a while longer for this to become a new way of life that’s considered ‘normal’. Especially when you take into consideration there may also be a little time needed to make some minor tweaks along the way until you are happy with the new normal you’ve created for your family.
Your family will want to know when you plan to start the change to additive free food
When?
This is an easier question to answer. It involves making sure you are fully prepared for the change and then picking a start date that works for your family. Click here to learn more about how to be fully prepared and pick the right start time. Knowing the start date from your goal setting answers the first question.
Now you know exactly what to cover with your kids and partner, the next step is how to put all this info to good use. Part 2 of this blog series covers how to get the kids on board – a few simple steps you can take to get your kids ready for the change to an additive free lifestyle. Stay tuned! And remember, if you have any questions of comments you’d like to share, you can contact me by clicking here, or head to myFacebook page here 🙂
Loren x
PS Trying to go gluten free and not sure how to get your family on board? Click here for more info on going gluten free, and then follow the same steps outlined in part two and three of this series of blogs to get your family supporting your change to gluten free living. You can also keep an eye out for my soon to be released eBook on How to Go Gluten Free, which will give you all the simple steps you need to take to make the change easy and lasting. Follow me on Facebook for the latest information about this eBook, or sign up to The Food Werewolf newsletter and be the first to have access to it!
