Back in 2016, Danny Vega was a carb-fueled powerlifter.
He ate and trained according to conventional wisdom, but he started to notice he didn’t feel his best.
After his cheat days turned into cheat weekends and his health began to suffer, he decided to ditch conventional advice and try a ketogenic diet.
But he didn’t go at it alone. He and his wife Maura wanted to adopt a healthier lifestyle as a family, so they began teaching their two sons about nutrition, keto, and healthy habits.
Danny’s children had always been homeschooled, so he and his wife were used to giving them a hands-on education.
Modern education is a management system. It’s not evil. It’s just ineffective. Click To TweetIt was no different when it came to nutrition. They gradually worked their way from drive-thru meals and Wendy’s hamburger patties to healthy amounts of meat and low carb veggies.
Getting healthier as a family is challenging, especially when eating out and buying processed snacks is much more convenient.
Danny and Maura learned a lot along the way, and that’s why in today’s episode I’m sitting down with Danny to talk about their journey.
Danny is a powerlifter, father, and co-host of The Ketogenic Athlete podcast. He received his Masters of Science in Human Performance from the University of Florida and he’s a former Strength and Conditioning coach.
In our chat, we dive into how to teach children about food, how to get your family on board with healthy habits, how Danny trains now that he’s fat-adapted, and a lot more.
We go over:
- How Danny first discovered the ketogenic diet
- How Danny felt after starting a keto diet as a powerlifter
- Everything he and his wife did to gradually improve their sons’ diets
- The problem with kids’ menus
- Why children should be eating the same foods as healthy adults
- How modern diets contribute to insulin resistance in children
- Why it’s important that children reset their hunger and palate when transitioning to eating real food
- Why changing a kid’s palate is difficult — and how to make it happen
- Why hyperpalatable foods are problematic
- How Danny’s kids eat now
- Why you should avoid forcing vegetables on children
- Why Danny and his wife homeschool their kids
- How to find social groups for homeschooled children
- How to teach your kids about movement
- Why Danny and his wife don’t put screen limitations on their children
- What the Montessori teaching method is
- The multiple problems with traditional education
- Why tailored education matters
- How Danny and Maura teach their children about money management, entrepreneurship, and building character
- Why Danny went carnivore
- What SuperStarch is and how it can help fat-adapted powerlifters
- The new training style Danny is following
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Mentioned in This Episode
- Danny’s Instagram
- The Ketogenic Athlete
- Danny’s upcoming blog, Fat Fueled Family
- Dr. Benjamin Bikman
- Perfect Keto Exogenous Ketones