The Nagging Mom

Trails of tissue throughout my house keep leading me to one very puffy eyed and red nosed little boy. It has been very disheartening to see that my son has adopted the seasonal "allergy" and even more so being a mother who HATES the idea of giving my child any form of western world medicine my heart breaks every six hours as I hand him over the little pink pill. Unfortunately I realize that he is miserable and needs an immediate fix; the antihistamine provides this. One other alternative is to give him a vaccination OR I can apply those same principles and build up his immunity to the allergenic pollens using a gentler and more holistic approach: Honey.

Now as there are no conclusive studies to show that Local Honey really is anecdotal there are enough reports to be convincing to me. I look at it as a vaccination; Vaccines invade your body with a "germ impostor" to trigger your immune system to respond with the production of antibodies to fight off the germ when it really does invade.

A spoonful of honey a day is kind of like slowly vaccinating the body against allergens, immunotherapy. And the local honey has the same pollen spores that you're sneezing and sniffling to but introduces these spores into your body in tiny amounts making the body accustomed to their presence and decrease the chance an immune system response like the release of histamine but too low to trigger an allergic reaction like smelling a flower might do.

Obviously this method is not as quick of a cure as it's sleep inducing counterpart but its a much safer method. UNLESS for an infant: Children 12 months or younger do not have a fully developed immune system and are subject to Infant Botulism. They should not be fed honey.

Im still studying the ways of keeping bees, I hope to have some next year and then Domestic Diva will be able to sell Local Honey. In the mean time I just picked up a
4 Ounce jar at Market of Choice for $4.50. Farmers markets are a great source too!

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Yeah, a gardening post! As the warm front begins to push it's way in I have been doing a lot of planning for my garden this year. I am a tried and true organic gardener. That being said I know the value that vermicompost has on my garden. Not only is it nutrient rich for your plans and fertilizes them in an Earth friendly way but it also helps reduce waste going into the landfill.

What it is: Worm cast and decayed organic matter.

How its made: The worm will eat its own weight in organic matter (Vegetable scraps, paper, egg shells. You do not want to dispose of animal bi-products other than egg shells) then they will digest the waste meanwhile killing any pathogenic bacteria providing casts that contain eight times as many micro-organisms as their feed, the ones that help your plants grow. The cast has perfect PH balance,five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus, and 11 times more potassium than ordinary soil, the main minerals needed for plant growth.

How to use it: Dig some into your plantings, for seedlings it is said to incorporate 25% of vermicompost into your mixture or you can make "compost tea" by adding some compost and water into a spray bottle, letting it sit for a few days and then spray your plants with it and watch them grow!

Being that Im trying my best to cut cost and reduce garbage it only makes sense to make my own! If you go online you can find local companies who sell vermicompost worms however they are close to $30 a pound, fortunately once they are established in their new damp and dark home they will double their population within 6-8 weeks.

Well to lessen the expense even more and to provide an educational experience for my son's classroom I went and ordered Red Wiggler cocoons. Apparently, it has become a learning experience for me too so Ive decided to share it on my blog and hope to provide weekly updates on their growth and development.

Cocoons can stay dormant for years from my understanding and will only hatch in the most optimal of conditions: Dark, damp place with food. Mine arrived to me in a plastic bottle with dry papershreds so I moved them into a Tupperware container, threw in some vegetable scraps and moistened the bedding. Now we wait....

Their first picture:

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I can recall once when my son opened the refrigerator and saw a package of Tofu on the shelf, in full dramatics he slammed the door shut and ran off yelling that, "Tofu will kill him!" Months later I came to him and told him that he was correct.

When I took the Dairy out of our home the only natural inclination was to replace it with Soy products. Soy milk, cheeses,whipping cream,yogurts,ice creams and coffee creamer, putting little thought into how soy could adversely effect either me or my child. I've learned a thing or two. Allow me to K.I.S.S. this out here:

1. The most obvious-In it's non-fermented state it is processed and Soy is genetically engineered for mass production (Just say no to GMO).In the processing toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are produced as well as high levels of aluminum and MSG.

2. Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and Vitamin D and the Vitamin B12 found within Soy products actually cannot be absorbed by the human body.

3. Lastly and the biggest reason why I chose to black list it from Austin (...I still use the Silk Hazelnut Creamer, I do admit)is that Non-fermented soy is high in phytoestrogens which will decrease sperm count for males (granted this is certainly a LOOOOOOOOOOONG term concern) and that Genistein, the main phyto-estrogen in soy will replace human estrogen and speed up the onset of puberty. Frankly, I'd like to postpone this as long as humanly possible.

Now mind you there are many healthful benefits to soy as well but like anything else I think it is best to consume it in it's natural state. As for the Dairy replacement; We just omitted it entirely.

Examples of Fermented Soy Products (The Good):
natt
miso
tempeh
traditional soy sauce

Examples of Non-Fermented Soy Products (The Bad):
soy milk
tofu
modern soy sauce (which is actually mostly wheat!)
soy oil
additives to thousands of commercial shelf products

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Sorry for the delay between post, the Mortgage J-O-B becokened, been ill and my son's birthday. Will get caught up tomorrow, promise!

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Last night I was watching an episode of NBC's Parks and Recreation, where Leslie opposes the sell of a locally made "energy bar" after realizing that corn syrup isn't very good for you after all. Unfortunately like many others she was initially blinded by the marketing of these said energy bars where the kids are running and playing dressed in athletic apparel, not taking note of the nutritional value. Take the above Gatoraid slogan, "Is it in you?"...Is what in me? Who knows what will be in me when I drink your "sport beverage".

And then today I met this gentleman who was telling me about his job at Lisanatti Foods, manufacturing Soy cheese and then he continued to go on about how healthy the products were. Immediately in my head I started thinking "Ehhhh Soy isn't ALWAYS healthy." But of course I didn't say this to him then, he was so excited about his job and their products I didn't want to ruin that for him. I did however look up Lisanatti's products and in their defense, they are in fact a very healthy supplier of cheese alternatives, not just limited to soy. They do not use any wheat or hydrogenated oils. And are local. They do however use casein to bind their products so not good alternative if you are adhering to the GFCF diet.

This got me thinking though about all of the things we consume in which we think are "healthy" for us because the ads say so. Like the rows of Cereal guaranteeing to start our day on the right foot? How often do we actually stop to read the back of the label? I will tell you now having become more conscience of ingredients I have counted three aisles in the grocery store today that I do not go down because they are shelf to shelf of things I would not let my child eat on a regular basis.
So as we embark on this journey the first step that HAS to be taken is you must become a label reader. It will seem daunting at first, my first grocery shopping trip on the GFCF diet took 2 hours and I left with only 2 grocery bags. Six months later I fly right through knowing which aisles to pass on by. You'll get there too!



Take from StrongLifts.com I have listed the 10 most deceptive foods and below each is an alternative in which I have found and the Child Approval Rating


1. Breakfast Cereals. Cereals are labeled healthy & nutritive and recommended for weight loss. Read the labels: cereals are often high in sugar & salt and their vitamin/mineral content is chemical based.

Healthy alternative: Mornings in our home are H-E-C-T-I-C! So a traditional omelete is out of the question. Some weekends what I do is make our own GF pancakes and freeze them. Vans sells a Wheat Free Waffle as does Trader Joes. The downfall is they contain juice concentrates and some soy. Or you can throw some frozen fruit in a blender and send them out with a smoothing. But, you should never send your kid to school on just carbs! So add an egg in there somehow or peanut butter on the waffle. My son misses milk and cereal but its just no longer an option, mom's foot is down. He's satified with the alternatives though.


2. Granola Bars. Granola bars consist of healthy oats & nuts. But they’re glued together with blood sugar raising ingredients like corn syrup. Some bars even contain chocolate chips, making them as bad as candy bars.

Healthy alternative:We love Clif Z Bar Organic Kids Whole Grain Energy Bars!

3. Yogurt with Fruit at The Bottom. Fat free doesn’t mean healthy. Labels tell you they contain added sugars, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Same with fat free frozen yogurts which can contain 20g sugars per 1/2 cup.

Healthy alternative: plain unflavored yogurt mixed with fruit cut into pieces.

4. Bread. Convenient and tastes good, but not as healthy as you think. Whole grain or whole wheat means nothing. Dark bread can still contain corn syrup & trans-fats and eating too much bread will make you fat.

Healthy alternative: Ezekiel Bread, if youre going to do bread. For the GFCF Im still seeking a suitable bread alternative that doesnt disenegrate when converted to a sandwich or taste like cardboard. Like cheese, its just been omitted.


5. Sandwiches. Often labelled “fitness” or “light”, but containing sugar-laden salad dressings, little veggies & proteins and too much white bread. Freshness is questionable and you need the foot-long to fill your stomach.

Healthy alternative: make your own sandwiches.


6. Fruit Juice. Even 100% fruit juice has added sugars, usually fructose. Cans of fruit juice contain up to 38g sugar per 8oz. Excess fructose causes obesity, bad cholesterol, poor appetite control, etc.

Healthy alternative: home-made fruit juice or eat fruit.

7. Sport Drinks. Supposed to help you replenish electrolytes, carbs, etc. But it’s actually sugar water, with up to 30g sugar/serving. If you eat healthy and don’t drink 2 gallons water in 1 setting, you don’t risk water intoxication.

Healthy alternative: Water! We've also recently discovered Coconut Water, it has just as many electrolytes and pottasium without all the added junk like Gatoraid has.


8. Fast Food Salads. Contain sugar-laden salad dressings, croutons made from refined white flour or white floor pasta. In many cases you’re better off ordering a double cheeseburger than a chicken salad.

Healthy alternative: make your own salads.

9. Frozen Meals. Nothing is wrong with frozen veggies/fruits. But a lot is wrong with frozen meals often labeled “light” or “healthy”. They’re processed, high in sugar, and come with sauces & sodium. Avoid.

Healthy alternative: Generally Ill spend an hour or so in the kitchen a weekend making the weeks dinners and breakfasts and freezing them. Its nice cause I get all the mess done at once and the rest of the week its less stress when juggling sports and homework.


10. Diet Soda. Contain artificial sweeteners like the controversed aspartame. Do your research and decide if you want to take the risk.

Healthy alternative: Just like I say about Hamburger Helper, Soda in general is Child Abuse. Save it for special occassions only!

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Welcome,

This site has been designed and will be cared for by the heart and dedication of a mother, the commitment of an environmentalist, the creativity of a writer and cleverly named by her son.

"Green", "Organic" and "Localvour" are the latest and greatest buzz words, fueled by commerce and trend. My hope and goals with this blog is to take the guesswork and the big ticket dollars signs out of lessening our carbon footprint, but most importantly taking the 'poisons' out of our children's diet and lifestyle. I have discovered that the two go hand in hand. There will be a lot of fact, guidance and some opinion.

I hear so many excuses from parents that they do not have enough time, that an organic diet is too expensive or that they just don't understand the labels. Well, I am here to tell you that convenience does come at a cost, it just hands you the bill later. There are ways to cut the expense out of an organic diet, you'll just have to roll up sleeves and put some elbow grease into your food preparation. And well the labels are confusing but hopefully we can translate them through this blog.


I am a very big believer in the GFCF, Gluten Free Casein Free, diet and hope to bring the benefits of such to light. Any parent of an Autistic child can (and if not should be) attest to these. Watch for weekly recipes. I am also a dedicated organic gardener and aspiring urban farmer. My crops may not be as bountiful as their industrialized counterparts but they are GMO, Genetically Modified Organism, free! I cant wait to share tips and trials and errors. And above all I passionately believe that America's obesity and health problems are the direct result of HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and will occasionally go on a soap box rant as the Health Care Reform unravels as I so strongly feel that what our country needs more is a Food Industry Reform.

The way I see it, you wouldn't send your child outside in the snow wearing shorts and a tank top, right? Well, hopefully you look at taking care of their insides just as much as you do their outsides.

Enjoy and happy reading!

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