"STORE WARS"

Our oldest daughter Sophie, age 5, found such entertainment in this video clip,that she watched it 6 times straight! After much deliberation on the healthiness of obsessions, we finally pulled the plug on her... and she begged for more! We do not quite know if it was the actual talking produce that peaked the interest, or the creativity in the character costumes (Take a note of Yoda, specifically saved for the finale), or maybe simply the fact she has found something she can identify with! After all, she is unable to eat processed foods and sugar on a regular basis because of how her body reacts to it. These foods cause her upset stomach aches, headaches, loose stools, congestion, skin rashes, crying and sleeplessness through the night and an all over-icky feeling that she is unable to put into words to tell me about it. We had to take notice on what reactions she had after a day with sugar and change her diet in order to see how these things effected her!

There are no cartoons or TV shows out there that encourage her types of eating habits (if you know of any, please forward them in care of Sophie...much appreciated). Organic produce, natural sweeteners, whole grains, raw dairy products, grass fed-meats, etc, don't really have a place on any cartoon network. She knows of all these terms from home, but does not hear it very often in the world God has created for her to live in. She sees mostly chemically-colored, sugar and corn syrup added, highly processed, artificially flavored foods that call out to her, just by their brilliant advertising tactics. Rainbow colored Jello, sweet-smelling cookies, brightly decorated cakes, cartoon character cereal..these are things that she cannot have, and sometimes is sad about. But, what all these advertising agencies learned, is something you can learn as well--I got my first taste of how the advertising process works at Citibank daycare. Whenever it was pizza day, the kids naturally had excitement from within their own little blessed hearts. But, when it was hot dish day, their teachers had to do the psyching for them.

We would talk about it all morning with excitement "BLah-Blah, did you know that the kitchen is putting something delicious in our hot dish this morning? They ordered it special from the store...peas and carrots with extra sauce!" or else a little, "Blah-Blah, I heard that the meal is coming on super-special plates this morning (note to readers: they would be the same as any other day) and that the silverware has super-powers and helps you to eat super-fast!"....the kids caught wind of the buzzing we did before lunch arrived, and sure enough, our room would be the only one ordering 2nds and 3rd from the kitchen that day. It's all a matter of what kids see important from what they learn! The same goes for our family's "treats" of fruit, protein shakes (fills them up and tastes delicious...all the protein they need to stay full, and to develop those bodily tissues without the extra sugar), all natural organic snacks. So, when we go to someone else's house and they have only sugar treats, we've already done the ground work hours before hand, psyching them up for their fruit or whole grain crackers with almond butter.

Other people give her awkward, sympathetic smiles when she declines their suckers or candy at grocery stores and banks. They ALWAYS ask why, of course, because every child is supposed to want sugar in their mouth to keep them happy. The clerk/teller usually assumes the parent is overprotective, and are amazed that there are people out there that cannot tolerate a substance that is only one molecule off from being cocaine! When people hear that she has "health problems" and that she is "different" than everyone else, then they relax and offer her a sticker, with confidence that she is not the "norm". People tend to panic when they think there is a possibility that someone's health situation might be a slight reflection of theirs as well .... I was one of them! The first time I heard the words "cut out sugar and processed foods" at a natural health appointment, my mind immediately went to red alert and defense mode.

Yes, it IS easier to give kids what they want, and to give them what they see others eating and enjoying. But, if you want to make a change in eating habits and health--help them to change over gradually. Limit the amount of sugar to one item a day...they'll enjoy many more years of health that they can pass on to next generations. Keep in mind, I grew up with jars of snacks and candies on my kitchen counter tops, and now we have absolutely no sugar or corn syrup (anything non-organic can have it in it and not have to be labeled as such if they keep it under 3%) in our house. Our family only enjoys the food GOD created in the beginning, when people hadn't yet tampered with it....and WE DO ENJOY IT!

I said I would open my cupboards to you this month, and here is what I have in it for children. These items will PROMOTE HEALTH in your child and do not include hydrogenated fats/oils, preservatives, corn syrup, chemical coloring, or any other additive that has been secretly added to them. As you cut sugar out, you will begin to see less fussiness during days and nights in your child because of blood sugar levels not skyrocketing and crashing like straight sugar and corn syrup cause! I put most items inas links, so you could view the specific products, but all of these should be found at Hy-Vee Health Markets or any other nutrition market like Trader Joe's for a lot less money! Buying these items in bulk are the BEST way to save on money....more info on that further down!

• ALMOND BUTTER (almonds are more nutritious than peanuts, with no hydrogenated oils) with fruits, crackers and sandwiches or with carrots
• BOB'S RED MILL Buckwheat Pancake Mix...full of magnesium which can also help to gently loosen stools if they are ever hard. First try Organic 7 Grain Pancake Mix, and gradually change over to buckwheat for better health. We use ALMOND BUTTER with them, or REAL Organic Maple Syrup mixed with Organic Blackstrap Molasses (full of iron and other essential nutrients), but first start by changing over to REAL Organic Maple Syrup and work up to adding Molasses.
• TLC WHOLE GRAIN CRACKERS, TLC COUNTRY CHEDDAR CRACKERS, NUT THINS and RICE THINS, ANNIE'S Cheddar Bunnies, ANNIE'S Bunny Grahams
• Ezekiel 4:9 bread and cereal (The Bible verse tells we are commanded to make bread from theses ingredients for good health)
• WHOLE OATS for oatmeal
• TLC Cereal Bars
• Fruitabu (fruit leather...organic, so all sugars are found naturally from fruit)
• BARE NAKED GRANOLAS (no preservatives, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils)
• A healthier ice cream with cream instead of corn syrup is EDY'S Vanilla ICE CREAM or BREYER's
• Semolina Durahm or whole wheat pasta, "ANNIE'S Macaroni & Cheese" -no artificial cheese added
• If your child seems to be hungry a lot and wants to snack often...we found a fabulous PROTEIN SHAKE MIX, high in protein, low in calories and carbs--we actually use this in replace of ice cream shakes now...our kids beg for it and it has tremendous health benifits! If you're not serving organic meat at least 2 times a day, supplement with this, so your growing child gets the protein needed to properly develop bodily tissues and organs and maintain good muscle tone. (It's $35 for a 2 lb. canister, which should last for at least a month or two--you pay a little more than at stores to have it made without fructose or sugar added like most commercial mixes. Right now, buy one get 1/2 off second canister--please mention "Hayley DeWitt" as a referral so thay can keep track of their new customers)
• WHOLE MILK, PLAIN ORGANIC YOUGURT(low fat is actually hard on your body....God created milk with fat in it for the reason that your body actually needs the milk fat to break down and utilize the protein and calcium in it properly. Also, putting fruit in it while it sits on store shelves destroys the beneficial bacteria in it...add your own when you serve it.) If your child does not like it...try adding small amounts of REAL Organic Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar to it to sweeten it, and gradually add less and less so that they learn to like it without a sweetner
• Use COLD-PRESSED OLIVE OILand ORGANIC BUTTER for baking and sauteeing--Margerine in the "natural" world has been know to aid in brain anurisms, and heat treated oils are unnatural and will cause disruptions to digestive systems and bodily tissues over time.
• NATURAL SWEETENERS you can use in replace of baking with sugar... Agave Nectar (low glycemic index.....does not effect blood sugar levels), REAL Organic Maple Syrup , RAW HONEY, Organic Blackstrap Molasses . These items you will want to order in bulk to save money, Country Life is the natural CO-OP for SouthEast South Dakota...I order a lot of my natural food in bulk to save money. Contact me @ jesse_hayley@live.com for ordering information, the catalog link is on the side for viewing)
• Naturally Sea-Salted chips are actually better for your child than items with sugar because of the molecular make-up of sugar and how highly processed it is. (Believe it or not!) Our family occasionally enjoys Lays Natural Potato chips with Hummus Dip, Tostitos Natural Corn chips with Salsa or Hummus Dip and Cheetos Naturals (no imitation cheese additives)
• Dark Chocolate is benificial occasionally for congestion and is better than milk chocolate with all the sugar. Our girls love a piece of it to suck on occasionally.

Look back next week for more! In Christ, Whol-E-Herbster

******The information in this BLOG is strictly for educational purposes. It should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prescribe for a condition you feel you may have. If you have any health concerns, you should see a competent medical practitioner. ******