I guess we, her parental units, have to eat healthy first (namely her mommy, since her daddy already eats healthy unless influenced negatively by her mommy). So I started researching this and that…by the way, it’s SOOO confusing! There is just too much information out there and pretty much everything causes cancer from milk, plastic, pesticidy fruits and vegetables, hormone injected meat, toys from China…the list is really endless. So what is a parent to do?
I found a book I would like to recommend you read, if you are a parent. But read it with a grain of salt. It’s called Lunch Lessons and it comes complete with healthy recipes. I walked away with a couple of “Change items” for our family:1.Eat organic dairy. Seriously, they link 40% of all cancer to the hormones they inject into cows to increase milk production (don’t take my statistics at face value, I’m the daughter of a preacher, you’d better google them yourself). And it’s then complicated by the antibiotics they increase in the cows because hormones cause increased disease. Scary stuff. The author says, if you do nothing else, go organic for your dairy products. Down side to cancer free milk products? $7 a gallon for milk. Bummer.
2.Eat organic chicken. Do you know the average chicken raised in the U.S. goes from hatched to fully mature in 6 weeks? Natural? Nope, hormones strike again. With the amount of chicken we eat, no wonder we see so many girls fully developed at 10 years old or overweight boys with man-boobs (can I say that here?? I don’t think so. Sorry)
3.And run from trans-fats like the plague. Scary scary posion lurking in our food. Which is basically many pre-prepared baked goods (which I love!)
Other items that I will take as perimeter changes because it was all so overwhelming that I had to pair it down to a few small changes: Fast food is really gross, so don’t eat it, soda is bad for you, so don’t drink it, remove all artificial sweeteners from your child’s diet (I drink a strong one diet soda a day, but Isabelle always wants a drink, so that alone has reduced my addiction AND I come from a family of diabetics, so for me, the risk of whatever Splenda could possibly be doing to me, verses “the sugar”…I’ll take the first.), recycle, and garden with your children(organically, of course with your own homemade compost pile).
Okay, now you don’t need to read the book, you’ve read my book report. In conclusion, HELP! Do you have any books that I need to read on the subject of nutrition/organic eating and children??Look for Summer 2008 Post: The Michael’s Backyard Compost Heap. Geeze, the next thing you know I’ll be hugging trees and doing childbirth "naturally."
9 comments:
Well, I have been concerned with the hormone, antibiotic food since Carlie was a born. Be prepared for the shopping bill to increase significantly. We only by non-hormone milk and meat in our house, unless we absolutely can't (ie: going out to dinner).
However, if you have a COSTCO by you - it is worth the $$ to get a membership for $50/year and go there simply for the milk. They have non-hormone milk for under $3/gallon!
The only place to by non-hormone meat in this state is Whole Foods so that is where I buy my meat and seafood! It is expensive, but tasty! You will definitely see and taste the difference.
I don't have any reading materials to suggest other than label reading! Boring, I know.
One more thing -- Chipotle has all non-hormone food so we go there rather than McDonalds!
I recently saw non-hormone milk at Giant Eagle and it wasn't much more expensive than a hormone filled gallon of milk. You might want to check it out.
P.S. I forgot to add that I wholeheartedly agree with your books suggestion to RECYCLE!!! : )
If your city doesn't have curbside recycling, you can find your local recycling drop off center at www.swaco.org
"natural childbirth"? Don't go crazy there Danielle!! I've done it both ways, and the gift at the end is the same of you feel it - or not!
LOL~ I was just getting ready to say the same thing Emily!! You can hug all the trees you want and recycling is great, but I draw the line at natural child birth!!
I thought you were serious until the natural childbirth comment!! No really, great stuff. You would think since I live in the country I would accessing all this natural Amish grown stuff, but alas, the store is too convenient. I do get most of my vegetables and eggs fresh in season. Walmart has organic milk for $6 a gallon!
Hey Danielle,
I recently read Barbara Kingsolver's new book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She talks about nutrition, and sustainable eating ie eating locally grown/produced foods and eating with the seasons. I found it really enlightening and entertaining too (didn't feel like reading a nutrition text book). She's also interviewed on Speaking of Faith if you want to check it out before you decide whether or not you would like to read the book. http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/ethicsofeating/index.shtml
I totally agree. I do all of this except I can't find organic meats anywhere here in Mississippi. I think I'll have to start driving to Louisiana to a Whole Foods about an hour away and just stock up on the meats.
also, have you heard of the natural sweeter called Stevia? You can buy it in packets to put in tea, etc. and it's great. No chemicals that can be found in the other sweeteners like nutra sweet, etc.
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