Category: Feeding Children

The world of feeding challenges is vast. Picky eating. Refusal to eat at all. Oral sensory issues. Food anxiety. The list goes on. But I’ve got you covered. I’m here to help you navigate all of it and keep your child well nourished. Feeding children doesn’t have to be so stressful!

I have over ten years of experience feeding children well. I’ve dealt with just about every struggle possible. And I’ve come out the other side with healthy kids.

Our days of constant tummy aches, food allergies, failure to gain weight, picky eating and gagging on food are over.

I want the same for you! Feeding children should not be stressful. It should be a joy. And it can be. I’ll show you how.

My book Why Won’t My Child Eat?! will walk you through the process of figuring out specific problem foods and how to gradually get your child to eat more.

The blog is full of advice and tips on feeding children as well. Don’t struggle alone. I’m here to help!

December 1, 2019

How to Make Homemade Fruit Snacks | Dye-Free & Allergy-Friendly!

Impress your kids and avoid strange ingredients by making homemade fruit snacks! Just a few simple and nourishing ingredients create a fun and healthy snack.

One of the best decisions I made as a parent was to stop buying packaged fruit snacks. Let’s face it – they are sort of weird, food-like morsels that really are more like candy than anything.

Even the “natural” or organic versions still have some questionable ingredients. And basically zero nutrition.

Why You Should Make Your Own Fruit Snacks

My solution to this problem is always homemade.

I’ve been making homemade fruit snacks (also known as gummies) from scratch for my kids for quite some time. I get lots of requests for the recipe.

Most people are amazed at how simple it is. But beyond that, it’s amazing how healthy they are!

We used to buy organic fruit snacks once in a while as a special treat. But not anymore.

Homemade Fruit Snacks with Grass-fed Gelatin

These fruit snacks are filled with nourishing gelatin (use code TAKE10 for 10% off) which is great for gut healing. They are also very safe for almost any allergy. I love that I can even make a variety of flavors for my little guy that is allergic to multiple fruits (have you ever tried finding something fruit flavored at the store that does not contain banana, grape or pear? Impossible).

My kids will easily eat a whole batch in a week if I let them. So I often have to make a new batch almost weekly! I try to make different flavors like blueberry lemon, lemon lime, lemonade and cherry. I love having very healthy snacks on hand that my kids truly love. And they don’t have to feel like they are missing out.

Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

One of the things that surprised me is how much my toddler loves homemade fruit snacks. I just make them in a pan and cut them into small squares. It’s a great finger food! Bonus that I can pack them up for when we are out and about. No little puffs or melts with strange ingredients. Just fruit and gelatin.

Do your kids like fruit snacks?

Try replacing the store-bought version with a homemade version. You can make them in any shape and flavor. Let your kids choose which ones. They’ll think it’s great! And you can know they are eating something that is healthy and healing.

This post is linked to Allergy Free Wednesday.

Homemade Fruit Snacks

2014-06-10 11:53:21

A fun, fruity snack that is full of nourishing gelatin and free of allergens and artificial ingredients.

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Ingredients

1 cup pure juice (i.e. blueberry, cherry, lemon, lime)
3/4 cups sweetener (cane sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup)
3 -6 Tbsp. grass-fed gelatin
1/4 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Combine the juice, salt and sweetener in a small saucepan. Heat slightly and mix until the sugar/honey dissolves.
Taste the juice and add more sweetener if necessary.
Allow the juice to cool for 10 - 30 minutes.
Add the gelatin to the juice while gently whisking.
Let sit for one minute.
Heat the juice/gelatin mixture over low heat, whisking gently until the gelatin completely dissolves.
Pour the mixture into molds or a glass pan.
Refrigerate until solid (about 20 minutes).
Remove fruit snacks from molds or cut into squares/desired shape from a pan.
Store in a container in the refrigerator.

Notes

Do not use juice from concentrate/juice that you would drink plain. Use pure juice.
You may need extra sweetener for some flavors like lemon and lime.
You can use one type of juice or a combination - blueberry lemon, cherry lime, lemon lime, etc.
Using less gelatin will make a softer gummy and they will need more time to set. More gelatin will make it firmer.

By Mary - homemadedutchapplepie.com

Just Take A Bite https://justtakeabite.com/

July 28, 2019

Nightshade-Free Cucumber Salsa

Missing tacos due to dietary restrictions? Bring back taco night with this simple night-shade free cucumber salsa. Free of allergens and nightshades, and low in Vitamin A, it’s sure to be a hit!

Sometimes when I’m trying to meal plan and just can’t think of anything to put on the menu, I crowd source. In other words, I ask my kids.

It’s inevitable that at least one of them suggests tacos (though I try not to bore my husband and actually serve them every week).

It’s usually my son making the suggestion. He has been my taco meat chef since he was six, and jumps at the chance to cook his “famous” taco meat (you can get his taco seasoning recipe here).

Taco night has always been one of my favorites too, from childhood until now. I mean, who doesn’t love a good taco?

Vitamin A Detox Diet Tacos

Our tacos have certainly evolved over the years, through all sorts of food allergies and dietary restrictions. These days taco night is a bit more challenging on the Vitamin A Detox Diet. No tomatoes, peppers, avocado, or cheese.

I know that may not sound like much is left.

But we still have delicious tacos regularly!

One key component is this nightshade-free cucumber salsa.

Not only is it easy to make, it’s totally delicious! Even my pickiest eater loves it.

Nightshade-Free Cucumber Salsa

There is no cooking involved to make cucumber salsa. The most work you’ll have to do is peel and chop a cucumber. Or better yet, delegate it to your kids. My oldest loves to make cucumber salsa for the family when we’re having tacos.

Teach your kids to cook with the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse!

Check it out HERE!

Once the veggies are prepped you just mix all of the ingredients in a jar and let it chill for a few minutes. So, you can still have delicious salsa even if you don’t remember to make it until fifteen minutes before dinner!

This nightshade-free cucumber salsa tastes amazing as a dip with organic tortilla chips.

Most of the time we use it on tacos, taco bowls, or nachos (topped with this gooey dairy-free cheese sauce!).

What is on VAD Diet Tacos?

For VAD Diet-safe tacos we use either organic blue corn hard shells (I like this brand) or homemade white corn soft shells, and fill them with seasoned ground beef or chicken.

Toppings include:

Cucumber salsa
Grated zucchini cheese (grab the recipe here)
Sour cream (my kids can have a small amount of cream)
Black beans or refried pinto beans (I cook them in the Instant Pot)

Our tacos are simple, but so, so delicious!

What Are Nightshades?

Most healing diets eliminate nightshades. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes, plus a few other less-common foods like goji berries, ashwagandha, Cape gooseberries, ground cherries, and garden huckleberries.

For many people nightshades are a pain – literally. Nightshades cause calcinosis, a calcification of soft tissues, due to calcitriol. Calcitriol is a very potent hormone, possibly the most powerful hormone in your body!

Calcitriol tells your intestines to absorb calcium. Too much can quickly lead to hypercalcemia. This is the cause of calcium deposits in your soft tissue, also known as joint pain, muscle stiffness, arthritis, coronary artery disease, and more.

If you struggle with any type of chronic pain or weakness, consider cutting nightshades out of your diet. Or if you have issues with osteoporosis you might want to consider eliminating nightshades as well.

Here is a a great article on nightshades if you want to read more!

We do still eat some potatoes (though not if they are green or sprouting!). But we avoid all of the other nightshades.

Salsa Without Tomatoes

Now even if you are nightshade-free you can enjoy chips and salsa or everyone’s favorite taco night with this super simple cucumber salsa. Having salsa without tomatoes is totally doable and delicious.

What is taco night like at your house? What are your favorite toppings?

5 from 1 vote

Nightshade-Free Cucumber Salsa (VAD Diet)

A quick and easy salsa free of nightshades.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Servings 4

Author Mary | Just Take A Bite

Ingredients

2 cups cucumber peeled and diced
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder of 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. organic cane sugar
1/4 cup white onion, diced optional

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a jar.
Mix and chill for at least 10 minutes.
Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

July 13, 2019

EMF Protection During Pregnancy and Childhood

EMFs are all around us, yet we don’t know their full impact. I’m sharing my EMF protection tips for pregnancy and as kids grow. A few simple changes could have a big impact!

In the digital age we live in you’ve probably heard the term EMF – electromagnetic frequency. It is something that is all around us both from natural and man-made sources.

Why Worry About EMFs?

It’s hard to say. The data is still inconclusive. Though I tend to err on the side of caution. I’d rather be proactive and find out I was overcautious than to do nothing and find out I could have prevented some harm.

Some EMFs are low frequency, such was microwaves and WiFi. Others are higher frequency and are known to potentially cause problems, like X-rays (i.e. no x-rays while pregnant!).

Wellness Mama has a great post with more info on EMF exposure and the potential impacts to our bodies…that are actually electromagnetic systems themselves! I strongly encourage you to do more research on this topic.

Especially with the recent development of 5G networks that could have some profound health consequences, EMF protection is more important than ever!

Protecting Babies From EMF Exposure

What I want to talk to you about today is how to protect your baby before and after birth from too much EMF exposure. Little ones are going to be impacted the most by EMFs simply due to their size. So it is important to take precautionary measures when they are young.

There are some simple ways to reduce EMFs in your day-to-day life:

Turn off WiFi at night or any time it’s not in use.
Keep your cell phone on airplane mode.
Keep electronics out of the bedrooms.
Replace your smart meter with an analog meter.
Hard wire electronics instead of using wireless.
Use EMF-blocking cases and pads for cell phones, tablets and laptops.
Keep wireless devices off of your body (laps, pockets, etc.). This is especially true for children!

One of the biggest step I took in my last pregnancy was to use a Belly Armor blanket.

RadiaShield® Fabric make this blanket a convenient and unobtrusive way to protect your child within against the risks of everyday radiation. Easily portable in your handbag, this maternity blanket is ideal for both the home and the office. You’ll forget this breathable protector is even there while having the peace of mind of RadiaShield® protection.

Safe to use for mom and baby – products are free of heavy metals, toxic chemicals and common allergens.

During pregnancy, simply drape over your midsection while sitting or lying down to create a soft, protective barrier from wireless radiation.

Working with Wireless While Pregnant

The Belly Armor blanket has 99.9% shielding effectiveness. As a blogger I spend a lot of time at the computer. I feel so much better knowing that baby is protected while I work. I love that I’m getting more protection too!! I just lay the blanket over my belly and legs. So simple.

Since my son was born I have continued to use my Belly Armor blanket on a daily basis. I drape it over him while he’s nursing or sleeping on me and I’m at the computer or using my cell phone. It basically travels around the house with us!

I already do my best to keep cell phones and tablets away from my kids. But now I can go one step further for protection.

If you are expecting a baby or have a new little one I highly recommend Belly Armor. I wish I had found it sooner! I would have worn the belly band the whole pregnancy. Their baby monitor looks amazing as well. Yes, baby monitors generate EMFs too! I know some people go without for this very reason. I’d never hear baby without one. So I do my best to keep it at a distance in both my bedroom and the nursery so I can still hear baby without too much exposure.

Cell Phone EMF Protection

I love my Belly Armour blanket. But I can’t keep it draped over a busy toddler all day. So I have also taken another step to protect my kids from EMF exposure.

I use an Aires shield on my cell phone. It drastically reduces EMFs. Let’s be real – there is no way around using a smart phone around kids sometimes. We use it to look up information or watch videos while homeschooling. And I often use my phone while nursing my son to sleep.

I feel so much better knowing I have added protection.

The best part is how easy it is to use!. Seriously. Just peel it off the card and stick it on your phone. Done.

I’m planning to use more of them on our other wireless devices, like our laptop. The things my kids use. It gives me peace of mind.

Are you worried about how to protect your kids – whether in utero or after birth – from EMF exposure?

Check out all of the cool Belly Armor products. If you’re like me you’ll have a hard time choosing just one! The little bunny hat is so adorable!

And consider getting an Aires shield for your devices. I’m actually really intrigued by their other products that can be worn by individuals or used for entire rooms. I’d love to get something like that for my kids and their bedroom. EMFs can really impact sleep!

Interested in ordering some EMF protection devices for your family? Use the code justtakeabite10 to get 10% off AiresTech products HERE!!

Taking a few simple steps can help you rest easier knowing you are doing your part to reduce EMF exposure for both you and your growing little ones.

I am working with Belly Armor and Aires Tech and have been compensated for my time commitment. All opinions are my own. I have not been paid to post positive reviews.

June 19, 2019

How to Come Off the Vitamin A Detox Diet

Before starting any new diet you need to know if it is a permanent lifestyle change or a temporary situation. Find out how to come off the Vitamin A Detox Diet before you even start!

NOTE: I no longer support the Vitamin A as poison theory. All information in this article is purely to help you understand what it is based on. It is possible to get too much Vitamin A by overdosing supplements or liver. But that doesn’t happen often and can be quickly remedied if it does. Vitamin A from animal sources is an essential part of the diet. Beta Carotene can cause carotenemia (as my son had) but will not overload the body with Vitamin A. I encourage you to research and make your own decisions. You can read our update/why we turned and ran from the Vitamin A Detox Diet HERE.

My last post introduced the Vitamin A Detox (VAD) Diet. And here I am a week later telling you how to come off the Vitamin A Detox diet.

I did this because I know it is a big hangup for many people. Before starting a diet they wonder how quickly they can go back to eating “normally” or if the dietary changes have to be a permanent lifestyle. I want to ease your worries and give you some guidance.

First and foremost any new diet should be experimental. If at any point you feel like it’s doing more harm than good, scrap it. Don’t stick something out because it’s supposed to work. Do what works for you and your child.

The VAD Diet is quite different than any other healing diet out there. And it isn’t easy. So it’s natural to want it to be as short as possible.

For some kids it could be as short as three months. For others it could take six months or more. It just depends on the severity of the toxicity and how well you adhere to the diet.

Start With Symptoms

Taking note of symptoms and their severity throughout the VAD Diet is very important. What are you hoping heals or is totally eliminated? What are your goals for the detox? Assess them when you start the diet and then every couple months throughout.

When you feel like your child is sufficiently detoxed and the toxicity symptoms are gone it is time to come off the Vitamin A Detox Diet. Start experimenting with adding foods back.

This will be a very gradual process. And the end goal is not to go back to “eating the rainbow” and loading up on liver. The ultimate goal is to find balance where your child can eat a variety of foods without getting back to a saturated state. What this looks like will be different for everyone.

How to Reintroduce Foods on the Vitamin A Detox Diet

Start by making a list of foods you would like to add back to your child’s diet. Then add them one at a time, starting with the foods with the lowest Vitamin A content. Starting with green vegetables is a great way to do this. Even vegetables that you have been eating peeled are great for starting. Leave the peel on and see what happens.

I’ll give you an example of an introduction. You may want to add green beans, red peppers, peanuts and milk. Start with a small serving of green beans and see how it goes. If symptoms flare you know that your child needs more time on the VAD Diet to fully clear the liver. If no symptoms return move on to the peanuts. Give each food a week or two before adding anything else. Again, you are watching for Vitamin A Toxicity symptoms. If they come back with even small amounts of Vitamin A added your child needs more time on the VAD Diet.

There are no rules about how to reintroduce food. But try to go slowly and observe.

The Goal is Moderation

Keep adding back new foods as long as your child’s symptoms do not return. Remember that the end goal is moderation. Even after detoxing you can’t expect your child to be able to eat anything any time. He may be able to tolerate a glass of milk or a dish of ice cream here and there. But drinking milk with every meal will build up the Vitamin A stores again quickly. In fact, you may decide to stick to a dairy free lifestyle.

This will be a lifelong experiment. There may be periods of time where your child can tolerate more Vitamin A and times where she can tolerate less. You have to make adjustments over time to keep the liver from becoming saturated again.

As a child becomes a teen and an adult his storage capacity will continue to change. Teach him how to monitor his own symptoms.

Remember that the end goal is moderation. You never want to go back to a high Vitamin A diet. It will not go well. We are not meant to eat that way. And living in a world loaded with glyphosate makes it even more complicated. It’s hard to change your mentality about what is healthy (lots of brightly colored veggies). But hopefully after enough time on the VAD Diet and seeing your child’s health improve you’ll make the mental switch.

Maybe you will want to remain on a relatively low Vitamin A diet permanently. That’s ok too. See how you and your child feels once the detox phase is over. Create your own new normal.

Vitamin A Testing

There are some tests to check Vitamin A levels. Currently they are limited. Serum Vitamin A checks blood levels. If your child’s liver is saturated, then the additional Vitamin A dictates the blood levels. Unfortunately Vitamin A in the blood will not start decreasing until the liver is fully cleared. So your child may be close to clearing the liver, but blood levels will remain the same.

It is good to check serum Vitamin A at the start of the VAD Diet to get a baseline. Then if a retest shows a decrease you know that the liver is detoxed and working to now clear the excess from the blood.

If you don’t do testing you can simply watch for symptoms. It should be obvious when your child reaches the point of clearing the liver. Symptoms should quickly reverse at that point.

As you can see this is all individual and experimental. But it could change your child’s life forever. Stick with the diet until symptoms are gone. Then gradually add foods back, one at a time, watching for the return of Vitamin A Toxicity symptoms.

What is the Best Diet?

In the end you have to do what works for you and your family. My kids have seen a significant health improvement in less than six months on the VAD Diet.

But that doesn’t mean we’re jumping ship now. My kids are still dairy free (except for butter and a little sour cream here and there). We still avoid peanuts, cashews, nightshades, most red, orange, and yellow vegetables, and dark leafy greens.

My kids seem to do ok with green beans and peas. They eat a little bit of pork and egg yolk, though definitely not daily. We are even starting to experiment with sourdough bread (made with wheat) after six years of eating gluten free.

We know what symptoms to watch for now. And we can quickly adjust our diet if need be.

A strict low Vitamin A diet is not necessary for life. But you will always have to be conscious of Vitamin A levels in our toxic world.

Are you considering the Vitamin A Detox diet? Have you already started?

June 9, 2019

How to Overcome Vitamin A Toxicity: The Vitamin A Detox Diet

NOTE: I no longer support the Vitamin A as poison theory. I do not recommend it to anyone, especially children. All information in this article is purely to help you understand what it is based on. It is possible to get too much Vitamin A by overdosing supplements or liver. But that doesn’t happen often and can be quickly remedied if it does by stopping the supplements. Vitamin A from animal sources (retinol) is an essential part of a nourishing diet. Beta Carotene can cause carotenemia (as my son had) but will not overload the body with Vitamin A. Retinol is required for regulating both copper and iron. I encourage you to research and make your own decisions. You can read our update/why we turned and ran from the Vitamin A Detox Diet HERE.

Today we’re discussing what you’ve all been waiting for – how to overcome Vitamin A Toxicity.

It’s really quite simple.

I also wanted to note that I will be focusing on the Vitamin A Detox Diet in relation to children since that is my area of specialty. That being said, everything will be applicable to adults as well.

Finally, know that this is VERY NEW information. So new things are coming to light left and right. I will do my best to keep up with anything that changes and give you the most up-to-date information.

How Does Your Child Get Vitamin A Toxicity?

A person becomes toxic when the liver is saturated with a particular toxin and can’t handle any more. Too much toxin = toxic. Once your bathtub is full of water it will start spilling over the edges. You can’t truly drain the tub until the faucet is completely turned off.

In other words, you have to stop taking in Vitamin A (intox) in order for your body to get the built up Vitamin A out (detox). You need the Vitamin A Detox Diet.

To clarify I do NOT mean detox in the sense of a juice cleanse or starving yourself. I’m using the word detox purely to mean the act removing the toxin. Not the widely held beliefs about the methods of detox.

The idea of no more in, drain the stored amount out is pretty simple and straight forward. I’ll go into more details on how specifically in a moment.

First I want to address how we got here in the first place.

Why Are Children so Loaded with Vitamin A?

If you’re like me you’ve been trying hard to nourish your kids and make sure they are eating lots of fruits, veggies and whole foods. Maybe you add extra egg yolks to smoothies or some desiccated liver to your meatballs. Your kids take cod liver oil weekly, drink raw milk or organic whole milk, eat sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, peppers, beets, spinach and kale. An assortment of healthy food.

How about a multi-vitamin added in for good measure? Just to “fill in the gaps.” Some whole food Vitamin C too?

Well, maybe not. Each of those things contains Vitamin A in the form of retinol, beta carotene or other carotenoids. And they add up. Quickly.

Humans did not eat this way thousands or even hundreds of years ago. Nobody ate the rainbow 1,000 years ago (I think we’ve forgotten how healthy white fruits and veggies are!). It just was not an option. There were no supermarkets with produce from around the world shipped in daily. People ate what was available.

Or maybe you’ve raised your kids on a typical diet these days of processed foods and pasteurized milk. They are all fortified with Vitamin A. Did your child ever drink formula? Fortified. In this case the government is dictating that your child needs large doses of Vitamin A on a daily basis.

How our Food and Diet Have Changed

I’m going to get technical just for a second here to explain some things on a deeper level.

Our bodies have a variety of receptors (molecule that responds to/”receives” specific substances like neurotransmitters, antigens and hormones). These substances are called ligands. Scientists have labeled one of the receptors RXR (Retinoid X Receptor). It is a poor name since this receptor can, and should, accept more than just retinoic acid.

RXR can also accept DHA (docosahexanoic acid) and phytanic acid, two types of fatty acids (there are others it accepts as well). These are actually the intended ligands for the RXR. Think of them as keys that unlock the RXR. And when they are present, they block the RXR from accepting Vitamin A.

DHA and phytanic acid should come from our food, specifically from ruminant animals. Ruminants eat grass, break down chlorophyll into DHA and phytanic acid. Then we consume them in beef fat and dairy fat. Both DHA and phytanic acid speed up the enzyme that breaks down Vitamin A in addition to blocking it from the RXR.

But this process has been interrupted. What are animals fed these days? Grains. No chlorophyll. On top of that the grains are usually covered in glyphosate. So there is much less DHA and phytanic acid to breakdown Vitamin A. And there is glyphosate that prevents the breakdown of Vitamin A (read all about the glyphosate Vitamin A connection here). A double whammy.

The popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets has also been a factor. We need red meat and animal fats from grassfed animals to get sufficient protein (to make retinol binding protein), DHA and phytanic acid. But those are missing on these restricted diets. Then add Vitamin A supplements on top of that “to prevent deficiencies.” It’s a recipe for disaster. If you know anyone that has gone on a vegan or vegetarian diet and felt great for a bit and then all of a sudden started to feel awful…this is why. They may actually be inducing an autoimmune disease!

As you can see our food supply and recommended diet has contributed greatly to this imbalance of Vitamin A. Plus the abundance of glyphosate is preventing us from detoxing Vitamin A.

How My Children Became Toxic

I’m right there with you when it comes to having children with Vitamin A Toxicity.

When my son was two he started itching his legs like crazy until they would bleed. Eczema. I did not know it then, but eczema is actually classified as an autoimmune condition. We had him tested for allergies. Oh boy. A laundry list of foods, including dairy and nuts. Time for big diet changes.

So over the years I got creative and made everything dairy free (or tomato free when avoiding nightshades) using pumpkin or squash as a replacement. He also couldn’t have potatoes. So he always got carrots instead.

When he was five (after multiple rounds of testing and we’d had to carry an epi-pen for a year due to a severe nut allergy) he had more allergy testing. The new allergist took one look at him and noted that he had orange feet!! Carotenemia…an overload of beta carotene…Vitamin A Toxicity. I’m sure he was overloaded before that (why he had the eczema in the first place). But this took it to a whole new level.

We’ve struggled for years with him having stomach aches, up and down eating, skin issues, minor fevers, mood/behavior issues. Now we know why!

Vitamin A Toxicity in Pregnancy

When I was pregnant with my third I was being so “good” eating every nutrient dense food possible…with liver added. And a multi on top. I’m sure I was getting extremely high amounts of Vitamin A. And it’s passed to baby both in utero and in breastmilk. God designed babies to detox the Vitamin A from mom since baby’s liver is healthier. Great design. But not so nice for baby in this world we now live in.

So my daughter had a tongue tie, feeding issues and extreme vaccine reactions as an infant. She basically stopped eating. And of course I tried to get her back to health feeding her squash and liver smoothies!! She is now 4 1/2 and still struggles. She has complained of bone pain since she was old enough to verbalize how she felt. She has frequent stomach aches and a low appetite. Again, now we know why!

Thank goodness after a short time on the VAD diet and using our simple magnesium lotion her leg pain is gone, and she eats so well!

Of course I did not know anything about Vitamin A Toxicity back then. So when I became pregnant with baby #4 I ate the same way. So much nourishing food…or so I thought. Salads piled high with a rainbow of vegetables, avocado, fried eggs and desiccated liver. Washed down with a big glass of raw milk.

Now I’m dealing with the consequences again. Or should I say my son is. Feeding troubles from birth. Food reactions. Flat spot on his head. Weak bones. Horrible teething pain. Body tension and tongue restriction. All because I tried to follow current health advice.

Are We All Overloaded with Vitamin A?

But it didn’t even start there. Like most people I’ve been overloaded with Vitamin A my whole life. My parents probably were too. Maybe my grandparents were too! I was born in 1980. Processed food was what everyone ate. And all processed food, infant formula, and pasteurized milk are fortified with Vitamin A.

Then glyphosate was added to everything, making it much harder for our bodies to detox Vitamin A.

So it didn’t matter which extreme I was in – I was filling up on a toxin. And then passed that on to my children. Even my oldest. She was born before I had ever heard the term Real Food. But she still got the Vitamin A overload from me, then compounded with vaccines. And it impacted her neurologically.

All this to say, many people are overdosing on Vitamin A whether they realize it or not. Plus nobody is able to detox in our toxic world. That is a big problem. And it needs to stop.

How Do You Stop Vitamin A From Coming In?

The easiest way to start the process is by eliminating all supplements containing Vitamin A or D and foods fortified with Vitamin A or D from your child’s diet. Immediately. They can be sneaky. Alternative milks and yogurts, flours, cereals, crackers. Not sure why our government thinks we are all Vitamin A deficient and we need it added to every food.
The next step is removing Vitamin A foods from your child’s diet. Well, mostly. Unless you go to extremes like eating only beef and rice for the next six months you will be getting some Vitamin A. But the goal is to make that as minimal as possible. The less comes in, the faster it gets out. I will talk more about particular foods later.
Then you have to look at what you put on your child’s body. Soap, shampoo, lotion. Even essential oils. If it comes from brightly colored plants (even green herbs) it has carotenoids and your skin will absorb it.
Another critical aspect of your child’s food is to make sure it is organic. Glyphosate amplifies the effects of Vitamin A in the body. Try to avoid it as much as you can. This is particularly important when it comes to grains. Washing your produce well is also helpful.
Finally I highly recommend doing HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) with a skilled practicioner to find out what supplements your child truly does need short term to get in balance and to help the detox process.

Vitamin A Detox Diet

So what exactly does the Vitamin A Detox Diet look like? And how do you get started?

That’s where my new book comes in! I have created a guide for parents to walk them through the process of detoxing their children.

The diet does not eliminate any major food groups. You can still eat meat, veggies (all these white ones are awesome!), fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, beans and fats. So in that sense it is quite easy. You definitely won’t go hungry!

But it does eliminate a lot of foods you are probably used to eating. Like most red, orange, yellow and green veggies, pork, fish (due to contamination), dairy, egg yolks, olive oil, lard and unrefined coconut oil. In that sense it’s a big change from the traditional food diet we are used to. It’s hard to make that mental shift. And it can be hard in social settings.

My book has a long list of recipes and sample menus to help get you going. And it has the approved food list.

One critical aspect of the VAD Diet is protein. Your child must get adequate protein. Remember that Retinol Binding Protein we discussed in an earlier post? It is the only way to safely transport Vitamin A out of the liver. And it is a protein…so you need protein to make it. There are many sources of protein, but meat from ruminant animals is an essential one of the VAD Diet (read why here).

Getting Started on the Vitamin A Detox Diet

If you want to jump in now, a general rule is that if it’s colored it’s out and if it’s white it’s OK. This does not apply to all fruits as many get their color from substances other than beta carotene. But some do, like peaches and nectarines. Most grains are OK and most meat is OK (except pork). There are also some foods that don’t contain Vitamin A but do impact the body’s use of Vitamin A, like certain nuts and fats. So it is important to get the full diet.

The Vitamin A Detox Diet is generally a very short process for kids. I’d say a few weeks to a month or two is all that is needed.

Kid-Friendly Vitamin A Detox Diet Foods

I’ll keep sharing some new Vitamin A Detox Diet recipes.

My four-year old has been the easiest to feed on the VAD Diet. She asks for my food all the time.

Some of our favorites right now are:

roasted parsnips
rutabaga fries
crinkle cut homemade french fries (yes, you can eat white potatoes!)
peeled cucumbers or rice crackers dipped in homemade hummus
rice and beans
baked or roasted chicken dipped in honey
roasted cauliflower
roasted green cabbage
gluten-free banana bread topped with sunbutter or butter
fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, bananas, pears, apples, cherries, white peaches)
grassfed beef meatballs

May 26, 2019

Two-Ingredient DIY Magnesium Lotion

Growing pains, restless legs, trouble sleeping, muscle stiffness? Kiss your aches and pains goodbye with this super simple two-ingredient DIY magnesium lotion.

My four-year old has been struggling with leg pain for over two years now. She wakes in the night just crying and crying because her legs hurt so badly.

At first we assumed it was growing pains. But as time went on we started to wonder if there was more going on. The pain was so intense. And recently it became more and more frequent, hurting in the day instead of just at night, on a daily basis.

Of course “mom brain” starts to think of the worst scenarios. I expressed my concerns to her pediatrician. I was worried her bones were weak due to malnutrition as a baby (you can read more about her story here).

So we did an x-ray of her leg. All clear! (phew!) Her bones look normal. Maybe it is “growing pains” after all (though technically nobody really knows what growing pains are…so I still started searching for root cause).

Natural Remedy for Growing Pains

With my mama mind at ease I started looking into natural ways to combat leg pain. One of the best remedies for leg pain is topical magnesium.

Perfect! I already had a bottle of magnesium oil made. I’ve been using it myself for about six months to help boost my own magnesium levels.

There is just one problem. Magnesium oil is not fun to use. It’s kind of sticky. It makes your skin itch and sting.

I knew I’d never get my daughter to use that every day. She tried it once and ended up washing it off because she couldn’t handle the itching.

Simple DIY Magnesium Lotion

I started searching for magnesium lotion I could buy. There are some good ones out there (I love this one from The Magnesium Lotion Shop!).

In the end I decided to make my own.

My conclusion?

This is SO easy to make. It is SO much nicer to use than magnesium oil. WHY did I not do this six months ago and spare myself the torture of using magnesium oil every day?

Side note: I just made a fresh batch of magnesium oil yesterday (you need it to make magnesium lotion). So I sprayed a little on this morning to try it. Now I’m sitting here trying to write while my stomach itches like crazy. Only lotion from now on.

Benefits of Magnesium

Who could benefit from magnesium lotion?

Everyone.

For real. Just about everyone is deficient in magnesium. And that one deficiency messes up the balance of all of the other minerals. Imbalanced minerals can cause a host of health problems.

Magnesium may help with:

energy creation
protein formation
muscle movement
nervous system regulation
brain function and mood
blood sugar control
blood pressure
headaches
joint and muscle pain
PMS
digestion
neutralizing stomach acid
strong bones
over 600 reactions in the body! [source] [source]

These are just a few of the ways magnesium helps your body. Magnesium is pretty important!!

Take note that there are a few people that don’t tolerate magnesium supplementation, either orally or topically. So use caution when trying magnesium lotion. Here are some reasons magnesium might make you feel worse.

How to Make Magnesium Lotion

For such a prevalent problem, you’d think the solution would be complex. Thankfully that is not the case!

Homemade magnesium lotion is so easy to make. You’ll need two basic ingredients:

magnesium
coconut oil

You have to start by making magnesium oil. This simply requires you to mix magnesium chloride with hot water. The longest part of the process is heating a half cup of water.

Once the magnesium oil is cool you can whip it with the coconut oil. Instant lotion!

Yes, it really is that easy.

I also like to add some essential oils to make it smell nice. But that is optional. My favorite is Young Living’s Stress Away. I like the vanilla scent. Lavender would also be good for kids.

Some people use bees wax to help prevent separation. I’m a fan of simple. So I don’t bother with that. The magnesium oil and coconut oil may separate a little after the lotion sits for a month or more. Simply re-whip it to combine if that is an issue.

5 from 2 votes

Two-Ingredient DIY Magnesium Lotion

A simple DIY magnesium lotion made with only two ingredients.

Ingredients

1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup magnesium chloride
1 cup organic coconut oil
5-10 drop essential oil optional

Instructions

Place the magnesium chloride in a small glass bowl.
Pour hot water on the magnesium and stir to dissolve.
Allow to cool, and store in a glass jar or spray bottle.
In a large bowl beat together the coconut oil, 1/4 cup of the magnesium oil, and essential oils on medium high until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Store in a glass jar at room temperature for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

The magnesium oil and coconut oil may separate after a while (after a month or so). You can simply re-whip it.

Want to see how it’s done? Check out my Facebook Live where I make a fresh batch of our “Magic Lotion.”

What Kind of Magnesium Works Best?

There are three options when it comes to topical magnesium.

Buy a pre-made oil (like this one).
Magnesium chloride flakes (like these).
Pharmaceutical grade magnesium chloride (like this).

All three will work, but the preferred option is the third one. It does not contain high levels of bromine like the flakes. It costs a few dollars more, but is still very affordable. One pound of the magnesium chloride will last at least a year – probably several years! Even if the whole family is using the lotion.

How to Use Magnesium Lotion

We now know how easy it is to make magnesium lotion. Guess what? It’s even easier to use!

Simply apply as much or as little magnesium lotion as you like, wherever you like, as often as you like. You really can’t get too much. If you notice it causing loose bowels you can cut back. But generally topical magnesium does not have that effect since it is not ingested.

We prefer to apply it to our legs and/or abdomen. My oldest prefers to put it on her belly (I do too). My middle two prefer their legs. But it works no matter where you apply it.

I like to use magnesium lotion two or three times a day to make sure I’m keeping my levels steady. Your body uses it constantly throughout the day, and it gets depleted easily.

My kids always use it right before bed. It helps them settle down and sleep more soundly.

How Magnesium Lotion Helped My Four-Year Old

Back to my daughter’s growing pain dilemma.

Armed with a full jar of DIY magnesium lotion I started applying it to my four-year old’s legs every night before bed. The first two nights I didn’t notice a change.

But after the third night we had an unexpected surprise!

First, her leg pain was gone. And she has not complained of it once since.

In addition she has been dry overnight ever since!! Up to that point she was wearing a pull-up to bed every night. Sometimes it was soaked in the morning.

But she has now been dry every night and is in underwear to bed.

The magnesium lotion was so effective at getting her minerals in balance that she stopped having to urinate so frequently!

If you have a child that struggles with bed wetting, growing pains, overactive bladder, or constipation give magnesium lotion a try.

My kids have actually named it Magic Lotion. It really has felt like magic with such a drastic change overnight. And you better believe we never skip a night now!

Magnesium Lotion for Everyone

Considering the prevalence of magnesium deficiency, I think almost everyone would benefit from using magnesium lotion. It is safe for everyone, including infants and the elderly.

In fact, I just might make some for gifts this year. I wonder if it could help my dad who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I also need to convince my husband to try it. He struggles with restless legs – which is an obvious sign of magnesium deficiency.

Know anyone with osteoporosis? Magnesium lotion could help. There is such a strong relationship between magnesium and calcium.

If nothing else it can simply be used to help you relax. I think we all could use help in that department in our fast-paced, stressful world.

Do you use magnesium oil or lotion? What health benefits have you noticed? If not, are you ready to give it a try?

April 14, 2019

The Health Benefits of White Fruits and Vegetables

The current health mantra is “Eat the Rainbow.” But what about the not-so-colorful produce? Turns out there are many health benefits of white fruits and vegetables.

When you try to increase your colorful fruit and veggie intake, it’s honestly not that hard. Red peppers, squash, golden zucchini, spinach, purple cabbage, red and golden beets, peas, broccoli, carrots…you get the idea. Especially now that we have access to just about any produce we want year round, eating the rainbow is easy.

Why White Fruits and Vegetables are Good for You

Unfortunately there is one “color” that often gets overlooked…white! Yes, there are many health benefits to white fruits and vegetables. Note that white refers to the flesh. So this includes foods like cucumbers, apples, zucchini, and pears.

White fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals as well as other compounds that aid in specific processes of the body. Here are just some of the delicious white fruits and vegetables and their benefits.

Cauliflower

This is definitely one of our favorite veggies. We love it roasted or served raw with dip (like this simple hummus). Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, insoles, and isothiocyanates that have been shown to inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells, protect your heart, and strengthen bones. It contains fiber and is good for digestion. Cauliflower also helps reduce inflammation via antioxidants. The choline in cauliflower benefits your brain too. It really packs a punch!

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are often overlooked even though they are one of the healthiest foods around! They contain beta-glucans[source], which support your immune system, help prevent cancer, regulate cholesterol and help control blood sugar. Another white food high in beta-glucans is oats. Mushrooms also contain selenium, an essential mineral.

Potatoes

White potatoes have gotten a bad rap lately. Seen as just a starchy filler, many people try to replace them with sweet potatoes and other veggies. But don’t toss your white potatoes! They are a staple of the American diet (for good reason!) and are very beneficial. White potatoes contain potassium, Vitamin B6, iron, Vitamin C, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and copper. They may aid in digestion and relieving constipation. Potatoes have also been shown to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, prevent cancer, prevent kidney stones, prevent heart disease and improve brain function. Baked potato, anyone?!

Just be sure to peel your potatoes and avoid any green spots or sprouting potatoes.

Parsnips

Parsnips are pretty much my new favorite vegetable. If you’ve never had roasted parsnips, go get some and roast them NOW. My four year old would eat an entire pan of these herself. And I don’t mind if she does! Parsnips contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, including calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, folate, thiamin, pantothenic acid, Vitamins B6, C, E, and K, fiber and anti-oxidants. All of these vitamins and minerals help boost the immune system, strengthen the heart, reduce birth defects, and promote strong bones.[source]

Rutabaga

Rutabaga is another newer vegetable for our family. And another one that is quickly becoming a personal favorite! I love rutabaga fries! My girls both devour these too. Rutabaga is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. It has a mild cabbage flavor, but also a sweetness. Their firm flesh holds up well in baking, making them a great substitute for potatoes. We love using them diced in soups and spiralized for noodles!

Rutabagas contain manganese, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamins C, E, K, and B.They also contain glucosinolates, which have been shown to reduce tumor growth. Rutabagas can help relieve constipation, improve bone health, and improve vision.[source]

Zucchini

You many wonder why zucchini is on the list of white vegetables. The white refers to the flesh. We peel all of our zucchini to remove the colored portion. We grow both green and golden zucchini in our garden and enjoy it for many months roasted, raw, in stir fries, in soups, in breads, in crackers, and even in cupcakes.

Zucchini contains potassium, folate, fiber, and Vitamin C. Some claim it helps relieve both asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Zucchini also aids in digestion, improves vision, and strengthens the heart.[source]

Onion

I don’t know about you, but when I’m planning meals and trying to figure out what vegetable to serve, onion most certainly doesn’t come to mind! And to be honest it’s a vegetable I don’t often use. I think it’s mostly because I hate chopping onions! But onions are super healthy, and I hope to start adding them to our diet more often.

Onions contain Vitamin C, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, iron, folate, potassium, quercitin, and sulfur. The quercitin in onions has been linked to cancer prevention. [source] Raw onions are also anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. They are often used for treating colds, fevers, and allergies.

Garlic

Are you a fan of garlic? I don’t mind the flavor. But (confession) it’s not something I ever buy. I use lots of garlic powder in our food. But I really hate dealing with fresh garlic. I guess I need to teach my kids how to use it! This is one more white vegetable (technically an herb) to add to my list of things to start incorporating in our diet more often because the health benefits are so great.

Garlic contains phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, iodine, sulfur, chlorine, folate, thiamine, niacin, and vitamin C, A, K, and B6. [source] That’s a lot of good stuff in a tiny package! Raw garlic is known for treating colds and coughs. In addition, garlic may aid in digestion, treating acne, eliminating ear aches, and reducing the progression of some types of cancer. Can I get some garlic, please?!

Ginger

Ginger is another item on the white vegetable list that isn’t technically a vegetable. But it is still very good for you! And one more food that I don’t typically use in my kitchen. One more thing to add to the list! This spice contains gingerol, which has powerful medicinal properties. [source]

Ginger helps ease nausea, most notably morning sickness. It also can help relieve muscle pain, lower blood sugar, and help fight infections. Add some to your next stir fry or soup!

Fennel

Here I thought I was a pretty adventurous eater when it comes to vegetables. But here is yet another one that is not a staple in our diet. We have used fennel before, but not regularly. I think it’s time we try it again. Fennel bulb contains vitamin C, fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, magnesium, zinc, niacin, vitamin K, B-vitamins, and flavonols. [source]

Fennel may help with anemia, constipation, gas, indigestion, colic, and PMS. It is an overall digestive aid.

White Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is similar to rutabaga. It is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Though it has a stronger flavor than rutabaga, almost a bit spicy. We use kohlrabi on occasion, though it is not a family favorite.

Kohlrabi contains potassium, fiber, glucosinates, antioxidants, Vitamin C, iron, folate, phosphorus, and calcium. This unique vegetable may help with anemia, digestion, blood pressure, healthy skin, and even cancer prevention via apoptosis. [source] If you are curious how to cook kohlrabi, this is a great post!

Green Cabbage

I know, “green” cabbage isn’t technically white. But really it is mostly white. After you get through the first few layers of leaves it’s basically a white vegetable. We eat a lot of cabbage. It tastes amazing roasted. But it also works well for sauerkraut! Or you can use it in casseroles and soups. I love it in homemade coleslaw. Cabbage is so versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked.

There are quite a few varieties of cabbage, including Napa and Bok Choy. We generally stick to the traditional green cabbage both for flavor and function.

Cabbage contains manganese, dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins C, B6, K, and E, sulfur, and choline. These nutrients make cabbage good for detoxification, reducing inflammation, cancer prevention, proper digestion, boosting the immune system, repairing skin, strengthening bones, and improving vision. [source]

Cucumber

Here we go again with the “green” vegetables. We always peel our cucumbers and just eat the white flesh. So it is on my white vegetable list. Every summer we get an overload of cucumbers from our garden. We enjoy them fresh with dip or turned into pickles.

For such a simple vegetable, cucumbers have a lot going on. They contain vitamin K, B vitamins, copper, potassium, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin, polyphenols called lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, and secoisolariciresinol), and antioxidant flavinoids like quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, and kaempferol. Not to mention cucumbers are about 95% water. So they are great for hydration.

Cucumbers may help with brain health, reducing inflammation, cancer prevention, proper digestion and heart health. [source]

Apple

An apple a day really does keep the doctor away. And that’s good news for my family since we have an 80-tree apple orchard! Apples are one of the easiest white fruits to add to your diet since they are so readily available year round and stay fresh for so long. Just be sure to buy organic and wash them well to avoid glyphosate and other chemicals. Even organic apples are sprayed. Here are some tips on making your own produce wash.

Apples contain fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, manganese, copper, and polyphenols. They have been shown to aid weight loss, decrease risk of cancer, improve heart health, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and protect your brain. [source] Here are some more reasons to love apples.

Pear

Much like apples, pears are a delicious and nutritious fruit to add to your diet. They contain potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, phenolic compounds, folate, dietary fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, and B-complex vitamins.

Pears are great for hydration, reducing blood pressure, preventing birth defects, aiding digestion, promoting wound healing, improving circulation, and protecting against osteoporosis. [source]

White peach

You probably don’t think white when you hear the word peach. But white peaches are both delicious and healthy! Unlike its orange-flesh counterpart, the white peach is very low in Vitamin A. But it still contains loads of other nutrients like Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, Vitamin K, magnesium, and zinc.

Peaches can help relieve constipation, aid in hydration, promote healthy skin, improve heart health, and boost immunity.

Banana

Some say eggs are the most perfect food. I think you could make that claim about bananas! This mild-flavored pale yellow fruit can be enjoyed by everyone, from infants to the elderly. Bananas boast quite a nutritional profile. They contain fiber, potassium, Vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, and manganese.

Bananas are widely known for their potassium content. Although not the food highest in potassium, this nutrient makes bananas great for balancing electrolytes and supporting heart health. They also support kidney health.

Should We “Eat the Rainbow?”

It’s obvious that there are many health benefits to white fruits and vegetables. And that wasn’t even all of them! But what about the colorful ones? Should we still eat them? Should we adhere to the “Eat the Rainbow” advice?

That depends on your health and the source of the color.

If you do a little research you’ll find that the “Eat the Rainbow” slogan has not been around for very long. It is definitely not the way our ancestors ate. It is a very modern way of living to have access to every kind of fruit and vegetable you could want year round. Not to mention having access to produce that is not native to your environment. I don’t think the British were dining on avocados in the 1600’s! So if you are a fan of traditional diets, you may want to rethink eating the rainbow.

In fact, we probably don’t need as many fruits and vegetables in our diet as we are led to believe these days at all. I absolutely include them in our diet. But I don’t go overboard either. Too many fruits and vegetables can be hard to digest. I know plant-based diets are all the rage these days. But we must remember that animal products are a necessary part of nutrition as well, containing critical nutrients we can’t get from plants. We are omnivores after all. It’s all about finding balance.

Why Are Vegetables Brightly Colored?

This may all sound a little far-fetched to you. Don’t eat lots of colors? Load up on white? Let’s look at history and some hidden details of colorful produce.

Let’s start with the humble carrot – a staple in many diets today. But if you do a little research you’ll find that carrots were not originally orange. They were white! The orange color and the carrot’s current shape and flavor were due to domestication from humans. We made them orange! Actually it seems the Dutch made them yellow and orange after years of selective breeding. Should we have done that? [source] [source]

Winter squash is another common orange vegetable that has gained popularity over time. Interestingly, what we now eat is also a domesticated plant. “Wild forms of squashes are harshly bitter to humans and other extant mammals…Wild squashes carry cucurbitacins, which can be toxic when eaten by smaller bodied mammals, including humans.”[source] “Early on, squash was only grown for seed because early squash had little flesh and a bitter taste.” [source] Again, we have taken a plant not meant for human consumption and turned it into something edible. But was it a good idea?

Take note that pretty much every healing diet eliminates the nightshade family. This includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. Notice that the first three on the list are very brightly colored vegetables. They are a relatively new addition to the Western diet. Tomatoes were originally ornamental vegetables because people believed they were poisonous! Nightshades are known to cause inflammation.

Finally, we need to consider color as a warning, called aposematism. This is very common with insects and animals. “If the poisonous thing is aposematic, [the animal] won’t make the same mistake again. Monarchs happen to display their toxicity with bright colors, as do most toxic animals and any animal that tries to look toxic. If you see something really colorful and striking in nature, it’s probably chemically defended. Otherwise, its coloration would make it instant prey.” [source] So it is very likely that the same goes for plants. You can read more about aposematism and fluorescence of plants HERE.

Make White Fruits and Vegetables Count

All this to say we may need to rethink our fruit and veggie mantra these days. More (in terms of quantity) isn’t always better (my tummy could tell you that!). More (in terms of color) isn’t always in your best interest either.

Make sure you know where your fruits and vegetables get their color and whether or not it is truly what your body needs.

Our meals these days contain a lot of white fruits and vegetables. They are just as healthy as their colored counterparts. Not to mention they are good for your digestive system, heart, brain, kidneys, skin, eyes, hair, and more!

Have you considered the health benefits of white fruits and vegetables? Or have you been led to believe the more color the better?

Interested in reading more about the potential harm of loading up on brightly colored veggies? Here are some resources:

Is Gluten Really the Problem? How Glyphosate Impacts Vitamin A Toxicity

White Fruits and Vegetables Intake Associated with Lower Disease Risks

“Eat the Rainbow” is a Farce and a Fraud

Problems with Nightshades

Nightshades are Toxic

March 24, 2019

Simple Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce Recipe

Living dairy free isn’t always easy. But it can certainly be delicious! This simple dairy free cheese sauce is perfect on nachos, pizza or mac ‘n’ cheese!

Although we’ve been on a trial and error food journey for many years I think we have come to a first. For the first time all four kids and myself are dairy-free at the same time.

In some ways it’s a pain. I mean, how easy is it to grab some yogurt for breakfast or a slice of cheese for a snack?

But at the same time it’s been nice to have us all eating the same food! No making multiple versions of everything.

Dairy-Free Alternatives

With five out of six family members dairy-free I knew I’d have to get creative in the kitchen again. Eliminating all dairy impacts a lot of your meal options. And I’m not a fan of most store-bought dairy alternatives. They are loaded with synthetic vitamins (especially A and D!). Not to mention they often contain unhealthy oils, gums and stabilizers. No thanks.

Being someone that never shies away from a kitchen challenge I set to work recreating the basics. I started with rice milk since my oldest son has been drinking it for years. But until this point I had been buying it.

That led to experimenting with rice milk yogurt. And before I knew it I was making dairy-free cheese sauce!

Dairy-Free Substitute for Cheese

This recipe was sort of accidental. But that seems to be how the best ones are created! We were having a baked potato bar for dinner. I wanted to have broccoli and cheese sauce with it.

The sauce turned out so well that we tried it again with nachos. And again on pizza. And again in mac ‘n’ cheese. And again in omelettes.

In other words, my kids have gone crazy for it! I love it too. I think we’ve made it multiple times a week ever since I created the recipe!

The best part is that it’s so easy to make. My ten-year-old made it by herself the other day when the kids made me nachos for my birthday. You can see how hard they worked HERE.

My kid have been learning to cook for a few years now through the Kids Cook Real Food online cooking class. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made, both of my time and my money. Check it out here.

Easy Protein on a Dairy-Free Diet

This dairy-free cheese sauce only has a few simple ingredients. Which always makes me happy. They include:

Organic rice flour
Water
Avocado oil or MCT oil
Salt
Organic cane sugar
Turmeric
Grassfed collagen

One of the star ingredients is grassfed collagen.

Collagen adds a bit of healthy protein to the cheese sauce. Not to mention collagen may improve your skin, hair and bone health (learn more here).

I always buy my collagen from Perfect Supplements. It is non-GMO and glyphosate free! Not to mention Perfect Supplements has the best deals.

Use the code TAKE10 to get 10% off your entire Perfect Supplements order.

Here’s a little secret. I always stock up when I buy collagen because I use it in SO MANY things every day.

If you buy three Perfect Supplements products you can get 25% off PLUS the extra 10%. That’s 35% off. And if you really want to stock up, you can get 30% off when you buy six…PLUS the 10% off. That’s 40% off!!

Simple Dairy Substitutes

I’ve had readers asking me for weeks about the dairy-free cheese sauce recipe. And I’ve got it for you today! But I went a step farther and actually have TEN dairy-free recipes for you! An entire dairy substitute recipe book. For free.

The book includes recipes for a variety of dairy-free milks, yogurt, cheese (both sauce and sliced), ice cream and pudding. All of the recipes are kid approved.

The recipes are easy to make, gluten, egg and dairy-free, and don’t contain strange ingredients. Quite a few of the recipes include either collagen or gelatin, so make sure you grab yours HERE (use the code TAKE10).

Are you ready for some dairy-free goodness? Download your copy of 10 Simple Dairy Substitutes below.

Have you been missing some of your favorite foods on a dairy-free diet? You don’t have to suffer any longer! Grab my 10 Simple Dairy Substitutes ebook today and get cooking! Then come back and let me know how you like the cheese sauce!!

What form of dairy do you miss the most on a dairy-free diet?

March 4, 2019

Why You Shouldn’t Fear Sickness

Although the media and drug companies make it seem like every little virus or illness will kill you, that’s not true. As a matter of fact you shouldn’t fear sickness at all.

Growing up I don’t ever remember being scared of sickness. Sure, it felt rotten to throw up. No, it wasn’t fun to have the chicken pox on Easter. Yearly ear infections were definitely an annoyance for me.

But sickness was never something that caused fear. Everyone gets sick. You get through it and move on.

Sick Babies

Fast-forward to when I became a mom almost eleven years ago. I still didn’t have a fear of sickness. But when my oldest was about nine months old she got her first real illness. A bug that was going around.

She was so stuffy that she couldn’t nurse. She didn’t take bottles. I was scared.

Then after a few days she was lethargic and not very responsive. I panicked. We took her to the ER. They tried to do an IV, but couldn’t get it in. They did a chest x-ray.

Diagnosis…gas. She had a painful belly full of gas from mouth breathing and not eating much. It was scary in the moment. But once we knew the reason our fears subsided. And of course she got over it.

Ever since then I’ve had some anxiety related to sickness. Especially when I have a baby in the house. Any time an older child gets sick I immediately panic, worrying the baby will catch it.

For the past eleven years I have been scared of sickness.

Why You Shouldn’t Fear Sickness

Until this year.

This year the fear of sickness has disappeared.

We have had some viruses through the winter. And each time it hasn’t bothered me one bit, even though we do have a little one. And yes, he has caught some of the bugs too.

What’s the difference? My knowledge of the truth.

Last year the kids and I studied anatomy and physiology. Even an elementary-level science book can tell you how the body fights illness.

And as a Christian I believe God designed our bodies so perfectly that they can heal themselves and recover from illness. We are the problems. Not God’s creation.

We have covered our food in toxins like glyphosate.
We have raised our kids on a diet of processed, fake “food.”
We have polluted our waters and our homes with chemicals.
We have thought we know best by using more and more drugs to override our body’s natural defense mechanisms.
We have tried to sanitize our world and eliminate exposure to germs.
We have created genetically engineered “food” to try to make something superior to what God gave us.

We (humans) have messed up big time. And we don’t even know how things are supposed to work anymore.

How the Body Heals and Benefits From Sickness

When you are sick, you get a fever. That is a defense mechanism. The body generates heat to kill the virus, bacteria, foreign invader. But we are told to immediately medicate and stop a fever…because fevers are “scary.”

Sickness is like exercise for the immune system. It’s GOOD FOR YOU to get sick once in a while. But we are told to try to avoid sickness at all costs…because sickness is “scary.” In reality you should try to care for your body daily so that when you do get sick it is just a mild workout.

Have you ever taken note of how you feel after you have been sick? I just got over a weekend of mastitis. If you’ve ever dealt with it, you know it’s no walk in the park. But now that it is over I feel amazing! You never know if there are idle viruses or bacteria in your body causing a bit of irritation. Getting sick and having a fever can wipe them all out. You get a fresh start. God’s perfect design in action…if we don’t stop it.

If we try to avoid sickness as much as possible we’ll end up sicker than ever. Our immune systems won’t be maintained, and we won’t be able to fight when the inevitable sickness finally does hit.

Bottom line – It is HEALTHY to GET SICK.

Let that sink in. It is good for you to get sick. Not scary. Healthy.

What You Should “Fear”

What is not good for you?

Chemicals
Toxins
Heavy metals
Pesticides
Lack of fresh air and sunshine
Lack of movement/a sedentary life
Too much stress
EMF exposure
Lack of quality sleep
Feedlot animals
Genetically modified food

I’m sure the list could go on. But you get the idea. We have tried to manipulate God’s beautiful creation and this is where it has gotten us. Our children are sicker and more diseased than ever before. So why do people think we need MORE drugs and MORE manipulation?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. It’s not going to happen. If we want our children to get healthier we need to change our strategy.

We Need Truth

My kids and I were just studying the Renaissance in history. It was a beautiful description of an awakening…an awakening where people started thinking for themselves instead of blindly following the crowd.

Long-standing beliefs about the world and how it worked were challenged (think Galileo and Copernicus). The scientific method was created…to keep learning and adjusting our views. Not to claim that anything is settled. If science could be settled then we would have no more need for research and learning. We’d still be using leaches for medical treatment and prescribing cigarettes. But it doesn’t work that way. Science is NEVER settled. We always have more to learn. And sometimes it is the exact opposite of what we’ve been doing.

I truly believe we need another Renaissance.

Be Fearless

The idea for this post came to me while feeding and rocking my little guy in nursery at church yesterday. My mind was whirling with all of the insanity about taking away our freedoms – our freedom of speech, our freedom to parent how we choose, our freedom of religion, our freedom to choose medical treatment.

And as I was thinking about it and praying about it God laid it on my heart to write this. And I did as soon as I was home and my son was napping! I learned in a Bible study years ago that when the Holy Spirit nudges, you should act immediately. If not you’ll find excuses and get too busy to act on it. So I’m acting.

Over the last few years He has told me over and over to BE FEARLESS. And it dawned on me that fear is exactly what the devil is using to destroy our nation right now. Satan is sneaky. He will make you think you are doing the right thing while feeding you lies.

The past few weeks every time I get in the car I hear songs about fear and its (his) lies. Every time I open my email I see my daily devotional and it is about fear and worry.

Every time I get on social media or watch tv I see the drug companies using fear to manipulate people into making poor choices.

The devil is smart. Make no mistake. He knows exactly how strong fear is.

Fear is the opposite of trust.
Fear is the opposite of worship.
Fear is the opposite of peace.
Fear is the opposite of truth.
Fear is Satan’s tool to destroy God’s creation and create discourse between his people.

Don’t fall for it!

Look for Truth

When you hear that there are measles outbreaks and that measles is a deadly disease, don’t fear. Neither is true. Stop the panic and look for the truth. There are a few cases this year…just like every other year. HERE is data directly from the CDC with number of cases per year (please take a look). Facts. Does it look like there is a new measles epidemic to you? I personally don’t see the need for so much hysteria with fewer cases than last year.

And we use the term “outbreak” because it is a strong word. But an “outbreak” can mean as few as THREE cases. That’s like saying if three out of four of my kids has a cold there is an outbreak in my house. So when you hear that there is a “measles outbreak,” don’t start to panic. Look for the truth. According to a CDC data sheet from 2016, the “outbreaks” that year “ranged in size from 6 to 32 cases.” In a country with billions of people do you think 32 people with an illness is worth widespread panic?

Measles is not a deadly disease to be feared. In most people it is a very mild sickness. The percentage of deaths from measles is so low that is almost ZERO. In a country with millions of people, when ONE person dies of an illness in a year, should that incite panic for the entire population? You have a better chance of being killed by getting in your car and driving today. But you don’t panic about that, do you? It’s irrational fear. NOT truth. Based on the CDC and VAERS here are some statistics you should see (if you want actual facts and not just fear-based hype).

When I was growing up everyone got chicken pox. Nobody was scared of it. So why are you scared now? The illness has not changed. Just our perception of it.

Does everyone panic when kids get strep throat, pink eye or hand, foot, mouth disease? Do we say there are outbreaks? No. Yet there are far more cases of those illnesses than measles every year. Illogical fear. Not truth.

Let’s put an end to this madness! You shouldn’t fear sickness. That is a lie that Satan is spreading.

Satan is the Liar

But you know what? He’s scared too. He knows that God is so much bigger and more powerful than he is. The devil knows his schemes can’t change God’s plans.

Satan is so scared right now. He’s throwing everything he’s got at us. He’s trying to create a culture of panic and fear.

Let’s all tell him loud and clear, “NOT TODAY, SATAN!” Take your fear and get out of here.

I struggled with anxiety for many, many years. I worked with a psychologist for over ten years to work through it. The treatment is called cognitive behavioral therapy. It is basically combating fears with truth. Fear is another word for lie.

My doctor had me make two columns on a piece of paper. On one side I wrote my fears…the lies that were in my head. On the other side I wrote what was actually true. Then I read them over and over until the I started believing the truth instead of the lies. I used logical thinking to see what was reality and what was just irrational fear.

When we know the truth, the lies are powerless. The truth truly will set you free. Free from fears. Free from worry.

So when fear is the driving force behind decisions and actions take a step back. Search for truth (and quickly, before it is all censored). When you know the truth, the lies can’t control you.

Let’s put an end to Satan’s lies and the fears they generate.

I truly believe the devil didn’t even want me to write this post. Saturday my site totally broke. That has never happened before. Thankfully I know amazing people that can help (check out The Blog Fixer!). This morning I’ve been dealing with a fussy baby earlier than he usually wakes up. I’m supposed to be working right now. I have so many new projects and usually get started first thing Monday morning. But I’m spending my time here. I am not deterred.

God is good. God is all powerful. God’s creation is amazing. We don’t need more and more drugs to be healthy. We need better care for our environment and our bodies, our holy temples. We need to live the way God intended.

When we stop fearing sickness, we can get back to thinking clearly about how to support our bodies with real food, proper rest, an active life and time outside in God’s creation. We can support and love each other instead of spreading hatred.

Fear is a liar. Don’t fear sickness. The truth is that God created our bodies to handle sickness. It is a beautiful and amazing thing to witness. Feed on God’s truth and God’s Word. Not the fears of our sinful world.

Does fear play a part in how you view sickness? Could seeking more information and finding truth relieve those fears?

February 17, 2019

Teething, Tongue Ties, Flat Spots and Growing Pains: How Mineral Imbalance Impacts Bones and Tissues

What do teething, tongue ties, flat spots and growing pains all have in common? They are all related to proper bone and tissue development…and mineral imbalance.

My kids are horrible teethers. Horrible. My oldest went on a nursing strike at nine months old because of teething. We managed to work through it. But then at eleven months old, while working on molars, she daytime weaned.

I tried and tried and tried. But nursing was just too painful.

Fast forward ten years to my youngest. He has basically been teething since birth. The non-stop drool and fist eating started around six weeks. I could see two teeth under the gums already at two months. At nine months old he already has eight teeth. And they hurt! Even in the middle of writing this post I had to stop because he woke up screaming in pain from teething.

Coincidentally my mom says I stopped breastfeeding at nine months old too. I just refused. My guess is that it was teething pain.

Thankfully I’m a bit wiser now and know some natural remedies like homeopathy (this is what we use) and essential oils. So we can get through without too much trouble. Plus I’m too stubborn to quit breastfeeding because of teeth. I wish I had known this stuff ten years ago!

But having teething remedies doesn’t change the fact that my kids have had a lot of pain from teething. And I know I’m not alone.

Why is Teething Painful?

Let’s just get the obvious out of the way here. It hurts when your teeth are poking through your gums. That’s a given. So teething is going to be at least somewhat bothersome for all kids.

But there is more to it. Mineral imbalance may get in the way of proper tooth development.This includes the teeth as well as the rest of the mouth.

Anybody else have kids with a narrow mouth and high palate? Does it make sense that if your mouth is misshapen and your teeth are not developing properly that it would be harder for them to come in easily? Which would then make the process more painful? I’d say so!

This is also likely the cause of mouth breathing. I wrote about how I helped my oldest overcome mouth breathing. She has had a high palate since birth, and it impacted her eating and breathing. The constant open mouth then made the narrow palate even worse.

What is a Tongue Tie?

Tongue ties, lip ties and cleft palates are all referred to as mid-line defects. Basically something went wrong in the womb with structural development form the center of the body (brain, mouth, spine, etc.).

I’m specifically addressing tongue and lip ties. All four of my kids have had them. But I didn’t know anything about them until my third was struggling with feeding. So my third and fourth have had theirs revised. My oldest also had her lip tie revised at age seven.

A tongue tie is when the mucous membrane attaching the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is too large or connected in the wrong place. In some children it is very obvious as their tongue is completely restricted. At the other end of the spectrum is a posterior tongue tie where the membrane is only visible when the tongue is lifted and the tissue pulled back. It is harder to diagnose. All of my kids have had posterior tongue ties.

We now see more and more babies being diagnosed with tongue and lip ties. Some say it is genetic or related to the MTHFR genetic mutation.

As I was researching tongue ties I also came across a post about one mom’s story where her tongue tied son was a thumb sucker. It was a light bulb moment for me. Both of my daughters have been thumb suckers. They both have had the hardest time with nursing. I was also a thumb sucker! Until age five. My oldest went on a nursing strike at nine months. My third had her tongue tie revised a second time at nine months. And I self-weaned at nine months. I see a pattern here. Not a coincidence.

Last year when we started seeing our new chiropractor he immediately commented on my four year old’s thumb sucking. He told me kids don’t just do that. There is a reason behind it. At the time I wasn’t sure why. But now I get it. Nursing was HARD for them due to their ties. So their thumbs became comforting instead of me. So if you have a thumb/finger sucker you may also have a tongue-tied child.

What Causes a Flat Head?

Let’s stick with the head for a bit longer here. There is another infant development issue that has risen in recent years – flat head, or plagiocephaly. This is another case where there is improper development on one side of the body.

But in addition to an imbalance in the neck and spine we get into the bone formation of babies.

Overdoing on vitamin D can cause high tissue calcium, which robs the bones of calcium. Use caution when considering Vitmain D supplements. Vitamin D is actually a hormone.

Does “Back is Best” Cause Flat Head?

I believe it is a myth that the recent increase in flat head syndrome is caused by babies sleeping on their backs. I have four kids. Two had flat heads – my oldest and youngest.

My oldest was often in a car seat, swing, etc. I didn’t know that it wasn’t good for her. After we noticed the flat spot we tried to take measures to fix it by positioning her certain ways when she slept, nursing in different positions, etc. It did improve some over time. But not fully.

My youngest was the total opposite. From birth he was so rarely laying with his head against anything (I’ve been overly paranoid since my experience with my oldest). We don’t have a removable car seat, so he was only in his seat for a few minutes here and there (we don’t go away often). He was never in a swing or other contraption. I held him or wore him in a carrier, even while napping. And yet he had a flat spot (and has painful teething, and a tongue tie,…).

Contrary to my oldest, however, his flat spot is now almost completely gone. I don’t think anybody besides myself would even notice the slight imbalance that is left. By releasing his tongue tie and working with a craniosacral therapist to release his body, his bones were able to shift.

What Are Growing Pains?

Let’s take a trip all the way down the body to the legs. Has your child ever woken in the night with leg pain? We just chock it up to “growing pains.”

But if you ask a doctor what growing pains are…they don’t actually know! A basic Web MD search shows that doctors think they “might” be just muscle soreness. And they “might” not be related to growth.

Growing pains are more likely due to a mineral imbalance. Read about how we use magnesium for growing pains!

I have experienced this first hand with my third child. Since she was very little she would wake in the night crying in pain. All she could say was that her legs hurt. She still does it now after being active. Her bones are so weak that it doesn’t take much for them to hurt. Even just gently grabbing on to her arm to pull her away from a sibling argument causes her to cry in pain.

If your child complains of leg pains, you may want to consider his diet. Need help in this department? I can help with nutritional therapy!