Real Food Wednesdays
Real Food Testimonials! (Share Your Success Stories!)
So here I am trying to remember all the benefits we have seen in our family since we began eating a healthy NT diet. The positives are many. The kids are happier. That’s right. When the kids are eating well we have fewer discipline problems, there is clearer thinking, less illness(or no illness, as the case may be) and they are more content and less likely to bicker. It’s true.
- When we first started taking little kids in foster care sometimes their behaviors were extremely odd. Once the kids were adopted there were certain behaviors we could take care of with discipline but others we just could not squelch. Since really committing to eating well I have seen amazing differences. Especially since being here in Mansfield and purchasing ONLY good meat (we still buy produce at the grocery but hope to rectify that with our garden) the kids have been amazing!! Jeff and I marvel almost weekly at how little discipline is needed here. The only thing we changed was being strict about what we eat.
- It seems that everyone in the house is better at “thinking on their feet” when we are eating large portions of fat in our diet. Fat is needed for the body to make hormones so I can imagine why we all get a little crabby when we are eating a high carb diet. I’ve even begun feeding Jodi Kerry Gold butter when she is crabby (I give it to Jeff when is crabby too…shhh) and wow! just like Ann Marie saw with Kate I see a difference in my baby when she is getting the fat her little body needs.
- After Jillian was diagnosed with cancer in 2007 we redoubled our efforts to eat exclusively healthy foods. Do we still buy some junk? Of course, but we get better about it everyday. Since that time we have seen fewer and fewer illness in our home. We almost never get sick and when we do it is typically a little runny nose or sore throat. And it never effects all of us. That is nice so we don’t feel like we have to hide away from the world during flu season. I won’t even go into the amazing self healing teeth. Go read Dr. Price’s work in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. It’ll keep you up at night. :)
- It is true that the kids are generally more likely to resolve problems on their own, think through the situation and not turn into a melting pile of emotions when there is conflict with their siblings. Does this mean they are not human? Of course they are and they have their moments of selfishness. And there are still times when discipline is in order but now they seem to understand what the problem is and why they is a consequence for their actions. (There are still some in this house that have issues with this but even their understanding is better on a good diet).
I’m telling you, eating a nutrient dense diet is amazing. Now someone will ask where to start. Start with one meal per day. I started with breakfast because that is when I am my best. I threw out the cold cereal and we ate eggs and soaked oatmeal everyday. Do you know how many millions of things you can do with eggs? The possibilities are almost endless. When you have breakfast down add another meal. It is that simple. And take it one day at a time. When you wake up ask yourself “Is today the day that I am going to poison my family?” You’ll answer no and be on your way to a healthy day!!
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How true it is! I love real food, Real Food Wednesdays and your blog! Keep posting; it gives me inspiration ;)
You are right on, Katie. My mother’s breast cancer death 10 years ago is what got us started. I don’t want to go that way and don’t want my daughters to either!
Before eating more healthy fats, I personally had problems with low blood sugar and low weight. It would get shaky, feel sick to my stomach, and had a really hard time controlling my anger. Eating more healthy fats (we never were margerine eaters but always skimped on eating saturated fats) really helped.
And I can see in the faces of my children the changes in our diet over time. While pregnant with my second child, we ate no red meat. His face is much longer and thinner than the other kids.
Yay! I was wanting to share this today. :)
My almost 3yo son was still having really, really, runny bm’s. People were like, he’s lactose intolerant, he’s egg intolerant, etc. I was pretty sure he wasn’t, but I took him off them on trial and no change.
We started eating whole wheat. That’s all we have now. We want flour, we grind it. We have hard wheat and soft and I want to get barley and some millet soon. Maybe som Kamut.
Anyway, no change on whole wheat. After about a month, I started soaking our flours ….
Amen. That did it. I also noticed that soaked flours make my youngest son (17mo) just sparkle. It’s like something that was missing is there now.
I’m a happy mama.
Do we soak everything 100%? Nope. But we just keep moving that direction. Do you have Sue Gregg’s cookbooks? I only have her whole grain baking -every recipe in it is for soaked/two-stage baking- and I really appreciate it. I want her dessert book. I thought I was going to have to take NT and lots of trial and error; but she did it for me.
God bless!
Amen! I agree 1000 percent with you! My youngest son had serum sickness when he was two years old. Serum sickness is a delayed allergic reaction that can be life threatening. In his case, it was a particular strain of anti biotics that he was allergic to. To make a long story short, since he recovered, he has been allergic to all kinds of foods. In my quest to find out which foods in particular, I discovered that he was not allergic to food. It was the “garbage” that was in the food. Cut out the preservatives, colors, flavor enhancers, etc, and he is fine. Slip up and allow a pack of “nerds” and he not only bounces off of the wall for a couple of hours, he argues with his siblings constantly. He also comes down with eczema all over one of his arms. Go figure.
People think I am a health food nut. I guess that I am- I’m proud of it too.
As an added bonus to eating healthy at my house, my husband treats his diabetes naturally with food and herbs. This doesn’t work with all diabetics but he is fortunate that he can. If he slips up and eats out at a restaurant just once, his blood sugar sky rockets! Makes you wonder what is in the food….
Can you explain the purpose of soaked oats or refer me somewhere if you have already told the info.
Katie,
How much do y’all pay for your meat….beef and chicken?
The organic meats from the farms here are outrageously priced. I wondered if that is just normal or if they really are super high. I’m talking $8/lb for a chicken.
Mari, We pay $2.75/lb for chicken. Beef is something like $4/lb for ground beef.
Tammee, http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html
We are not totally NT, but my, how far have we come? WOW!
No more cold cereals around here either.
I make the Sue Gregg Blender Batter Pancakes once a week and oatmeal, eggs and such for breakfasts too.
I make stock every time I get bones leftover.
We have just started sprouting lentils and that is a new adventure for us.
I am thankful to you and my pals Lindsey and Kristin to help in this endeavor… it is a journey.
Love,
Chas
I would think all the fresh air and exercise with the farm chores are doing them a LOT of good too!!
Okay fine you convinced me! I bought the NT book! :)
I have my oatmeal soaking, started it yesterday afternoon. I always forget that dd likes oatmeal!!! And I’ve just read that her asthma might be able to be treated through her diet. I hate giving her meds everyday if it can be helped (dr is pushing this right now), so I’m going to start making changes and see if it can be helped.
Do you know of any info out there on asthma being treated with diet?
My son is only 2 1/2 and I notice a BIG difference in his behavior when he eats “junk” food. He’ll come home from church or grandparents houses spitting and yelling – we know he’s has some sort of processed cookie! Most of his behavioral problems can be solved by a strict, healthy diet.
And me – well I got over my infertility!
Amazing what diet can do!