Last Friday, all the kids were off school, so we packed up the car and went over to our local YMCA Youth Center to spend the afternoon. Â That particular afternoon, the Youth Center was hosting an Easter egg hunt with food and treats for the kids (I didn’t know this before we arrived, else I would have brought my own snacks!!). Â Â After swimming for awhile, the kids got hungry, so we decided to take a quick look at the food that was offered. Â Â I immediately decided to wait until I got home to eat! Â Â The salad looked ok, but the dressings were the typical highly processed soy oil/chemical concoctions from the grocery store – definitely a headache waiting to happen. Â The kids’ food consisted of a giant bowl of Planter’s cheese balls and PB&J Uncrustables in sealed bags. Â How a facility that works to promote healthy and fit kids could serve fare like this is beyond me! Â I noticed that many of the children at the event simply filled a plate with cheese balls for their dinner. Â Â How very sad. Â Â As long as this type of dinner is placed before our children in a community setting, the childhood obesity epidemic with its host of chronic diseases will continue to grow. Â Of that much, I am sure!
Unfortunately, the kids were rather hungry, so it took one whole sandwich and part of another before, one by one, they each said that they didn’t really like the taste or smell of the sandwiches at all! Â We took the remainder of one of the uneaten sandwiches home with us to experiment with it firsthand. Â Â Â We placed the sandwich on a plate on our picnic table outside, waiting to see if ants, flies, or any animals would be interested.
That poor lonely sandwich sat out on that picnic table for hours and hours with no takers. Â Â Could it be that ants and other insects know more about REAL food than we do? Â Â Ants, squirrels, and even ducks (which seem to eat most anything) don’t want PB&J Uncrustables! Â Finally, during the night, a desperate raccoon had pity and ate the sandwich. Â Â I had hoped that nothing would have touched it for days, but the kids reminded me that raccoons regularly eat garbage, so eating that sandwich made sense for them. Â Â Hmmm. Â The kids equated the Uncrustable with garbage! Â Â Maybe all was not lost with our little experiment after all!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
We do eat legumes .. I have a pot of navy beans soaking as I type this!
When the insects won't eat the processed food…it can't be a good sign. And cheese balls for supper…oh my goodness. Do you incorporate legumes into your diet often? We have been doing so for about 1 1/2 years now and I don't have a problem with IBS as I once did. My youngest son had a remarkable recovery from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (abdominal migraines)by eating beans every day. He had been ill for 17 years and has been well now since October 2008. It was a blessing to him our family. I do like reading your blog. Thanks for the sharing all the interesting info. 🙂
Hi Mandy, Here are a couple of links that may help you. The first is the recommended pregnancy diet as put out by the Weston A. Price Foundation and is what I followed myself during pregnancy. The second is a link to the food logs of the WAPF board members for a 3 day period. I would say that my family's menu would be rather similar (excluding the coffee and the potato chips which we do not eat in our home). https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/diet-for-pregnant-and-nursing-mothers/
Regarding hypothyroidism, it is VERY difficult to get off the meds once you have been taking that long. That is not to say that it is impossible (I don't think anything is impossible if one is determined enough to heal), but it would take serious dedication. I would suggest consulting a holistic MD who specializes in this area.
Sarah, I've been devouring your blog and appreciate your writing so much. Some questions:
1. What is a typical daily menu for you?
2. Do you have any food suggestions for pregnancy?
3. Have you ever read or heard of reversing hypothyroidism? (I'm in my thirties and have taken synthroid for over 15 years.)
Thank you for the feedback!
-Mandy
Our daughter attends Montessori school, and the parents take turns bringing in treats. Sometimes it is home made and sometimes not. I let her eat the snack at school… It is heartening to hear her say 'your food is the best' when she is at home. She doesn't eat everything I make but she makes a good effort! (She's 5)