I’ve known Charlotte Carr for many years. Randomly for a few years there, I was a singer songwriter playing pubs (seemed the perfect quarter life crisis career step disillusioned by the cosmetics industry, don’t you think?)
We met because during that time I’d gigged with Wes Carr her now hubby, and a dear friend of my sister’s. Anyway, you get the picture. As far as character reference, I feel I am able to comment here that she’s not some crazy lady trying to convert everyone to feeding their babies a strict paleo diet.
There need be no witch hunt. There need be no fear. There needs to be a celebration that through a mum’s highly restricted choices, a path was discovered that helped uncover the perfect solution for her little man to thrive. That way of cooking is in this book. Simple.
Cut to Pete Evans following her on instagram and meeting through a mutual friend, her becoming mates with the talented naturopath Helen Padarin, and the 3 of them deciding to collaborate on a bubba book following paleo principles – because it feels good for lots of people in the world as a way of eating. When are we going to relax. I’m happy to wave and say ‘hey guys nice one’ while I eat a piece of Reblochon cheese. Whatever works for you as long as it’s real.
Now, interestingly the book was just going to be called Bubba Yum Yum. Pete had found dairy / grain / legume free eating to be super beneficial to an ailing child and his overall health and energy, Charlotte had found the same for her little man after trying absolutely every avenue there was, as had Wes for himself battling anxiety and depression for years. Helen had seen it with so many clients over the years. You can see how it made sense to come together and collaborate.
Why not share a book based on those principles for the people who might need answers in tricky situations similar to theirs? Aren’t tribes allowed to find each other through common ground? Difficult times solved a certain way, is one of those powerful ways that brings people together.
As a random aside, it was the publisher’s idea to ‘label’ it paleo – no doubt so it would be more successful as ‘paleo is so hot right now’. From a business perspective, that just makes sense.
As with anything that’s ‘free from’, I believe the critique should lie in what’s actually IN THERE rather than what’s not. Lots of super nourishing, easy to digest and assimilate recipes for tiny people. It’s actually that simple. It’s especially suitable when there are allergies, sensory processing issues, parasites and more, where restricted and very gentle diets work well to support and reverse in some cases, the symptoms being experienced. These days that’s 1 in 3 kids so how is it that a book like this isn’t needed?
At $10 bucks on I Tunes, even if you’re not paleo it’s worth a squiz to satisfy your curiosity. I challenge you to not want to make something from it.
Rice cereals and Farex make no sense at all. So processed. Why are these not a controversial uproar topic when we’re addicting babies to starches and sugars form the get go?
Why is there no media campaign against how processed baby formula can be and a push for companies to make it better?
Why are we not protesting against plastic baby food pouches and chemical leaching or added sugar in 6month+ baby custards?
Why are we protesting against a meat and veg book for babies which was born out of necessity and grew relevant as other parents reached out wanting the same for their tricky situations? I actually just find it weird.
I’ve recorded a little chat with Char last week so you could meet the lady yourself – sorry it breaks up a couple of times, it corrects itself both times, so hang tight for those few seconds.
Can’t we let these people celebrate having found nourishment depsite adversity with their little people’s health situations?
But what about the ‘baby killer formula’? You might want to read this piece by Nora Gedgaudas. My son had a little grated liver in many of his meals from 6 months on because of its nutritional awesomeness and in doing my own research at the time, it just made sense. http://www.primalbody-primalmind.com/vitamin-a-under-attack-down-under/.
And for the non paleo types, can’t we just enjoy having some new recipe inspiration regardless of what other food ‘groups’ we might enjoy outside of what this book provides?
I think there are beautiful things in here for everyone, whether you’re going to base your little one’s diet on this style of eating, or whether you’re going to use it as a tool among many.
I know Charlotte and Helen personally and I can honestly say this wasn’t born out of a marketing opportunity, this was a book that their audiences were crying out for, in an area that can leave many parents feeling hopeless when faced with adversity and navigating restricted diets.
And for Pete? Well after many people finding better health through a Paleo diet and wanting to be able to feed their little ones well too, it makes sense again that he would work to provide something his tribe wanted. Isn’t that all we can ever do in business? Give customers products that are going to help them? Products they want?
Look around the world and in traditional cultures there are many different eating styles. Different things will work for different people, I believe that wholeheartedly. And when legumes, dairy and grains are present in traditional cultures’ diets, they are prepared very, very strictly with soaking, activating and culturing to ensure they are digestible – a far cry from how these three food types are made available to us today.
So this will work for lots of people and inspire discovery after that initial feeling of deprivation when it comes to navigating restricted diets. I feel really passionately about helping parents navigate this predicament because there is ALWAYS something wonderful that can be produced.
These guys have certainly produced something wonderful. Available on I tunes, I’d get yourself a copy if you’re a parent of a baby or toddler. I’d also get Jude BLereau’s Wholefood for Children, Supercharged Food for Kids by Lee Holmes and Emma Sutherland’s “What Sophia Eats“. They are all incredible women who have produced great resources here and I’m proud to call them friends. The latter 3 aren’t paleo, but are great inspirations for feeding children nourishing wholefoods, regardless of the food ‘mix’ that works for you.
Congrats and good on you guys for not leaving the kitchen when it was boiling hot. If you believe something will help people you have a duty to be brave and put it out to the world. Sure it might not help everyone, but there’ll be something else for them.
In the mean time meatballs and veg and coconut and fruit ice blocks aren’t going to hurt little people. They’re things that help them thrive. Let’s start getting the shits with Pringles and PopTarts instead of meat and veg if that’s the way lots of people feel great eating.
Such is the way of the world and all we can do is live our truth and let others live theirs, or life would be far too full of negative vibes to be truly happy!
