Food Trends

As my family and I have been transitioning our eating habits over the past 2-years I have noticed us going back to a more organic, natural and plant based diet.  Kind of a back to the basics trend.  We considered ourselves very healthy eaters before, but now I realize that we were simply uneducated.  Today I would consider us truly healthy eaters and so much more free because of the changes we have made.  I no longer crave foods such as soda, chocolate, candy, French fries and more.  I can actually walk down a candy isle and not even think about the candy I am missing.  Or I can sit down to eat with a group of people where everyone is drinking soda and I am drinking water and not crave a soda or feel like I am missing out.  That is a wonderful freedom, the lack of feeling deprived.

Anyway, that is not what this post is about.  It is about a correlation I have noticed with today's eating trends vs. what I read in the Bible.

First, let's start at the beginning, the Garden of Eden.  What did mankind eat?  People at raw fruits and vegetables.  That's it.  No animals had been killed (or died) up until the time of the fall, and I'm not sure how long of a time span that was.  Had Adam and Eve already had children?  How old were they?  Had they been alive many years?  Nonetheless, however long it was they only ate raw fruits and vegetables.  Today's parallel food trend would be the raw foodie, raw vegan or 80-10-10 person.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

Next I see the introduction of gathering.  Possibly fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and other things like eggs.  This could be similar to our current vegetarian diets where cooked grains, beans and some non-plant based foods like eggs are consumed.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

After that the hunter is introduced.  So not only do we eat fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, but we add some meat to the diet.  The hunter's diet did not contain a lot of meat because sometimes they would hunt for days or even weeks before catching their game.  Then when they came home that game fed not only their immediate family, but also their large extended family.  Meat was not the highlight of the meal, but rather a flavoring undertone.  This can be compared somewhat to today's paleo/hunter gatherer diet.  (minus the grains)  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

Then we introduced buying our food.  I couldn't go hunting so I will trade my veggies for your rabbit.  This started the market/barter/trade of food and other items.  This allowed us to pick and choose what we eat and allowed for greater meat consumption.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

And then there came processed foods and supermarkets and fast food restaurants and restaurant chains.  Much meat, much processed, little fresh fruits and vegetables.  This is the typical American diet, and I don't see this one in the Bible. 

I am not here to tell you which one(s) to pick, but I will say that I tend to lean toward the first three ways of eating and I shy away from the last two.  (yes, I purchase much of my produce at the supermarket.)

Which one do you lean toward?  Have you seen any benefits in changing your diet?  Have you seen any harm in changing your diet?  Did I leave a trend out?  Do you tend to link food to other areas of your life like socializing, feeling better, comforting, health or something else?

Share your thoughts with us below...we love to hear from you!

Wisdom Wednesday - Do a Cleanse

Photo from One Step At A Time

Ever wonder why that new thing you are doing is just not working?  Like the healthy eating, juicing, all natural and pure supplements and exercising are not kicking in the way you would like?  Sure, you notice a difference, but where is the WOW factor in this new lifestyle?

It is quite possible that your body is so bound  up with toxins and junk that you need to do a cleanse, a fast, a detox (or whatever other name you want to give it) before you will really see results.  It is a lot like hitting the reset button on your electronic device.  Everything is cleared out and you get to start with a clean slate.  That is what 'cleaning out' your body does, it resets everything. 

Looking at your past and current lifestyle will depend on how long you need to hold down the reset button and how often you need to reset, again.  If you have been eating clean for quite some time then simply doing a few meal replacements or a short 3 day fast could work for you.  On the contrary, if you eat out a lot and drink fluids other than water, fresh juice (made at home) and herbal tea then you probably need a week long fast or longer.  If you are dealing with heavy food addiction, smoking and alcohol you probably need to start with baby steps (replace 2 meals a day with juicing) then go into a longer fast.

If you have health issues it is always advisable to seek a doctor's permission before beginning a new or strict program, and it is always good to note that this blog is not intended to diagnose illness or provide cures.

What does a fast or cleanse do?  I'm glad you asked! 

• It helps to retrain your taste buds (out with the junk, in with the fresh)
• Helps your body to remove addictions to artificial food preservatives and additives (and possibly other addictions as well).  Things such as MSG, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, caffeine...
• Removes daily toxin build up from living in a world full of chemicals
• Cleans out your colon so you can absorb ALL the good nutrients you consume.
• Improves mental clarity
• Improves skin tone
• Increases energy
• Allows the body to alkalize and fight disease
• Give the gut a rest from digesting food all the time
• Jump starts weight loss
• Jump starts weight gain in an underweight and malnourished individual.
• Jump starts building good muscle tone for those exercising (don't train during a fast, but after the fast is over you can hit it hard and see the results)
• Help men experiencing issues in bed to be reawakened
• Aids in overall well being

Now don't get me wrong.  Fasting is not easy.  If your body is particularly bound up with toxins you will experience some detox symptoms the first few days.  But somewhere along the way you will begin to feel better, then feel great.  That is the point where you can be sure you have detoxed your body long enough, but feel free to go longer, or just detox more often!  Some do a 1 day detox monthly, others a 3 day detox quarterly, and still others a 10 day detox annually.  You decide what is right for you.

Here are some good juice fasting resources:

• Watch why Kristina started a fully raw diet.  Short and very informative.  Click here.
• Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead website with fasting info and healthy eating guidelines.
• Watch the film Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Hulu for free (with commercials) or get it on Netflix.  Film is all about juicing and follows people's lives.
• Watch Forks Over Knives on Hulu for free (with commercials) or get it on Netflix. and check out their website  Film is about plant based diets and gives a ton of great info.
• Check out Fit Life.TV

And so much more. 

Juice Fast recommendations:

• Breakfast meal replacement only
• Lunch meal replacement only
• Juice breakfast and lunch then eat a healthy dinner
• 3 day juice fast only
• 5 day juice fast only
• 10 day juice fast only
• 21 day juice fast only
• Juice for 3 days only after traveling or a stressful life event

By-the-way, only juice organic fruits and veggies.  And juice veggies WAY MORE then fruit.

Try it, you just might like it, and see some real health benefits!

My Life Monday - Monsters In My Room

Original Picture from Little White Lion

Let's talk about health through creative genius.  Not my creative genius persae', but parents do have to become creative to help their children in a number of different situations.  With kids we face all types of obstacles in keeping them mentally and emotionally healthy on all fronts.  Sure, we can feed them and bathe them and guard what goes in their little minds, but they still live in this world and will pick things up from outside sources.  I tend to find that during some of these situations frustration can run on high and during those moments of frustration my creative juices simply STOP flowing!  Ugg.  I want to always be gentle and loving and communicate well, but let's face it, sometimes I DON'T.

So today I wanted to give you one such example that maybe you can use with your kids, grand kids, nieces, nephews or other children in your life.  The dreaded, "There's a monster under my bed" or in my closet or wherever monsters may lurk at night.  I was naive to think we would never face this issue because we don't watch monsters on TV or even talk about them, but BAM, about a year ago, out of nowhere there were monsters!  In her closet!  My then, barely 4 year old, would suddenly not go into her room alone in the dark.  She didn't want to go to sleep.  And at this point after about a week of telling her everything was alright and praying over her and singing worship music over her to fall asleep (which we already do every night) I started to get frustrated.  Can't I just demand she not be scared and make her go to bed?  No.  How do we defeat these monsters?  Where did they come from?  We need to move beyond this fear.  After all, "God has not given us a spirit of Fear, but He has given us a spirit of Power, a spirit of Love and of a Sound Mind."  2 Timothy 1:7. 

Step 1: Pray.  Pray against the spirit of Fear; after all, it is a spirit and can MUST be defeated.  So, we prayed.  We prayed the scripture above in 2 Timothy, but I also like the scripture Psalm 91, the entire chapter.  I read and pray this over my kids often.

Step 2: Get Creative.  Remember those creative juices I was talking about?  The ones that seem to stop flowing during difficult situation?  Yeah, get those going!  I remembered my own 'monsters under the bed' issue when I was a kid, but I didn't think they were monsters...I thought they were demons!  And I still think they were, but that is another story for another time.  Back then my mom gave me a metal baseball bat and I wrote 'SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, Ephesians 6:17' on it in permanent marker, then I prayed over it and set it next to my bed.  It gave me great comfort to have a physical reminder of the spiritual weapons from the Lord within arms reach.  So I did this with my little girl.  Amazing what a physical, tangible reminder can do to calm the mind.  And finally, I wanted to show her that Mommy was doing something on her behalf, so I filled a spray bottle with water and some lemon essential oil (for smell) and labeled the bottle Monster Spray.  I ran around her room spraying monsters that she pointed out to me while yelling, "Gotcha!"

The combination of the above things completely remedied the monster issue the very first night.  Of coarse, we did spray some monsters the following few nights just for good measure, but they had all but disappeared.

There are other things our family does on a regular basis to help keep the real monsters away (like anointing our doors and windows and spiritual house cleaning), but on a kid level these things worked!

Have you ever had to be creative in the face of frustration for your kids?  Leave a comment and tell me about it, it could help another family out there.

Wisdom Wednesday - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Don't sweat the small stuff. 

Roll with the punches.

Don't cry over spilt milk.

Choose your battles, otherwise you will always be fighting. 

Seriously!  The above quotes are true.  Why to people in general get so upset over nothing? 

I think we have a tendency to allow things to build up inside for so long that our emotions eventually erupt all over everyone and everything without warning.  Something simple, like a glass of spilt milk, becomes the the tip of the iceberg and our whole day goes wrong from there on out.  Tears and yelling and just grumpy attitudes all around. 

If Momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy.  Wow, that was difficult to type considering ain't ain't a word. 

My Mother use to tell me 'The answer is yes unless it is absolutely no.'  And in a home with two small children the absolutely No's are sprinkled throughout each day.  To help those No's not be the only word we say, we also say yes to many things that may otherwise have been a no.  Things such as painting when I just don't feel like setting up then cleaning up paint become yes.  I must correct that mispronounced word for the 100th time with a hug and a smile instead of with an ugly tone in my voice.  I must stop to tickle my kids, jump around and act silly, make pancakes for lunch or stop typing at the computer (when I really need to finish what I am doing) in order to watch my kids draw on the chalk board...forever.  Why?  Because these are the precious times, and stress is a killer.

Speaking of STRESS,  that is what today's Wisdom Wednesday is about...or actually avoiding stress.  Stress can shorten a person's life expectancy for one thing, but not only that it can ruin a person's quality of life.  It can make you sick, drive you crazy and literally lower your immune system.  How can anyone effectively enjoy a moment, event, day, week or lifetime if they are consumed with stress and/or worry and feeling run down because of it?  Stress and worry do seem to go hand in hand.

My advice for today is to find a way to enjoy the small moments that may otherwise be stressful.  Learn how to decompress daily, weekly or hourly if need.  Talk to the Lord.  After all, His word says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

So, I say again:

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Roll with the punches.

Don't cry over spilt milk.

Choose your battles, otherwise you will always be fighting.

Allow the Joy of the Lord to be your strength today, and kick stress to the curb.  Now that is living daily health!

Wisdom Wednesday - The Retreat

Scripture in Dining Hall

This Wednesday I decided to post two tips.  The first one was about coconut oil, but this one will talk about health in a completely different light.  Taking care of yourself emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  Health comes from many different aspects of life, not just what you put into your body through your mouth.  Our health is also effected by what we put into our minds, how we deal with our emotions, whether or not we take care of our spirit man, and also by stopping and getting away emotionally.  Don't get me wrong, I spend time with God and in ministry, but do I ever just get away for me?  No.

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to go on a Women's Retreat at our church.  I use to do this annually (starting in my youth group days), but the last one I had taken was 6 years ago before my first child was born!  Having taken the time out to go retreat again this year made me realize how much I really needed it, and not just this one time, but on a regular basis.  I need to spend time with just me, just other women, and just God to recharge, fill back up and rest so I can come home and be the best wife, mom, daughter, friend and minister that I can be.  Not only that, but this retreat gave my husband and I the idea to begin the weaning process from my son.  No, I did not believe that after only two days gone he would be completely weaned, but I did expect that he would not have 'mommy milk' any more.  So....drum roll please...Micah has been 'mommy milk-free' since Friday at noon; 4 days now.  Yes, he still asks for it, but thus far I have been able to use other comfort measures.  So a retreat can also be used to kick start a new stage of life!

Some highlights from the retreat:

 The topic or theme of the retreat was four one hour sessions about the sisters Mary and Martha (brother Lazarus) in the Bible.  We all know these stories, but they were presented in a new and fresh way directly from the potter's wheel by Carole Wolaver aka The Pottery Lady.

 Picture of Carole and her husband Wayne.

 

Pottery she made the last session still on the potters wheel.

 

Pottery from the first couple of sessions.  The small jars are tear bottles!

 

The pitcher on the top left was the first piece she made during her presentation.  It looked just like a vase and we all thought it was complete until with just one touch of a finger it became a pitcher.  It was so amazing and profound that the entire room did a quite gasp in unison.  That is just like God.  He creates us as a vase to learn the function of holding water, then with just one touch He turns us into a pitcher to pour ourselves out for others!

 

These are completed tear bottles.  I think they are beautiful, and no larger than your hand.  The scriptures inside the scrolls are: Psalm 56:8, "You number my watering's; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?" and Revelation 21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  I think this is a great gift for anyone grieving anything, and even for an emotional child so they can use it for a visual when upset.

 

This young lady, Lauren, started be.the.joy ministries that helps young girls in Uganda go to school and have a better life.  She sells the heartbead jewelry the ladies make out of old magazines to raise the funds.

 

Here is a necklace and bracelet made by the Ugandan women.

 

Here is a close up, can you see the edges of the magazine paper that creates the beads?  Who ever thought to recycle magazines into beautiful beads!

 

 I took part in the local mission ministry made available during the retreat.  We made Martha & Mary dry soup packages filled with all the ingredients, love and prayer to make a hearty meal.  These will go to our churches Care Ministry to be given out to families in times of need.  I made the bag you see above along with another one.  I believe 50 packages were made in total!

 

 Do you see that tree with the cross in front of it?  Do you see the ribbons on the tree?  That was our prayer tree for the weekend.  Various colored ribbons were made available the entire weekend for women to go select, sit at Jesus' feet, pray and then attach the ribbon to the tree as an act of giving it to the Lord.  Each colored ribbon represented a different thing.  When completed it was a really beautiful sight to behold.

 



I really enjoy nature, actually that is when I feel closest to God and to who I truly am.  This tree had ferns growing all over it.  Breathtaking.

 



 Part of the lake and view at the retreat.

 

 A group of ladies assembled approximately 140+ of these bags in yellow, green and pink.  One for each lady at the retreat filled with information and love!

 

Another lady made these notebooks (front and back) with a friend for all 140+ ladies!  They were beautiful.

 



Do you allow yourself time to get away and grow closer to God?  Are you the clay in the potters hands?  What is He creating you to be?  What are you now and what will the finished product look like?  That is true health!

 

Oil Pulling

Today on Wisdom Wednesday I would like to discuss Oil Pulling.

Oil Pulling is the ancient Ayurvedic act of swishing a variety of healthy oils in the mouth for a specific time period each day in order to improve oral health, remove bodily toxins and remedy disease.

I first heard about oil pulling several months ago, and within a week I had three other health related people mention oil pulling and how it has helped them!  Humm?  Maybe there is something to this!

 

How To: Once a day take a tablespoon of organic coconut oil or sesame oil an lightly 'swish' it around in you mouth for approximately 25 minutes.  It is actually more of just moving the oil around your mouth than it is actually swishing.  If your cheeks get tired or sore you are being too aggressive.  Then spit out into a trash can (not a sink, it is an oil and could clog the drain).  Do NOT swallow!  The oil has absorbed harmful toxins and removed them from your body.

 

After hearing various accounts I decided to give it a try for myself just to see if it was awful or doable.  Verdict?  Strange at first, but completely doable.  Mostly I wanted to swallow! 

 

Some of the positive effects are whiter teeth, pinker gums, eliminate bad breath, clear skin and eyes, reduced sugar cravings, reduced brain fog and more.  Seem too good to be true?  Let's take a look at short list of the benefits of coconut oil.  I will do a long list and 100 uses of coconut oil in the near future!

 

Coconut Oil:

Hair Care

Skin Care

Stress Relief

Digestion Aid

Fitness Aid

Aid in Healing

 

Now that I know I need to go buy a jar of organic coconut oil for my bathroom and add this to my daily routine.

My Workout Routine

It is Monday, and I am starting my new MONDAY series....'My Life Mondays'.  This series will talk about various parts of my life, including but not limited to my kids, what keeps me busy, my joys, my struggles and anything else that revolves around my life!  Eventually I hope to use this series to tell my testimony of surviving Guillain-Barre.

Today, My Workout Routine.  Of coarse, my routine changes when I feel like I have hit a plateau, but for now this is what it looks like most weeks.  I actually had to change my workout routine several weeks ago due the fact that the classes I was taking were in the evenings, and this was just way too late for the kiddos.  By the time we got home, ate dinner and got ready for bed they were completely delirious and wacky.  So, it was time for a routine change.  Now all of my workouts are mid-day.

Monday: CSI - CSI is a cardio, strength, interval class.  What does that mean?  Lots of non-stop movement with weights, resistance bands and high intensity obstacles.  It is a fun hour long class.  The instructor of this particular class shares my love for health and nutrition, so as an added bonus she talks about nutrition throughout the class.

Tuesday: Body Pump - Body Pump is a strength training and toning class.  There is very little actual cardio in this class, but that does not mean we don't get our heart rate up...we do!  But the main focus is in the weight and repetitions for an hour straight.  We work ALL of the major muscle groups.

Wednesday: Devotion in Motion - I have not started this class yet, but in about 2 weeks I will be adding it to my weekly routine.  Devotion in Motion is a cycle class (you know, on stationary bikes) that really gets the heart rate up...high!  It is 50 minutes of intense, non-stop cardio to Christian music.  Can't wait to start.

Thursday: Body Pump - Again!  Yes.  Major strength training at least twice a week.

Friday: CSI - Again!  Yes, cardio and resistance at least twice a week.

Saturday: Body Attack.  I use Saturday and Sunday as my make up days if I have to miss a class during the week, or if I just feel like I need to work out I have it waiting for me.  Body Attack is exactly what it sounds like, a 55 minute attack on the body.  Non-stop movement of arms and legs, jumping, kicking, running, push ups, sit ups and more.

Sunday: RPM.  Again I use this as an additional or make up day, but it is here if I want or need it.  RPM is a cycle class set to loud music.  Similar to Devotion in Motion you 'ride' non-stop for 50 minutes.  You practice going up hill, on flats, sprints, staying in the saddle, out of the saddle and more.  Almost everyone in that class leaves dripping wet with sweat (not me, I don't sweat much...ever, but I know I'm getting a work out).

So there you have it.  My workout routine.  2-3 good cardio classes, 2-4 good strength and resistance classes.  I was sad when I had to stop RIPPED on Fridays, but maybe a daytime class will open up!  It is similar to INSANITY, and very fun.

Remember, when you start a workout routine, start slow and gradually try new classes and add them when you are ready.  If they do something in the class that you simply can not do, just modify the motion.  Working out is for you and you alone.  Also, eat healthy, life nourishing foods that fuel you up the right way.  Just like a car can't run on soda, your body can't run properly (without breaking down) unless you fuel it properly.

Now get out there and do something!

My Old and New Nutrition Love - Juicing!

As a kid I remember my parents buying this huge clunky juicer, a big back of carrots, a big bag of apples and us drinking fresh juice.  It tasted great, was healthy and was fun.  I loved it, after all, what was not to like.  I remember mixing and matching fruits and making my favorite, green grapes and apples, a lot. 

Actually, if I remember correctly, a lot of our church really got into juicing at that time and a few of the adults drank only carrot juice and their skin began to turn orange.  Seriously, I'm not joking...they were ORANGE!  If you are reading this, you know who you are.

But now that my family and I are juicing again I can see how someone may have turned orange.  It is addictive...in a good way.  Once you start juicing you begin to crave more and more of it.  Just don't drink all carrots all the time and you will be OK; at least you won't turn orange.

Juicing has come a long way since then.  With the Internet, e-books and health consciousness we now know that juicing is a wonderful art that can lead a person into extremely wonderful health, plus it tastes good.  Some juice blends have the ability to give sustained energy throughout the entire day...bye, bye coffee.

A few juicing tips:

• Juice vegetables


• Only juice fruit on occasion.  Rather, eat your fruit.  The fiber helps to regulate your blood sugar so you won't store fat.


• You can juice some apple or pear with your veggies to give it a sweetness.


• A little lemon in the veggie juice cuts bitter taste.


• Carrots are good for your eyes.


• Beets are good to cleanse the blood and good for the heart. (by the way, beet tops are tender and sweet.  Great in a salad if you don't juice them.)


• Green juices are amazing for sustained energy and for juice cleanses. 


• I love kale.  Just a few leaves in my juice and my 20/10 eyesight gets even better!  All Day Long!  Seriously. Sharp. Vision.


• Use organic produce only (you don't want to juice herbicides and pesticides)


• If you plan to do a juice fast get the facts.  I like the Alpha Reset program.

A few juicing recipes:
(These recipes come from Fitlife.TV and Rawfully Organic)

• Lower Cholesterol
  
  
  1.       Thumb size slice of ginger
  
  
  2.       1 apple
  
  
  3.       3 carrots


• Morning ‘Coffee’ Replaces your morning coffee as Energy Drink and alertness.
1. Handful Parsley


2. 5 Carrots

• Green Gulp (Yummm!  I love this one, but usually add carrots, spinach and celery)

1. 3 Kale leaves


2. 1 Granny Smith Apple


3. 1 Cucumber


4. 1 lemon


5. 1 inch ginger

• Detox Juice(great for fasting)




1. Handful parsley


2. Handful cilantro


3. 2 carrots


4. 1 apple w/out seeds


5. 3 celery ribs


6. 1/2 beet with green tops


7. 1 inch ginger (or less until you get use to the kick!)

I literally have dozens and dozens of more juice recipes.  I have enjoyed all of the ones I have tasted. 

By-the-way, there is NO COMPARISON to the taste of fresh juice vs. the store bought juice.  With fresh juice you get all of the vitamins and nutrients since there was no shelf life.  The store bought stuff is glorified sugar water that has lost all of it's nutrients, that is why they ADD vitamins and nutrients to it!  Food for thought.

So get out there and start small if you need to.  You may just find that you too have a new love of juice.

 

Change the World? Reach our Kids!

Our kids are the future.  Seriously, how long before you and I are gone and our kids are the Presidents, Governors, FDA leaders, teachers, police and firemen?  The fastest and most sure way to make 'change' happen is by teaching our kids from a young age so that it becomes a lifestyle.

For instance, our family is into exercise, eating healthy, gardening (again soon), juicing, essential oils, home birth, God, reading the Bible, church, family, relationships, nature, fishing and the list just goes on and on.  If we start teaching and talking to our kiddos about these things at a very young age so that it is second nature to them then hopefully they will teach their friends, future spouse, kids and the chain goes on.

My kiddos already know which essential oils to use under several circumstances.  When they get a bump or bruise they immediately ask for lavender.  If they sneeze or cough they ask for RC.  If they know they are going somewhere that germs spread like wildfire they ask for Thieves.  Sure, we keep teaching and telling them for further learning and reinforcement, but they already get it and know it and use it!

The same goes for our food.  Mackenzie (my 4-year old) almost always asks if an item is all natural or organic.  She also asks about ingredients and food color (she can not tolerate artificial food color).  So she is learning now, and has a basic understanding of what we should and should not put into our bodies.  She even goes so far as to teach her little brother.

A big thing I hear from Mom's and Dad's is that their kids don't like good food; all they will eat is junk.  I feel that one of the easiest and biggest ways to get kids to know about healthy eating as a lifestyle (not diets, not fads) is to get them involved.  (And get the junk out of the house.  Out of sight, out of mind....eventually out of mind.  Hey, a few missed snacks or meals won't hurt them, they will eat what you give them if they have no other choice.)

One way to do this is to let them help you make breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.  Give them age appropriate tasks under supervision.  My daughter loves to hand shred the lettuce and greens for a salad.  She also enjoys mixing dishes that require a good stir.  My son (age 2) loves to peel soft skin off oranges or bananas for lunch or snack.  Both of the kids like to help me make fresh juice with the juicer by taking turns putting the produce into the juicer and watching the liquid gold come out!  See, it can be just that easy and fun to begin building the foundations of a healthy life at a young age. 

Recently I had an easy learning experience with the kiddos when we bought old fashioned (organic) popping corn kernels.  We needed a snack so I decided to pop the corn the old fashioned way...on the stove top.  They loved it.  While I was popping the corn I explained to them the health benefits of NOT using prepackaged popping corn because of some of the hidden ingredients, and showed them how we can flavor our own corn to fit whatever craving we were having.  Oh, and when I pop corn this way ALL the kernels pop!  So as parents we have to look for opportunities in our every day lives to teach our kids.  Even if they act like they are not listening, guess what?  They are.

If you want to dig even further to help your kids like healthy food then try your hand at gardening.  It doesn't have to be a big, full sized garden, but just a few herbs and tomatoes.  I have found that cucumbers and peas are easy to grow, start with that.  Kids love to watch the seed grow into big plants, flowers start to set, bees pollinate, ladybugs do their thing, fruit begin to set, grow and harvest.  It intrigues them and they learn a lot.  Then when it is time to eat they get really excited that they grew the food them self and they actually want to eat it, and want you to eat it too.  If you want information on how to do a garden in a small space I recommend the book All New Square Foot Gardening.

My Old Garden

Zucchini Flowering

 

My little tomatoes

Anyway, whatever you are hoping your kids will do in the future, or maybe the dreams you have for generations to come, begin small with the little people in your life.  The time will be well invested, and you just may have some fun along the way!

Soursop

A lot of my posts have had a negative undertone lately, so let's lighten things up a bit and talk about Soursop :)  Huh?  What is that?  Good question!

Soursop is a very powerfully healthy fruit.  I have yet to try one as I seem unable to find it anywhere, but rest assured that when I do spot some soursop I will be giving it a try!

The taste of this fruit is described as a combination of pineapple, strawberry and citrus fruit flavors with the creamy touch of banana or coconut.  It can be eaten raw or juiced. 

Unfortunately I can not grow soursop here in the good 'ole USofA unless I live in Florida or Hawaii.  This fruit loves humid, hot and dry conditions, and even the slightest drop in temperatures can kill the tree.

The real wow factor?  Apparently this fruit has a wonderful ability to kill cancer!?!?!  For more on that click here.  Since I have no personal knowledge of this I will just leave it to the article to explain.  So go find some soursop and enjoy!

What Are Natural Flavors?

Oi, what are Natural Flavors?  I don't know, but they are not always so very natural!  Here is a link to Today Food, a branch of NBC News that explains natural flavors.  Is it still confusing after reading that article?  Then let us go a little deeper, but not too deep; otherwise I might not be able to follow my own blog post.  You can check out Wickipedia that may further your understanding, or not.

One confusion is that you will see both artificial flavors and natural flavors listed on conventional processed food labels, but you will also see natural flavors listed on All Natural and Organic food labels?!?!!?  The only difference is that in All Natural foods the base that the Natural Flavor is mixed in has to be from a natural source (the flavor itself is probably not natural), and in Organic foods the base that the Natural Flavor is mixed in and the method of extraction must be organic (the actual flavor itself is probably not organic or natural.).  Natural Flavors are allowed in 'All Natural' and 'Organic' foods, so beware and read your labels!

According to the US Code of Federal Regulations*, a natural flavor or flavoring is:

…the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

Here is what I do know.  Natural flavors are created by scientists called flavorists that produce these flavors in laboratories (not kitchens) using natural and chemical compounds.  The reason these flavors are lumped into one ingredient called natural flavors is because there are too many ingredients to list, and even if they were listed we would not know what they are.  If you want true blueberry flavor then purchase an item with blueberry listed as the ingredient instead of natural or artificial blueberry flavor!

Photo from sott.net

Both natural and artificial flavors are created in the same factories and most artificial flavors are made from petroleum products/byproducts, so cross contamination is possible.

Some artificial flavors are safer than their natural counterparts. Benzaldehyde is almond flavor, and when derived from nature, traces of hydrogen cyanide--a deadly poison--can be found in it.  Also, Vanillan, artificial vanilla, can cause allergic reactions. It can limit the liver enzyme dopamine sulphotransferase by 50%. Its sources are the waste product of paper mills and petroleum. It can be very difficult to know which is better: artificial or natural. It is hard to find a list of all flavorings to research them all. It is thus best to avoid flavorings in general. (yahoo)  Yikes!!!

For some more information here is a great article from Natural News.

Vegetarians Beware: Natural Flavors can be derived from meat, seafood, poultry, eggs and dairy products.  If you are not purchasing an approved vegetarian product but just 'think' it is vegetarian from reading the ingredient label and Natural Flavors is in the ingredient list you may be eating animal byproduct!

I was unable to find a list of natural flavors :(  So I guess the long and short of it is that natural flavors are not so natural after all, but rather just made to taste 'natural'!  And not necessarily organic either.  Read labels and put it back if you are unsure to what you are purchasing.  I know for a fact that many options are out there without natural flavors in them, you just have to be willing to read a lot of labels to find the brand you are comfortable eating!



*In order to read the regulations for flavorings – you need to go to the US CFR site, and search for the term “natural flavor”. The first document returned will have the appropriate information.

What is a GMO?

What is a GMO?  I've never heard of that.  I'm eating it?  It's in my food?  Oh, it IS my food!  Hummmm?  Is it good?  Is it bad? 

Those are the questions and comments I hear from people.  I had heard of GMO's years ago and knew about all the research going into them, but somehow I was acutely unaware that we were already eating them!  Actually, I didn't realize we were eating them until a few years ago (and was outraged).  Thus began my research.

Before we begin I want to tell you a true story.  When I was 15 years old (around 1995/1996) I began having severe stomach aches.  So bad, in fact, that at school they would let me go lay down in the hall during class until the tummy ache passed.  The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong because I ate a really healthy diet and didn't have any other symptoms.  All my blood work and tests came back perfect.  These tummy aches were not continual and only seemed to last about an hour (or less) at a time, but they would come on suddenly and leave just as mysteriously.  Most of the time I had them in the early afternoon shortly after lunch or in the evenings just after dinner.  Was there a common thread?  Looking back I would say YES, although at the time the food log I kept did not show a theme.  What do I think the theme was?  GMO's.  Come to find out that GM soy beans, canola oil, corn, potatoes and cotton were introduced to the public in 1995 (without labels or differentiation)...the same year I began having tummy aches!  Our family has been heavily organic for over a year now, and my tummy aches disappeared (we are also a GMO-free home).  Yup, that's my true story.

Now on to what a GMO is.  GMO stands for genetically modified organism.  This is not a hybrid, grafted or cross pollinated seed/plant, but rather it is a seed whose DNA had been changed using science.  Sort of like a Frankenseed.  Wikippedia's definition of a GMO is: A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. 

Photo from EcoChild's Play

For GMO food's the main purpose is to allow the foods to withstand more and more pesticides and herbicides, or to allow the plant (as in corn) to produce it's own pesticide so that when an insect ingests the food it's stomach ruptures!  (Yikes, maybe that explains my old tummy aches)

Image from richardyoung.com

Because these crops kill so many insects not just from ingestion, but simply by flying around the crops in 2006, there was a sudden, mysterious disappearance of honey bees in the United States, Europe and Brazil, and was a reminder of the quote attributed to Albert Einstein, and a wake-up call for mankind.  After all, Albert Einstein said, "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live"? (info from Benefits of honey).  Now Monsanto is reportedly trying to engineer a honey bee that can withstand and survive their GM crops.   For more information on the bees you can check out Natural News or Natural Society. 

 

Image from here

 

Guess what?  As of 2012 there were no approved GM animals, but by the end of 2012 GM Salmon was close to being FDA approved for human consumption.  To help stop GMO Salmon for consumption go here.

What do I do?  Well, to avoid GMO's eat Organic or Non-GMO verified products.  Or, grow some of your own food.  Avoid conventional foods that contain any of the following ingredients that may or may not be GMO (you can find out from calling manufacturers, but if they will not tell you then it is most likely GMO) unless organic or Non-GMO verified: (I underlined ingredients you will see a lot.  Remember, fresh foods fruit/veggies do not contain these ingredients; only processed foods.  If you see these ingredients go for the organic or Non-GMO verified alternative.  Also, added vitamins may sound good, but if they are added they are man made, not naturally occurring.  It may be more expensive, but can you put a price on your health?)

Possible GMO Ingredients:

• Aspartame (aminosweet, nutrasweet, Equal Spoonful, Canderel, Benevia, E951), Baking Powder, Canola Oil (rapeseed oil), Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Colorose, Condensed Milk, Confectioners Sugar, Corn Flour, Corn Masa, Corn Meal, Corn oil, Corn sugar, Corn syrup, Corn starch, Cottonseed oil, Cyclodextrin, Cystein, Dextrin, Dextrose, Diacetyl, Diglyceride, Erythritol, Equal, Food starch, Fructose, Glucose, Glutamate, Glutamic Acid, Glycerides, Glycerin, Glycerol, Glycerol Monooleate, Glycine, Hemicellulose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Starch, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Inositol, Inverse syrup, Inversol, Invert Sugar, Isoflavones, Lactic acid, Lecithin, Leucine, Lysine, Malitol, Malt, Malt Syrup, Malt Extract, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Mannitol, Methylcellulose, Milk Powder, Milo starch, Modified Food Starch, Modified Tarch, Mono and Diglycerides, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Natural Flavor, Nutrasweet, Oleic acid, Phenylalanine, Phytic Acid, Shoyu, Sorbitol, Soy flour, soy isolates, soy lecthin, soy milk,soy oil, soy protein, soy protein isolate, soy sauce, starch, steric acid, sugar (unless specified as cane sugar), sweet corn, tamari, tempeh, Teriyaki marinades, textured vegetable protein, threonine, tocopherols (vitamin E), Tofu, Trehalose, Triglyceride, Vegetable fat, Vegetable oil, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Whey, Whey Powder, Xanthan Gum  (Source Nongmoshoppingguide.com)

I have my own feelings about the companies creating GMO products for the demise of the human race, or maybe just because they love the almighty $, but I am not going to list company names here. This is not a finger pointing blog post (although it may seem like it), but rather a place to help people be informed. If you want to know who is behind the creating of GMO's, and WHY I suggest you do some basic research yourself.

What does all of this have to do with my blog name of 'Gifts From Heave'?  I believe that God has given us the tools we need to live a full, abundant and healthy life while we are here on earth.  The tools to be spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically healthy.  One of those tools is in the food He has provided us.  Untainted and natural food from the ground (without the aid of human inventions to help in His process).  I believe His food is a gift to us!  So enjoy it in it's healthy and living form.

How to Read Food Labels

Reading food labels can be tricky.  I know that when I first started reading them I would read the ingredients and say to myself, "I just read that, now what?"  Then I would put the item in my cart and take it home and eat it!  I simply did not understand what I was reading.  Now I am much better at reading those labels and my hubby is even better at it than I am.  So I thought I would pass on some general knowledge I have obtained to help make your grocery shopping experience a little easier.

Before I begin the 'list' of ingredients and what they actually are, let me say that Less is More.  On any ingredient list the fewer ingredients that are listed the 'better' that product is gong to be.  10 ingredients or less is a good rule of thumb, and you must not only be able to read and pronounce those ingredients, but you must also recognize and know what those ingredients are.  I might be able to pronounce Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG), but what is that?  If you can make it at home with the same ingredients listed you are probably in pretty good shape.  If you can not make it at home because...what is that?  Then you should probably just walk away, or RUN away.

What Good things to look for:

• Organic and All Natural (these can still have questionable ingredients, but you will find that these are much better and easier to read)
• Short Ingredient List
• Actual food items on the ingredient list
• Strawberries, not artificial strawberry flavor
• Pure sugar cane, not high fructose corn syrup
• Whole wheat flour, not enriched bleached white flour
• Sugar should be one of the last items on the list (not one of the first items)
• Realize that items are listed in the order used from most to least.  So if sugar is listed first that is the main ingredient, but if it is listed last then it is used sparingly.
• First ingredient = main ingredient
• Last ingredient = least used ingredient
• Certified Organic
• Non-GMO Verified
• Natural colors with the source listed. IE: beta carotene for color.  Good, an orange color from carrots!

What to Avoid:
Read my last post on How to Eat Clean(er) to see what things we specifically avoid.  I am not going to rehash all of those items here, but rather am going to focus on the actual reading of the label.

• Anything followed by a number.  Ingredients followed by a number are typically man made ingredients that are not food derived, but rather are food additives.  That does not mean that they are made from food, it means they are added to food.  Most numbered ingredients are derived from petroleum (IE: gasoline or coal tar run off).  Examples:
• Red 40
• Polysorbate 80
• Yellow 5
• Anything Bleached. How do they bleach a product/ingredient?  Well, with bleach of coarse!  Yikes!! Would you eat bleach?  If you would not then don't eat bleached ingredients.
• Bleached white flour
• Bleached wheat flour
• Bleached sugar
• Words you can not pronounce or understand. 
• Most ingredients that are not plain English are man made chemicals.  Why are chemicals in our food instead of food in our food?  Well, that is another post, but in short these chemicals lengthen shelf life and make foods addictive so we keep buying them. 
• Artificial Colors.  Many artificial colors have a number listed behind them, but they can also have great names making them sound good (like blue lake).  These are made from petroleum run off.
• Brilliant Blue
• Sunset Yellow
• Indigotine
• Tartarzine
• And the list just keeps on going.  For more information click here.
• Artificial Flavors.  Artificial flavors are not made from food.  They are actually man made chemical compounds made to taste like food.  For example, many strawberry flavored oatmeal's do not have strawberries in them.  Instead they have bits of apple in them dyed red and flavored to taste like strawberry.  These flavors are shelf stable and last a looooong time, they are also addictive.  They can also cause an whole array of problems.
• Natural Flavors.  Now this one sounds promising until you find out that these are labeled 'natural flavors' not because they are derived from natural sources, but because they taste like flavors found in nature.  These are basically the same as artificial flavors but have been allowed to be labeled this way to mimic nature.  If it was a real food flavor they would just list the natural ingredient such as apple or raspberry.  If it is hidden behind a word then it is most likely not natural.
• Spices.  Spices are good....right?  Hummm.  Yes, real spices are good.  We love garlic, cinnamon, ginger and the like, but the word spices on your food label is typically not a real spice!  Just like natural flavors, spices are typically man made chemicals created to taste like natural spices.  Mostly used for their addictive properties.  MSG is often left off an ingredient list because they hide it under the word spices.  If it is a real spice they will list it on the label.  Ginger is easy to list.  A chain of chemical compounds is not easy to list, so let's hide it.
• Artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated oils.  I won't go into this again, but these are awful!
• Sucrose
• Fructose
• High fructose corn syrup
• partially hydrogenated soy bean oil
• Splenda
• And the list just keeps on going.  Just look for cane sugar and get rid of all others for the sweet factor.  And look for clean oils and butters...nothing with the word hydrogenated in it at all!

How to Eat Clean(er)

Happy New Year!

I realize I have been absent from the blog for a while, and probably will be again after this post, but we have been busy around here.  Hopefully, soon, I will have a series of posts for you that are not nutritionally based, but for now you will just have to endure yet ANOTHER post on nutrition.  This one is not so bad, but rather talks about how to eat a clean diet (or a cleaner diet).

What is a clean diet?  A diet of foods that are easy for your body to digest and process, to gain nutritional value from, and that won't fill you up with 'fake' fillers and toxins.  Actually, this diet will help your body to eliminate the natural toxins you come in contact with on a daily basis.  Basically, a diet that will help you look and feel great!  I am sure this looks different for everyone, so don't do what we do, but instead do what you feel convicted to do; or do what makes you excited about your own body and future lifestyle.

One big mistake people make is to try and change everything all at once.  The task then becomes daunting and overwhelming, thus ending in failure after only a few short months, or days, or the next time you go grocery shopping.  My suggestion is to take ONE task at a time and attack it.  Then once that is a part of your lifestyle without you even having to think about it can you move on to the 'next task'.

Once you have changed several items in your diet (or lifestyle) you will find that the other changes come naturally and easily.  For example, if someone had told me to go gluten-free a year ago it would have seemed insurmountable, but now that our family diet has taken on a new direction over the past year we actually eat very few items with gluten (that's without trying) so now, going gluten free would be relatively easy!

What to Avoid:

There are a few things that we avoid like the plague.  Why?  Well, because they could cause the plague!  Seriously!  Maybe not today, but down the road somewhere.  If you are trying to change your eating lifestyle start with eliminating one of these.  Once you have mastered that add another and another until you no longer have these items in your diet.

• Artificial food color (if you have not read my previous posts about this go back and read them here) - in almost all fast food, and in almost all items at Sonic :(
• MSG - hidden in sauces, rubs, dressings, meats, and fast foods like Chick-fil-A
• High Fructose Corn Syrup - hidden is all types of things like bread.
• Hydrogenated Oils of any kind
• GMO products of any kind that are not Organic or Non-GMO Verified - corn, soy, canola, cotton and now salmon (Purchase wild caught salmon only)
• Non-Organic Dairy products
• Overly processed foods - OK, yes, we do still have packaged and processed foods in our home, but we minimize those.  We basically stay away from all cereals and most chips.  We do keep some heavily processed items on occasion (like granola bars or lentil chips), but we make sure the are all natural and/or organic.
• Sodas and store bought juice.  Store bought juices are not particularly harmful per-se', but they are basically just sugar water considering all the natural photo-nutrients have been lost by the time the drink reaches your grocery cart.  If you do purchase juice make sure it is organic.  We choose to juice our own juices at home with a juicer and use very minimal fruit for that leaning heavily on the vegetable.

What to Consume:

• Lots of water!  Half your body weight in ounces every day.  If you weigh 100 lbs then you would consume 50 oz of water daily.
• Fresh juiced veggies or green smoothies.  Lots of Kale :)
• Lots of Fresh, raw, organic fruits and veggies.  Yup, as much as you want.  Why organic?  Because non-organic has been doused with herbicides, pesticides and possibly artificial food colors.  Here is a great co-op in the Houston area with a lot of resources.
• Whole wheat grains, brown rice, quinoa, gluten free products. (if you choose to consume grains)
• Organic dairy (if you choose to consume dairy)
• Lentils/beans
• Fresh, natural, organic meats
• Wild caught fish
• Clean oils, ghee, butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil
• Double check for organic and non-GMO verified products.

Tips & Tricks:
Make homemade snacks, dips, and meals.  This is relatively easy and has a tremendous nutritional and cost savings. 

• Granola - get rolled oats in bulk and make your own granola and granola bars.  Bake with a little honey, spices and 'extras' to customize.  Yummm!
• Fresh cut fruits and veggies
• Hummus
• Dressings
• Pop popcorn the old fashioned way...on the stove top.  This is not only cheaper, but healthier. (The bagged stuff has hidden ingredients like BPA and MSG.  You can get organic popping corn that in Non-GMO verified and use coconut oil for popping).  Plus you can add your own spices for flavor variety.
• Juice your own juice and drink fresh!  Use veggies MORE than fruit!
• Eat a TON of fruit.  As much as you want.  Experiment with fruits you would normally pass by in the grocery store.  Shop at local farmers markets, co-ops and grow some of your own!
• Use extra virgin and organic coconut oil and olive oil.
• Check out 100 Days of Real Food, Rawfully Organic, Food Babe and Juicing Vegetables for more tips and information.

Do A Cleanse:
This one is a little more complicated, but there are various types of cleanses a person can do for health.  One of the cleanses or fasts that I like is a short 3-5 day juice fast (with approval from your health care provider if you have health issues).  Or some people prefer a raw food and water fast where they eat only raw fruits and veggies for a specific amount of time.  Juicing Vegetables/Fit life TV has great tips.

• Juice fast
• Juice cleanse/detox
• Raw food Fast
• Liquid only fast
• No meat fast
• No bread fast
• No dairy fast

I personally avoid some of these and just stick to raw foods, green smoothies and juice type cleanses.  I really like specific cleanses like a liver, kidney or parasite cleanse... Google these and see what you find.  Also check out YouTube and join forums on FaceBook.

Well, I hope this information helped you out.  It has helped our family and we do all of these now (except for being gluten free, but we will be trying that soon also!)

Postpartum Nutrition

I know I owe you a post about Essential Oils with Allergies, but because my sister-in-law became a first time Mommy yesterday (and I became an Auntie 7 times over) I have decided to do a post on postpartum nutrition in honor of the phase she is entering into now.

Congrats Kelly on you new precious bundle!

Pregnancy and child rearing is not a sprint, but rather a marathon that takes training and good nutrition to keep the course strong.  We tend to focus on nutrition both before and during pregnancy, but after the baby is born Mommas health seems to get lost in the shuffle and everything is poured into that tiny bundle of joy.  Rather, the opposite is needed.  It takes a strong and healthy Momma to give wonderful care to her precious baby and husband.  If Mommas not healthy, then everyone else will suffer.

Think about this, you have just carried a life inside your body for 9-months.  Everything you ate went into creating that child's organs (heart, lungs brain),bones, muscles, reflexes and more.  Actually, your body was turned into a creation ground, everything that baby has was given by your nutrition, exercise, rest and how you took care of yourself.  If you did not give baby something that it needed in your diet the baby took it from the stores in your body; from your own bones, muscles and fat stores.  Not only did you give to your baby nutritionally, but you also gave emotionally.  Every emotion you felt, the baby felt, and every word you spoke the baby heard; your hormones passed through the baby's body just as they passed through yours.  You have already been helping to build your sweet child's personality just by the way you felt during your pregnancy!  Wow, how powerful is that!  Not only does a pregnant Mother feed good things into her baby, but she can also pass negative things such as toxins.  The placenta is an excellent barrier, but alcohol, nicotine, poor nutrition and other medications can still pass through to the baby, and that is why we focus so much on health during pregnancy. 

But what about after the baby is born?

I consider the phase after baby is born (postpartum) to be just as important (or even more important to Momma) as the pregnancy phase.  Why?  Because that baby has been pulling on your body for 9-months and you may be (and probably are) depleted.  Also, you just gave birth, a tremendous exercise feat, and must fully recover.  You may have also had surgery via a c-section and need to recover from not only carrying a baby and birthing a baby, but also recover from surgery!  During your recovery time you are also expected to continue caring for this new baby, and if you have chosen to breastfeed you will be giving more than ever before!

A breastfeeding Mother actually needs 500 more calories on a daily basis than when they were pregnant.  It takes that much to produce milk all day long and to properly nourish baby.  Not only that, but breast milk is the baby's only source of immune defense.  Baby's own immune system doesn't even kick in until around 1-year of age.

But before considering the number of calories you need you must first consider the type of food you need to eat. 

First, continue taking your prenatal vitamins and calcium supplement!  Your prenatals will help you in breastfeeding and help to restore the personal nutrients you have given away.  They will also help your milk supply.

Second, if breastfeeding add 500 calories to your daily diet (good, nutritious calories).  You will still lose weight, so do NOT go on a diet to lose baby weight.  That is the worst thing you can do for your body, further depleting what you actually need.  Do not even think about dieting for at least 6 months.

Third, carefully plan the first meals you will have after giving birth.  You will be exhausted, but still have a long haul set before you.  You will be changing diapers and doing midnight feedings.  You will be rocking and calming and just getting to know your baby, and you must have energy for that.  Remember, low fat but high nutrient is best.  I suggest a hearty veggie stew or veggie and beef/chicken stew that is full of wonderful and rich vitamins straight from the earth.  (use organic ingredients whenever possible, Momma and baby do not need to eat pesticides and herbicides.)  The broth alone will be hearty and filling!  Not only that, but good sources of protein and calcium such as legumes, spinach, nuts, green leafy veggies, eggs and chicken are a must.  And if you have a crock pot, now is the time to become friends with it!

Fourth, if people offer to cook meals or bring food, accept their offer.  Make sure they know you want healthy food and let them know what you do not like, otherwise enjoy the variety and not having to worry over meals.

Fifth, REST!  I can not stress this enough; especially if you had surgery or tore.  REST, REST, REST.  Do not get out of bed until you have slept the amount you normally would sleep.  For example, if you need 8 hours of sleep but you were up two hours at night with the baby then you should not get out of bed until 10 hours have passed.  To help with this wear your pajamas and let others help (especially Daddy).  Sleep when baby sleeps, and for TWO WEEKS just let your body heal while you are in that wonderful baby moon stage.  Snuggle and rest!  No heavy lifting, no grocery shopping for 2 weeks.  Don't even make your own meals for 1 week.  A fully healed body early on will help fight against infection, bleeding, tearing, and fatigue in the long run!

Sixth, smile, laugh, cuddle and enjoy your new family!  You, hubby and baby are a brand new family, so soak it in and enjoy!  The baby still recognizes your moods and feeds off of them.  If you are stressed you will find that baby gets stressed and cries, so stay relaxed, and if you need some time to yourself to de-stress, take it; everyone will be happier in the long run.  Plus, baby will not nurse and you will not release milk if you are stressed.  On the contrary, if you are happy and relaxed you will find that breastfeeding is easier and baby is happier.

One more thing.  WATER.  Drink LOTS of water.  And if you are nursing drink a large glass of water every time you feed baby in addition to the regular water you drink.  You should pee clear all day, every day!

Why worry about this and go through so much trouble?  Well, it helps to combat postpartum depression, helps to give baby what they need, helps to set a calm and healthy atmosphere in the home, and will help Momma in the long run too!

Foods I like to keep on hand after having a baby: Greek Yogurt, almonds, walnuts, dried apricots, organic granola, bananas, apples, oatmeal, eggs, fresh cut organic fruits and veggies, easy to reheat meals like soups, stews and premade (homemade) freezer meals.

Do you have suggestions on nutrition, health or other postpartum advice?  Leave in comments below, us Mommas need to stick together and learn from eachother!

Here are a few pictures of my own precious babies when they were born:

Mackenzie just born in 2008. 7lbs, 14oz















Micah just born in 2010. also 7lbs, 14oz.