1. Theresa asks: This is very interesting and I appreciate you sharing your journey. I was curious if you wouldn't mind talking a bit about what choices you have made for Penny regarding her liquid intake? I'm an exclusively BF mama of a 10 month old and my supply is starting to dry up. (I'm doing all I can to keep it going!)But I'm starting to research what other drinks to offer her when I can't offer BM exclusively. We'd like to avoid cow's milk and will talk with our Pediatrician about some options. But I was curious what direction you took. Thanks!
First, kudos to you for breastfeeding your little one! I am still breastfeeding Penny 4-6 times/day, but just after her first birthday, we started to offer almond milk with dinner and sometimes other meals. We have also offered coconut milk, but she seems to prefer the almond. We discussed it with our pediatrician before introducing any other milks, and our pediatrician said that any alternative milks would be fine as long as they were fortified with Vitamin D. Our pediatrician is fantastic, she's had children with allergies, and she's IBCLC as well. Amazing! I would gladly offer rice milk, or flax milk, or any other varieties (except probably not soy just because I think there are less controversial choices). There are so many choices! I always choose the unsweetened plain or unsweetened vanilla. Penny drinks it or water. I think at this age, it's easy to introduce these things because she doesn't have a palate for cow's milk or sweetened things, not having really had them. As far as cow's milk goes, I don't really think there is any reason that kids have to drink it. Up to 60% of the world's population cannot tolerate cow's milk, and it's believed that being able to tolerate it is an abnormality, not the other way around. Even organic cow's milk is often powered and then reconstituted. It travels far. There are so many hormones given to these cows, and it's suspected as a cause of early menstruation in young girls. I have heard cases of preschoolers showing signs of puberty, which stops after taking away conventional cow's milk. Cow's milk is also hugely inflammatory. Anyone who is suffering from ear infections, congestion, allergies, or sinus infections should try eliminating cow's milk. I also just think it's a little weird for adults to drink the breast milk of another species. How did this start? And why is it a food group? That being said, I have heard moms swear by raw milk from local farms, and I really can't speak to that, but it's something to look into if you're really against any of the other milks.
As far as other dairy products go, although I am avoiding them completely, we are allowing Penny to eat cheese, butter, and (plain, unsweetened) yogurt on occasion. It's hard to find enough variety of foods for a toddler to eat, and since Penny isn't showing any signs of intolerance to dairy or problems with ear infections/congestion, a few dairy products here and there don't seem to be doing much harm. We don't give her these things every day, and when she does eat them, we choose local, grass-fed, organic, and just give small quantities. That kid does love cheese! And from what I've read about cheese and yogurt, they are not quite as rough on the body as pure cow's milk. Sorry for the super long reply, but I hope this answers your question!
2. Maggie asks: I think it's great that you're so committed to a healthy lifestyle! It seems that you've changed your mind pretty drastically since you started the blog (from gluten free to vegan to your current plan). How are you determining plans that are best for you? I also applaud your efforts to stay sugar free!!! While I am not sugar free, I try to minimize refined sugar for my kids. I'm fine with them having it with friends, special occasions, etc though. I'm wondering why you feel it's such a problem to have it occasionally? I haven't seen much of an issue with occasionally indulging and would be curious why you feel so strongly about it.
Hi Maggie, thanks! Haha, I know it is a little comical reading about what I am eating and trying to keep up with all of these decisions! I think the journey started when I began to cut out processed foods, and I think that's a really great place for anyone to start. When I went gluten-free, it was on the advice of a naturopathic doctor (ND) who was trying to help me regulate my menstrual cycles so that I could have a baby. More on that here. I was completely desperate and willing to try just about anything, so I followed all of her instructions completely and didn't do a ton of research on my own. And, look, it worked! I was regulated within a month and pregnant within 5 months of working with her. But at that time, I also started taking thyroid medication. Now I'm at the point where I want to go a step further and get off of that medication, and I'm basing my decisions more on evidence-based sources (not that that decision wasn't evidence-based by my naturopath–it just wasn't shared with me if it was). I think the gluten-free diet was recommended to me because it is anti-inflammatory in nature, but what I've learned since is that it really depends on what's being eaten instead. There are so many gluten-free convenience foods now that are still inflammatory. I don't think I have a true gluten intolerance, as when I started eating gluten again a few months ago, I showed no ill effects. Going vegan was a gut-instinct after reading about the risks to health, environment, and animal welfare of the SAD diet (standard American diet), and the plan I most recently wrote about was just a slight tweaking of veganism to fit my unique body and dietary needs. It takes the anti-inflammatory diet to a new level for me. I came to this diet through talking with my doctor, who is trained in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. I've also had extensive blood work done. I've read lots of books, talked with others who have been vegetarian and vegan for years. I'm also trying to listen to my body and make changes in a way that will be sustainable for me. So, bottom line: I make decisions based on medical advice, paying attention to my body/how I feel when eating certain foods, bloodwork results, research, reading books, and listening to the stories/experiences of others.
As for sugar, it just keeps coming up as a theme in so many things that I read. My ND had me quit sugar when I was TTCing. There's a lot about sugar in Alicia Silverstone's book. It's hugely inflammatory and number one on the list of top 10 inflammatory foods to avoid. There's absolutely nothing nourishing in it, and isn't the point of food to be nourishing? It's a plant that is completely stripped of everything good and it wreaks havoc on the body, especially the liver. I also know about its addictive nature, at least for me. When I eat sugar, I crave more, and my whole life I've had a "sweet tooth". When I eat lots of sugar, naturally sweet things like maple syrup and fruit don't satisfy me. The other problem with it is that it's usually paired with other things that aren't good for me, like white flour, additives, food coloring, etc. Since it keeps popping up in so many things I read, I've taken it as a sign that I need to quit it, or at least try to quit it, especially since I am in a hard-core stage, trying to cure my disease. I don't claim to be perfect or above temptation. And I am hoping that once I get my disease in check, I might be able to indulge occasionally, like you said. I do think it's a slippery slope, though, so I need to be careful.
I'm also not saying that I'll never ever let Penny have sugar. It's not really an issue right now because she isn't asking for it, and the parents of her friends respect my wanting to keep her away from it. I certainly don't see any reason to give her sugar now if she'll be satisfied by a raspberry or a grape. As she gets older, we will deal with it and figure it out, but I'm sure she'll have an occasional indulgence as well, especially because I don't want to turn it into a battleground. I'm assuming your kids are older, so it's a whole different beast at that point. I love, love, love these posts by the Nourishing Gourmet on this subject, so check them out:
As for sugar, it just keeps coming up as a theme in so many things that I read. My ND had me quit sugar when I was TTCing. There's a lot about sugar in Alicia Silverstone's book. It's hugely inflammatory and number one on the list of top 10 inflammatory foods to avoid. There's absolutely nothing nourishing in it, and isn't the point of food to be nourishing? It's a plant that is completely stripped of everything good and it wreaks havoc on the body, especially the liver. I also know about its addictive nature, at least for me. When I eat sugar, I crave more, and my whole life I've had a "sweet tooth". When I eat lots of sugar, naturally sweet things like maple syrup and fruit don't satisfy me. The other problem with it is that it's usually paired with other things that aren't good for me, like white flour, additives, food coloring, etc. Since it keeps popping up in so many things I read, I've taken it as a sign that I need to quit it, or at least try to quit it, especially since I am in a hard-core stage, trying to cure my disease. I don't claim to be perfect or above temptation. And I am hoping that once I get my disease in check, I might be able to indulge occasionally, like you said. I do think it's a slippery slope, though, so I need to be careful.
I'm also not saying that I'll never ever let Penny have sugar. It's not really an issue right now because she isn't asking for it, and the parents of her friends respect my wanting to keep her away from it. I certainly don't see any reason to give her sugar now if she'll be satisfied by a raspberry or a grape. As she gets older, we will deal with it and figure it out, but I'm sure she'll have an occasional indulgence as well, especially because I don't want to turn it into a battleground. I'm assuming your kids are older, so it's a whole different beast at that point. I love, love, love these posts by the Nourishing Gourmet on this subject, so check them out:
Hello. After watching Fat, Sick, and Half-Dead, I've decided to do a juice diet for a week, and then continue on a plant-based whole food diet. I really wish I've known more about how bad milk is/can be for humans. I have a son, whom will be 3 on May 31st, and let me tell you- he's sick allll the time. He just had surgery last month for the ear tubes. Right now he's congested, and his right eye is red and puffy (this might be from my cat). But after feeding him enfamil (I can't BF), and then switching to Horizon Organic milk, I'm maybe thinking this can be the problem.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen 'Bag it' yet? If not, watch it asap. It's SO disturbing to think about how much plastics are part of our everyday life. Think of this....they said the the cans of Emfamil are lined with a plastic, which is LOADED with BPA, so my son was consuming BPA for his whole first year of life. They are saying that this (all the plastic) can be the cause of Autism spike (1 in 88 now). Plastic is made out of oil, the same oil that produces gasoline. The FDA hasn't made it mandatory to test the chemicals in our plastics, so who knows what it's doing to our bodies. Check it out if you haven't already.
Thanks for your comment, Nif. I was aware of the BPA in cans. Even organic beans and tomatoes have BPA in the cans. It is kind of scary, and we are trying to avoid canned goods as much as possible (one of the reasons I started cooking and freezing my beans from dried/bulk). It's like, why bother to buy organic if we're then being doused with chemicals from the packaging. I agree that there needs to be more testing and research in this area. I hope you can figure out a good solution for your kiddo. I would definitely try cutting out dairy and also maybe seek chiropractic care for his ear infections. I know lots of mamas who have had great success in treating ear problems with chiro and cutting out dairy and are able to avoid antibiotics and surgery. Penny hasn't really had issues with her ears, so I can't speak personally about it, but she also doesn't drink cow's milk, so maybe there's something to that. Thanks for reading!
DeleteMy new pediatrician recommended adding expeller pressed canola oil to my baby's rice milk as fat is so critical in a developing baby's body. My new pediatrician is extremely knowledgable about allergies. I learned more in an hour from her than a year with my first pediatrician. I think it was one tablespoon but maybe not remembering it well. Great posts! Please keep them coming!
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