Babies and Toddlers

            

Weston A. Price Foundation's                      
Recommendations for pregnant and nursing mothers 

Giving our children a strong nutritional foundation is one of the greatest gifts, next to life itself, that we, parents, can share with them!  Optimal diet is a must for raising well balanced, happy, playful, peaceful and strong children.  My goal is to bring much needed awareness and to provide research-based information to the parents who seek to give their beautiful children their birthright of a healthy, well-built body, clear mind and bright spirit!  While our bookstores and libraries are littered with modern baby books, full of poor advice, my hope is that this page will plant a seed of a different journey for mamas and papas who truly want the best for their bundles of joy.   The journey I propose is the return to the wisdom of our healthy, strong ancestors, to traditional diets that have nourished people for thousands of years and have helped healthy men and women to produce strong, vibrant children!

May your journey be nourturing and may your children be blessed with your loving guidance!

        Nourishing our kids           Beet Kvas             Shreck Juice             
               Grains        Soy        Jackson's  Super Shake      Homemade baby formula                

   Juice for baby?        Nutritional taples in my own home
     
 TO VACCINATE OR NOT?           Food Allergies

JACKSON'S YUMMY FAVORITES        Strong, Healthy Teeth

Colorful Treats   Jackson's Immune Booster      Gentle Tummy Soother

Teething Pains: a few words on teething and teething remedies
 
       

NATURE'S PERFECT BABY FOOD

Mother's breast milk is nature's perfect food for an infant and a baby!  A woman's pregnancy diet and the diet that follows the birth of her miracle is of critical importance to producing nutritionally dense milk while nourishing the recovering body.  Nutrient-dense seafood such as shellfish, fish organs, fish eggs and cod liver oil are miracle foods full of fat-soluble vitamins A and D, DHA, Iodine and many important trace minerals to say the least.  Organ meats, such as beef liver for example, are rich sources of much needed iron and vitamin A, which is NOT found in orange and green leafy vegetables, contrary to what most modern pregnancy and baby books herald.  Fully formed vitamin A is found in animal sources only!  Animal liver is also a rich and inexpensive source of folic acid, a nutrient absolutely necessary for proper neurological development of a fetus, infant and child.  Egg yolks are wonderful sources of dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, iron, vitamins A, D, E, EPA, DHA and choline, - nutrients so critical for proper brain development and function!  Whole RAW milk, cheese, butter from the milk of pasture-fed animals, quality saturated fats are all much needed in the diet of pregnant women, new mothers, fathers and children of all ages! 



Here is a list of recommendations for pregnant and nursing mothers by the Weston A. Price Foundation:
- Cod Liver Oil to supply 20,000 IU vitamin A daily
- 2 8-oz glasses of whole milk daily, preferably raw and from pasture-fed cows
- 4 Tbsp butter daily, preferably from pasture-fed cows
- 2 or more eggs daily, preferably from pasture-fed chickens
- Additional egg yolks daily, added to smoothies, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, etc.
- 3-4 oz fresh liver, once or twice per week
- Fresh seafood, 2-4 times per week, particularly wild salmon, shellfish and fish eggs
- Fresh beef or lamb daily, always consumed with the fat
- Oily fish or lard daily, for vitamin D
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil or 1/2 cup coconut milk daily, used in cooking or smoothies, etc.
- Lacto-fermented condiments and beverages
- Bone broths used in soups, stews and sauces
- Properly prepared whole grains
- Fresh vegetables and fruits, preferably organic

AVOID:
- Trans fatty acids (e.g., hydrogenated oils)            - Soft drinks
- Junk foods                                                                           - Caffeine
- Commercial fried foods                                                 - Alcohol
- Sugar and high fructose corn syrup                         - Cigarettes
- White flour                                                                          - Drugs (including prescription drugs)
- Soy foods                                                                             - Synthetic vitamins



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Weston A. Price Foundation  is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Weston A. Price, DDS, whose studies of isolated nonindustrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets.  Dr. Price's research demonstrated that men and women achieve perfect physical form and perfect health, generation after generation, only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats.  The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism and supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective, including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community supported farming, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies.  Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy-based infant formula.  The board and membership of the Weston A. Price Foundation stand united in the belief that modern technlogy should be harnessed as a servant to the wise and nurturing traditions of our ancestors rather than used as a force destructive to the environment and human health; and that science and knowledge can validate those traditions.  The Weston A. Price Foundation is supported by membership dues and private donations and receives no funding from the meat or dairy industries!  To learn more about Weston A. Price Foundation or to become a member, please visit www.westonaprice.org






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Nourishing our kids



Our children look up to us, parents, for guidance...  Everything they learn about the world they first learn from their parents!   It is entirely up to us to give them a strong nutritional foundation for a health, well-balanced body, mind and spirit!  As our children grow they need wholesome nutrients to sustain their body's needs.  These nutrients are found in quality animal products such as animal fats, organ meats, seafood, fish eggs, cod liver oil, whole raw milk, butter, and eggs.  It is important to mention here that non-toxic, fresh vegetables and properly prepared grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are of critical importance to a child's diet as well.  Fermented dairy drinks as well as lacto-fermented vegetable tonics are refreshing and delicious in addition to being nurturing to our bodies.  My baby son loves drinking beet kvas, a Ukrainian tonic that has been enjoyed in Ukraine and Russia for centuries by rich and poor, young and old alike!  Nourishment takes time and effort!  Instant foods, create instant health problems and make-belief foods lead to make-belief health.  It is as simple as that!  I encourage parents to spend more time in the kitchen and around family measl because preparation itself is nourishing to the entire family.   Please consider looking into the work of Dr. Weston Price and the Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) established to honor his research and to continue shedding the light on nutritional discoveries.   If you wish to schedule a consultation with me, please contact me for available times.   To view courses and information about registration, please click here.







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Beet Kvas

Makes 2 Qts

You will need: 

3-4 med. organic purple or golden beets, peeled and chopped up coarsely (do not grate)

¼ cup whey

1 Tbsp Pink sea salt

Quality Filtered water

Making delicious Beet Kvas:

Place beets, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container.  Stir well and cover securely.  Keep at room temperature for 2 full days in the summer or for 3 full days in the winter before transferring the precious nutrient-dense brew  into  the refrigerator.

Beet kvas has been a staple of Ukrainian cuisine for centuries. Valued guests were treated to home-baked sourdough caraway bread with salt and kvas as a sign of hospitality and appreciation for the company! 

Oh and by the way, the word "kvas" in Russian does not have a double "s" at the end, so I spell it the way I have known it my whole life!  I have no idea why it is spelled as "kvass" in so many sources! 

Soy

Soy formula is NOT SAFE for infants!  Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and adversely affect pancreatic function.  In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders.  It is a very sad truth.  Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth.  Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailability of iron an zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system.  Large amounts of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual  development in boys.

Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soybeans to make food like tempeh, natto, miso paste and tamari.  Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.  Contrary to the pupular belief that soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets, the compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body.  In fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12!  Soy foods DO NOT provide complete protein.  Like all legumes, soybeans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine.  Additionally, modern processing denatures fragile lysine, another important amino acid.  Soy foods do not prevent osteoporosis (they can cause deficiencies in calcium and vit. D), do not protect us from heart disease (there is absolutely no evidence that lowering cholesterol lowers one's risk of having heart disease), do not enhance mental ability or one's sex drive and their production is unhealthy for the environment (most soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides, creating toxic runoff into our creeks and rivers). 

Furthermore, soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems.  Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause, aside from the challenges hypoactive thyroid gland presents to people of all ages, male or female. 

Please click here for an article from Dr. Mercola on yet another danger lurking in the SOY based infant formulas.

No infant, baby or toddler should ever be given soy based formula.  Love yourself and your little ones, educate yourself on the dangers of soy based foods.



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Jackson's  Super Shake


I make this shake for little bundle of joy every morning!  It is delicious and packed with powerful nutrients necessary for the development of my super baby!   So, here is what you will need to make this fantastic breakfast treat for your little one:


*Organic Whole Raw Milk - 1/4 cup
*Organic Raw Cream - 1/4 cup
*Colostrum from healthy, happy cows - 1/2 tsp
*Coral Calcium - 1/2 tsp
*/**Vitamin C Complex (non-isolated, nutrients) - 1/4 tsp 
*Organic Egg Yolk from pasture-fed hens
*Organic, never heated, raw honey - 1/2 tsp
*Organic Vanilla Extract - a few drops
*Pink Salt - a scant dash
A blender


Soft boil a whole egg, preferably from pasture-fed hens, whose supplemental diet does not include soy or corn (yes, you can find these fantastic eggs in our area).  Make sure the egg yolk is not too runny and not solid... you will need to boil the egg for just about 4-5 minutes to get this yolk consistency!  Separate the egg yolk from the white and combine it with the rest of the ingredients in the blender.  If you are close to the source of your eggs, know that the hens are healthy and fed properly, that the eggs are very fresh and that the hen house is clean and well cared for, you can use raw egg yolk in the shake!  Blend all of the ingredients well for a minute or so.  I use the "whip" setting for the last ten seconds.  Take a sip of the shake just to partake in the goodness of it... then give the rest to your precious child to enjoy wholeheartedly!


*My sources:
I use colostrum, coral calcium, vit. C complex and pink salt from Premier Research Labs and honey from "Really Raw" brand.  If you can get raw, unheated local honey it is a definite bonus!  You can get good quality vanilla extract from Whole Foods, Sun Harvest, Central Market, etc. - read your labels!  Please contact me for souces of raw dairy and eggs.


** Depending on your little one's taste, you may choose to leave Vit. C Complex out of the mix and give it later in the day mixed in dairy kefir.  I find that it mixes very well in the dairy kefir and the flavors tend to compliment each other very well.




 
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Are you invited to a baby shower and looking for a special gift?  Give a thoughtful gift of solid nutritional foundation to the new baby and the parents!  A gift certificate to the Nutritional Healing Clinic can be used by the parents in many ways.  They can book a private nutritional consultation (at their own home or my office), take offered classes, or wait until their little one is old enough to take a kids' cooking class! New parents are faced with many challenges as their journey of parenthood unfolds.  Many parenting books and magazines are major souces of misinformation and, sadly,they tend to influence unhealthy choices among parents.  Out of all the adorable baby gifts your expectant friends may receive, the gift cerficiate to the Nutritional Healing Clinic will be the one that will last them a lifetime and will fill their lives with knowledge, unlock their own innate wisdom and fill their hearts with gratitude!  If you are interested in a gift certificate, please contact me with your request.

I look forward to connecting with you and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to make the world a healthier place one family at a time!

Elena Novak RN     


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TO VACCINATE OR NOT?

Because vaccines are used predominantly on our children, most people assume that the many vaccines have been subjected to thorough trials and rigorous studies proving their safety and effectiveness.  As parents, we are told that mass vaccination campaigns ended multiple epidemics around the world, that vaccines are effective at preventing the illnesses they are targeted against, that side effects are rare and generally consist of sore arms or mild fevers that pass quickly, and that the few serious negative reactions are carefully tracked and monitored, keeping them to a minimum. 

Parents who take time and care to dig deeper and pierce this veil of misinformation find that these assertions lack solid scientific backing.  Not only has there never been a single long-term study comparing the health and welfare of vaccinated to unvaccinated children, but multiple example can easily be found of vaccinated children acquiring the very illness they have bee vaccinated against.  Furthermore, there is overwhelming evidence that vaccines can be extremely harmful, permanently disabling and even deadly to children.  The current system for tracking and reporting adverse reactions to the FDA is poorly executed and voluntary rather than mandatory, even when a child has been permanently disabled or killed by a vaccine...

Whether to vaccinate or not is one of the most important decisions about the health and welfare of our children we, parents, must make.  I urge you to ask your doctor and to research the following questions:

- Have vaccinations been proven to be safe long-term for children by multiple, well-designed and honestly evaluated (never sponsored by pharmaceutical companies or government agencies) studies?  If your doctor assures you that such study exists, request a copy for yourself. 

- What happens to the natural immunity of your child when live and dead viruses, killed bacteria, genetically engineered DNA, chemical preservatives and heavy metals are injected directly into your child's bloodstream, bypassing the natural immune response?  Also, if you are a really inquisitive kind, do your research on how viral vaccinations are made and evaluate these vaccinations' effectiveness or even the chances of it based on what you learn!

- What immune burden does your child undergo when receiving 37-50 vaccinations during the most formative years of life?  How does this burden affect your child's immune system long-term?

- What is the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act?  Why was it set up if we are assured by our pediatricians that vaccinations are safe?  Whom does it protect?  Who pays into it?  Where do pediatricians get their information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations?

Furthermore, I would like to bring the following "food for thought" to your attention:

- Thirty years ago, children received a total of four vaccines, but today a fully vaccinated child receives  37-50 vaccines during the early, formative years of life, when the child's developing immune system is most vulnerable.

- The Polio vaccine used widely in 1950's and 1960's was later found to be contaminated with a monkey virus, SV40, which had tainted the vaccine during production.  Even though the virus was discovered in 1960, the contaminated vaccine continued to be administered to American children for three more years.  It was withdrawn in 1963.  Thirty years later, SV40 has been isolated in bone, brain and lung cancers of disabled and diseased adults. 

- The DPT (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine forces an immune response to three different diseases on the same day, an event that would never happen in real life.

- Since the introduction of Recombivax HB, a genetically engineered Hepatitis B vaccine by Merck, there have been hundreds of reports in the medical literature citing central nervous system diseases, multiple sclerosis, Guillian-Barre syndrome, arthritis, severe rashes, fever, chronic fatigue, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) as a direct result of the vaccine.   This vaccine is given to children three times with the first time being on the day of birth when the immune system is virtually non-existent!

- Over 50% of the doctors surveyed in the UK refused to take the hepatitis B vaccine themselves, citing the known dangers from the vaccine, even though as medical professionals they belong to a higher risk group of contracting the disease.

- The children in the United States represent the most highly vaccinated population in the world.

- An honest and careful review of original historical medical sources, publications and statistics from the past two hundred years reveals that infectious diseases declined 90% before mass vaccination was ever introduced.  What do you think about that?

- Fifty years ago, autism affected less than 1 person in 10,000 families.  Today 1 in every 68 families has an autistic child.  This disease was unknown until 1943, when it was identified and diagnosed among eleven children born after thimerosal was first added to baby vaccines in 1931.

If you wish to obtain a copy of an article published in the Wise Traditions Journal, the Healthy Baby issue, please contact me.  It is a 10-page article which includes research citations, graphs and recommended resources for furthering your knowledge on the subject of childhood vaccinations.  You will need to cover my cost of making a copy of it for you and mailing it to you.  You can also obtain the actual journal from the Weston A. Price Foundation.  If you are interested in other sources of information about childhood vaccinations please contact me.  As time goes on, most recent articles from the Wise Traditions journal become available online at www.westonaprice.org.  There are many other credible sources of information available.  The topic of childhood vaccinations is certainly a hot one and it is saturated with fear and controversy. 

An interesting article and video for you to check out (from Dr. Mercola's site):
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/06/nvic-state-advocacy-portal.aspx

Another interesting source to visit is: www.thinktwice.com
                                                                                       


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Nutritional Staples In My Own Home

Many of my clients and friends have asked me what I feed my little boy because the choices of foods in our supermarkets are overwhelming and the marketing in the food industry is simply ruthless...  I find that many parents who want to do the best for their little ones end up falling prey to misinformation and end up making poor nutritional choices for themselves and their bundles of blessings.  So, this section is dedicated to listing my personal choices for my family.  I made these choices based on what I currently know and believe about nutrition as a healthcare practitioner, as a curious and intuitive individual and as a mother who is completely in love with my family.  If any of the readers have any questions and/or feedback about any of this information, I invite it with gratitude! 

Dairy
- Raw Milk
- Kefir
- Yogurt
- Cheese
I get my milk from the Sand Creek Farm (www.sandcreekfarm.net).  It is a local family run family.  I personally met with these wonderful people and know first hand how serious they are about providing nourishing, clean foods to those who seek them.  The milk I buy from Sand Creek Farm is absolutely delicious and comes from happy old fashioned cows who eat NO GRAINS of any sort!  I have seen the milking facility with my own eyes and asked my own questions during my farm visit.  The milking facility is incredibly clean, full of light, well maintained and beautiful!  The cows are well taken care of and gorgeous!  The gallons of milk I get from them are usually half full with cream!  This raw, whole, REAL milk is a truly healing substance...  Yes, my little boy loves this milk.  So do I, at six months of my second pregnancy, and so does my husband.  Occasionally, I buy yummy yogurt from the Sand Creek Farm as well.   This farm is known for quality cheeses and several top chefs in Austin made the choice to buy cheese from this farm exclusively!  My little man also loves sheep's yogurt and the cleanest sheep's yogurt I have found so far is by Old Chatham Sheepherding Company.  I buy Sheep's Milk PLAIN Yogurt Grade A, - a 16 oz. green tub!  The most powerful simple home-made probiotic I have found so far, however, is kefir!  I make my kefir with beautiful, fresh goat milk from a local goat farm.  It is delicious and provides my family with ultimate protection from any burden on our immune systems.  Kefir contains 30-50 strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts absolutely necessary for healthy gut flora.  This impressive array beats hands down virtually every over-the-counter AND prescription probiotic on the market!

Meats and fish
-Beef/Bison/Pork
- Poultry
- Seafood
I get my meats from different sources.  My main criteria are the feed for the animals as well as the conditions for raising and slaughtering them.  Cows are not meant to eat corn or soy.  Period!  Grass fed beef is leaner, but is much more beneficial for our health.  I do buy meats from the Sand Creek Farm (www.sandcreekfarm.net) as well as from Whole Foods on occasion.  The meat from the Sand Creek Farm has been top notch - delicious, tender, clean and nutrient-dense.  I personally do not eat pork because pork has been seen to alter blood chemistry in humans.  Pork lard does not have any adverse affects on the human body, according to everything I have read so far.  Apparently pigs do not have a lymphatic system, which explains why their meat may be more toxic to human beings. To my knowledge the beef at the Whole Foods is rather clean and grass-fed.  Bison is grass-fed initially but is fattened on grain before slaughter (this may have changed, so please check with the Whole Foods on this).  From all that I hear about the seafood at the Whole Foods, it is clean and responsibly harvested.  With this said, I do not recommend buying farm raised anything...  I do buy ONLY wild caught fish at the Whole Foods.  I buy some specialty items such as Ikura Salmon eggs from Vital Choice (www.vitalchoice.com), an excellent source of fresh, delicious and responsibly harvested seafood!  The Ikura eggs are fantastic and my little boy loves them with sourdough bread and a thick layer of butter!  I also buy wild caught sardines at the Central Market and Whole Foods whenever I can find them.  One of the brands I like is Crown Prince.  I prefer to buy sardines in water and add my own oil to them if needed.  My son loves sardines!   Needless to say, I always keep homemade, rich bone broth in my freezer!

Snacks and grains
- Fruit slices
- Berries
- Veggies
- Snacks on-the-go
- Oatmeal
Little tummies require dense nutrition at all feeding times.  Whether you are about to feed them a whole meal or a snack to hold them over, it is important that you take care to make nutritionally dense choices.  I do not feed my child cheerios or any other out-of-the-box cereal, organic or not!  Commercial cereals are NOT nutritionally sound choices for children.  Most commercial cereals (granola included) are made by the process of extrusion, which exposes grains to high temperature and pressure.  By the time your little ones put neat little shapes of your chosen cereal in their mouths, the grain used in the making of them has been stripped of most of its nutrition and goodness and in many cases has been poisoned with additional ingredients, such as artificial flavors (MSG), coloring agents, junky sugars and oils!  So, if not commercial cereals and crackers than what?  Snacks in my family are very simple.  My little boy eats organic fruit slices and berries (banana, apples, pears, kiwi, strawberries, mangos, raspberries, blueberries, etc.) or organic vegetables (mostly avocados, cherry tomatoes, cooked golden beets or kale chips).  I do make oatmeal for my little man and he loves it!  I always soak my oats overnight in salted and acidic water (I add some of my own kombucha to the water) prior to cooking it on the stove on a very low heat, in a rice cooker or in a crockpot.  I sweeten the oatmeal with raw, unfiltered honey (I like Really Raw brand) or Grade B organic maple syrup and add plenty of butter to it!  There are some commercial choices of snacks that I like for trips.  I buy Spirulina "Super Chips" by GoRaw or ginger cookies by the same maker.  I like these two little "cookie" choices because the ingredients are clean, 100% organic and raw.  Please note that this maker also makes other products and I do not agree with their ingredient choices in all of their products.  I do not feed my child any agave syrup, so the only choices by GoRaw I like are the Spirulina "Super Chips" and ginger cookies.   Another snack on the go I occasionally buy simply because of its convenience and sound ingredients is fruit and veggie pouch by Ella's Kitchen (www.ellaskitchen.co.uk).  I usually buy these pouches at the Central Market.  Jackson really likes the purple pouch (sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples and blueberries), the red pouch (strawberries and apples), the yellow pouch (apples and bananas),  the peach pouch (peaches and bananas) and the orange pouch (carrots, apples and parsnips).  Of course, making your own fruit and veggie puree is much more wholesome.  I only buy these pouches when I am not able to make my own puree due to time constraints or because our trip is long and our bags are limited on how much we can pack with us (glass containers are bulkier than these little pouches!).  Our little guy also can simple grab one of them and suck the contents out, so he can be independent while enjoying them.  The packaging itself is BPA free.  The veggies and fruit used by Ella's Kitchen are organic, but pasteurized/cooked.  It is also a British company...  not local by far, so this is not an ideal alternative to making your own pureed veggies and fruit.  I do not give or recommend fruit juices to any baby, toddler or young child.  Whole fruit is the way to go.  Vegetable juices are best given in very small amounts and certain vegetables are more beneficial than others.  For example, carrot juice is very high in sugar and toddlers cannot convert beta carotene to vitamin A!  If you juice at home, be sure to  use organically grown produce.  Veggies out of your own garden are best if you built up the soil and took good care of your plants! 

Drinks
- Water
- Herbal Teas
- Coffee
- Kombucha
- Milk
- Kvas
- Kefir
- Fermented Sodas (homemade)
My family uses filtered, ionized and pH balanced water for drinking and cooking.  The machine of my choice is Enagic, designed and manufactured in Japan.  We drink many organic herbal teas and once in a while my husband and I enjoy a cup of freshly ground and French pressed organic coffee.  I make my own kombucha and my whole family, including my little one, enjoy it.  As mentioned earlier, we drink whole raw milk (cow and goat).  I make beet kvas, which is very refreshing and beneficial for the gut flora.  Dairy kefir as well as water kefir are also staples of my family's diet.  My little boy loves kefir!  Finally, I make my own sodas by the process of fermentation with whey.  Some of our favorites are Raspberry Drink and Ginger Mint Lemonade.


Green, Red, Yellow, Orange and Purple 
- Salads
- Sauteed spinach
- Side vegetable dishes
- Baked squashes and pumpkin
- Lacto-fermented vegetables
My family loves veggies.  Vegetables on their own do not constitute a sustainable human diet.  I do not advocate vegetarianism, veganism or any other exclusive diet claimed to be the secret to vibrant health.  There is a theory out there that foods from animal sources make humans more aggressive and angrier beings.  It would be interesting to hear how this theory explains the fact that Hitler was a vegetarian...  With this said, veggies definitely do have a place on our plates!  Our bodies are designed to digest and benefit from animal foods as well as from properly prepared non-animal foods.  Balance is the very heart of glowing skin, sturdy bodies, healthy organs, smooth metabolic processes and vibrant health overall.  Balance is what I advocate to my clients and friends.  While my family eats quality meats, eggs and dairy along with properly prepared grains and nuts, we also eat salads, vegetable side dishes, relishes, chutneys and lacto-fermented veggies on a daily basis.  The rule in my family is that we consume some kind of fermented food every day and often with every meal of the day.  Examples of fermented or cultured relishes and dishes are sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, cultured mushrooms, pickled beets, etc.  Examples of the key words on the label to look for when shopping for cultured veggies are "raw", "organic", "never pasteurized", "enzyme-rich" and "never heated".  Kombucha, dairy kefir, water kefir, cultured sodas (homemade fizzy drinks made with whey) are examples of fermented drinks.  Miso soup is an example of another probiotic, fermented food.  I often make baked squashes for my family.  Our favorites are delicata, acorn and butternut.  Baked squash is absolutely delicious with pink salt and a good helping of butter and Grade B maple syrup or raw, unfiltered honey.  I love to make pumpkin pie in the Fall.  The best tasting crust is made with lard or butter and the filling must be made from an actual beautiful, round, deep orange pie pumpkin!   Our little guy loves baked squashes and pumpkin pie!  If our breakfast consists of eggs (which it usually does), we couple them with fresh greens such as arugula, dandelion greens, beet greens, romaine, etc.  I make a very quick and simple dressing using EFA oils, naturally fermented soy sauce and raw coconut vinegar.  I may add some cilantro or other herbs to the mix if I feel really awake and creative on some mornings!  Frittatas are some of my favorite things to make for a meal and they often include a wide array of root veggies such as yams, sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, parsnips and ginger to name a few.  Fresh organic heirloom tomatoes are delicious in frittatas as well!   I love to make a raw avocado salad with extra virgin olive oil and pink sea salt for a light snack.   I do not recommend consuming raw spinach.  It is a green leafy vegetable that is best sauteed.  Raw spinach will actually rob you of nutrients!  I love to sautee spinach with garlic, clams and heavy cream!   The word "salad" is so much  more in my family than a plate of leafy greens.  Salads can be made from any kind of vegetables and animal sourced foods.  For example, one of my favorite salads is called "Oliv'e"... It doesn't have any olives in it, but it contains potatoes, beats, carrots, bits of meat and eggs, and even pieces of fish sometimes!  I grew up eating vegetable salads of all consistencies, colors and tastes!  My mother has always been a magician in this area of culinary arts and I sure am thankful to her for that gift during my growing years!   




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Strong, Healthy Teeth

The nutritional choices your make for your child today will inevitably translate into your child's health foundation for the rest of his/her life.   Babies and toddlers must consume nutritionally dense foods in order to build sturdy constitutions, strong bones, beautiful teeth and peaceful minds.  A growing baby must be nourished with foods containing essential for growth and development choline, cholesterol, iron, calcium, magnesium, vit. A, D, K2, B12, B6 and C to name the major ones.  These nutrients are found in wholesome foods like egg yolks, cod liver oil, organ meats (such as liver), small fish, fish eggs, raw butter, raw milk, and animal fats!  Of course, the quality of these foods matters a great deal!  

While you will find that most of the information on my site focuses on nutrient-dense foods, I would like to include a little bit of additional information I have learned from a brilliant and not at all conventional dentist, Ellie Phillips DDS.   I had the pleasure and the privilege to learn about the amazing power of Xylitol from Ellie's profound research about this topic.  She has written an interesting book "Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye", which uncovers not only the dangers of conventional, present day dentistry but also simple, inexpensive and effective solutions to help people of all ages enjoy stronger teeth and healthier mouths!  Ellie introduced me to a very simple way I can assure that my toddler's mouth is populated with beneficial bacteria and his new teeth are disease free and cavity resistant from the very beginning!  The secret is exposure of teeth to small amounts of pure form of Xylitol five times per day!  Xylitol is not a sugar substitute.  It IS a SUGAR!  It is not a sugar that predisposes our mouths to gum and tooth disease, however.  Xylitol is naturally anti-bacterial and pro-biotic!  How is this possible?  It is simple!  Xylitol supports beneficial bacteria in your mouth while making conditions unbearable for the disease-causing bacteria.  The highest quality Xylitol comes from the bark of birch trees and it is the only kind I recommend.  The clever food industry in this country has figured out a way of making Xylitol from corn, which is mostly genetically modified.  I recognize and respect your right to your own choices and I do not advocate the use of Xylitol made from corn or any source other than U.S. grown birch trees.  Of course, if you live in Europe, your best bet is Xylitol from the European birch trees! 

What I do is simply add small amounts of Xylitol to my little one's snacks, water and daily brushing of the teeth.  I put about 1/8 tsp. of Xylitol in a sippy cup of filtered water (10-12 fl oz) when we go out to play in a park.  One of my son's favorite treats is a small bowl of sliced organic strawberries (just about 4 or 5 berries) sprinkled with about 1/3 tsp. of Xylitol.  This yummy trick works with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and small cubes of pears.  He gets a few granules of pure Xylitol on the tip of a baby spoon before his daily nap. Finally, I use a weak solution (just slightly sweet to taste) of Xylitol and filtered water to brush his pearly whites every morning and before he goes to sleep at night.  A total of about five exposures to a very small amount of Xylitol is all that's needed to assure that my toddler's mouth is healthy, fresh and ready for new strong teeth!  Xylitol is a big part of my super-toddler's daily routine!

Please note that I only recommend using pure granules of Xylitol from birch trees of local origin.  There are many products (gum, mints, candy, etc.) available on the market today that contain Xylitol...  The only form of Xylitol I advocate is the pure Xylitol granules that look like regular sugar without any other ingredients, binders, glues and toxins. 

To learn more about Ellie's work please visit her site at www.cleanwhiteteeth.com as well as check out her book "Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye".   Ellie has tirelessly provided me with honest and intelligent answers to numerous questions about Xylitol over the past several years!

I also recommend "Cure Tooth Decay" by Ramiel Nagel to all who are concerned about their dental health and are willing to explore preventing or stopping tooth decay with REAL nutrition and opening up to life itself!  When the author's own one-year-old daughter developed rampant tooth decay, the concerned and caring parents set out on the challenging journey to life changing discoveries.  This book introduces readers to Weston A. Price and Melvin Page, dentists whose work helps us understand a very important side of true nature of tooth decay.  Please note that Mr. Nagel has a different understanding of Xylitol and does not support its role in dental health.  His book is well based on nutritional research of the brilliant scientists mentioned above and he effectively connects the role of nutrition to dental health.  However, his understanding of Xylitol is very limited in my opinion.  While I do not advocate using large amounts of Xylitol in your daily diet or as a substitute for unprocessed sweeteners such as raw, unfiltered honey or Grade B maple syrup in certain foods, I do advocate using a very small amount of Xylitol (1 tsp per day) in your daily routine in combination with nutrient-dense foods to avoid tooth decay and to reverse an already existing dental decay! 

Another issue that I do not believe Mr. Nagel has properly researched is flouride and its role in dental health.  Dr. Phillips explains the issue of using flouride in dental health clearly and I suggest that you read it carefully.  According to Dr. Ellie Phillips, a pure form of Sodium Flouride (NaF) is beneficial to the teeth ONLY when used as a rinse in certain instances.  Artificially flouridated water is NOT healthy and not advocated.  This important distinction between the use of flouride and the actual form of flouride to be used must be understood clearly before you make your dental health decisions and join the masses of people blindly bashing toothpaste containing any form of flouride.    And, of course, I don't need to belittle you by reinforcing to you that toothpaste is NOT food and that your little  ones have no business of reaching it on your counter top and eating it!  So, as a parent, your responsibility is to protect your children properly rather than putting the blame on makers of flouride toothpaste for poisoning children who accidently get a hold of a flouride containing toothpaste.
 
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Colorful Treats
While on its own yogurt can be delicious, it really is one of the weaker probiotic foods.  You only need three strains of bacteria to make a yogurt.  Kefir, for example, contains anywhere from 30 to 50 strains of beneficial bacteria as well as nutritional yeast...  What I really love  about  yogurt, however, is that it serves as excellent medium for mixing with all kinds of nutrient-dense goodies to create fun, nourishing and delicious snacks for people of all ages (and it is thick enough to feed with a spoon to the really little people)!  My little boy adores colorful yogurt creations of mine...  The following are some ideas that may inspire you to create your own array of colorful fun foods for your little ones on a daily basis!  These yogurt variations can also be made with kefir or raw milk into shakes.  You can add a small amount of lecithin to emulsify your shakes and to add yet another nutrient for the nervous system!  Whether you use yogurt, kefir or raw milk, please keep in  mind that I do not recommend using any of these mediums cold.  Gently warm these dairy foundations in a double boiler (yes, even the raw milk) before you or your little one consumes them.  Do not overheat your dairy, only gently bring it up to body temperature (96-100 degrees F).

Green Gooooodness
I mash 1/2 banana finely with a fork first.  Then I add 1/2 tsp. of colostrum, 1 egg yolk, a pinch of pink salt, 1/2 tsp. of Greens Mix (Chlorella, Blue Green Algae and other super greens in a lovely, easy to use mix), and a bit of raw, unfiltered honey (it is incredibly nutritious) to the mashed banana and put my fork to work for a few more minutes.  Once everything is mashed together and there are not little clumps to be found (my toddler happens to be very particular about textures), I add body temperature yogurt and mix everything together well.  The Green Super Goodness is yummy and nutritious as well as perfectly green!  It is a great little snack for Halloween (just the right amount of banana can make it goooey and sloppy) as well as all year around!  This treat is somewhat heavy on the digestive tract when consumed often, so I suggest that you make this only about once per week or on special occasions for your little one.

Sunshine In My Bowl
Simply blend some fresh or frozen organic mangos with plain organic yogurt and the result is Sunshine In My Bowl!  I spike this beautiful mixture of orange glow with colostrum and egg yolk (which adds yet another shade of brilliant orange to the bowl).  If your little one likes a bit more sweetness in this treat than you can add some pure organic Grade B maple syrup or raw, organic, unfiltered honey to the bowl.  If you choose to sweeten, consider adding a small amount of pink salt to this yummy treat.  Salt deepens the taste as well as helps little ones with digestion.  Watch the sunshine disappear one spoonful at a time!

Purple Sky
Pureed wild blueberries mixed with yogurt make a nutritious and gorgeous purple treat for all ages.  You can sweeten the mixture with raw honey or Grade B maple syrup if your little one prefers a touch of sweetness.  Remember a touch of quality salt for that extra help with digestion and an extra boost of minerals!  I also like to add 1/2 tsp. of colostrum and a dropper full of wild elderberry extract to this lovely purple treat!  This dish is a great way to get some probiotics into your little bundle of blessings as well as  considerably boost his/her immune system!

Raspberry Kisses
Pureed fresh or frozen (thawed and warmed) organic raspberries magically turn yogurt into a stunning color that can range from vibrant pink to deep red.  Raspberries are packed with yumminess... and they are full of incredible health-giving properties!  You can mash them through a strainer if you wish to eliminate the seeds for a smoother texture.  Yogurt wish raspberries is lovely, tangy and refreshing.  You can add a touch of organic vanilla extract to the mixture and sweeten it with raw honey or Grade B maple syrup if you wish.  A touch of pink salt would deepen the taste, add valuable minerals and help with digestion of this treat.  Adding 1/2 tsp. of colostrum and an egg yolk will make it considerably more nutrient-dense as well.  



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Jackson's Immune Booster (Totti)

When the weather changes from 90's to 50's, runny noses and sniffles can pay a visit even to the sturdiest of little ones!  What I really like to make for Jackson during the time of colds and flu is a daily booster for his immune system.  The preparation is very simple once you have all the ingredients on hand.  He calls it Totti and smiles ear to ear while running to me as soon as he sees a bottle of this delicious red drink in my hands!

You will need:
Raspberries - frozen or fresh, organic, half a cup or so
Lemon - just a small wedge will do
Quality tincture (made with organic alcohol and organic, quality herbs) of Echinacea (root or whole plant), Mullein leaf, Elderberry, Horehound, Anise seed, Lobelia and Thyme.  You can use a combination of these herbs in one tincture or use several different tinctures.  Just a few drops of each will be sufficient for a toddler.
Manuka Honey - 1 tsp

How I prepare Jackson's Totti:
Place raspberries in one cup and combine all the tinctures (just a couple of drops of each) in another cup.  Boil some filtered water and pour over the raspberries and the tinctures.  Let the cups sit for about 10 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes.  The hot water will make all the alcohol from the tinctures evaporate, leaving only the medicinal properties of the herbs in the cup.  Mash/bruise raspberries in the cup with a wooden spoon to get all the goodness out (the color will be a beautiful red).  Squeeze a little bit of lemon into the sippy cup, add medicinal honey to it and add the water with tinctures.  Strain raspberries really well through a fine strainer (I usually have only the seeds in the strainer by the time I am done) and add them to the sippy cup!  Make sure Totti is cool for your little one to enjoy and serve with pride and confidence! 


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Gentle Tummy Soother

For tummy discomfort simple remedies from mother Nature work best in my opinion.  I find that the most effective way of helping a tummy in discomfort (call it colic, gas, whatever you prefer...) is to make a weak tea of Anise Seed, Fennel Seed, Dill, Catnip, Chamomile and Lemon Balm.  Boil filtered water and pour over these herbs and seeds, bruise them gently in the cup with a wooden spoon and cover for 5-10 minutes.  Strain the tea and combine with pure organic aloe juice (whole leaf or inner leaf) - about 70% tea and 30% aloe juice.  Anise and Fennel seeds provide relief from gas, indigestion, nausea and can relax intestinal spasms.  Dill is a wonderful herb to help gas and indigestion (and pain associated with it).  Catnip relaxes and calms the system (yes, the exact opposite of what it does to our furry feline friends!).  Lemon balm helps with all kids of digestive issues, nervousness and restlessness that goes in tow with indigestion.  Lemon balm also supports breast milk production and can relieve mild constipation!  You can grow most of these herbs in your own garden easily.  



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Teething Pains: a few words on teething and teething remedies

If you got this far in reading this site than I know you love your baby!  It is not usually the degree of love that a mother and a father feel for their little ones, but the amount of misinformation and money-hungry marketing that presents a big problem for little people...  Every baby will start growing teeth at some point and teething is not always painless for the tiny gums.  Watching our babies suffer from teething pains is often heartbreaking for us parents.  However, please, please, PLEASE do pay attention to what you give your baby in order to decrease teething discomfort.  You will see numerous bottles, boxes, and packages with advertising that will make you all warm and fuzzy on the inside when you take a stroll along the baby isle of your favorite grocery store!  Does it mean that everything in front of you is safe for your baby?  NO!  Here are two simple lists to help you make educated choices:

DON'T GIVE TO YOUR TEETHING BABY:
- Drugs (such as Tylenol, Motrin, or any other "baby safe" drug)
- Alcohol (if you get the bright idea to rub some whisky or any other alcohol on your baby's gums, ask
  someone  lucid to pinch you and re-orient you)
- Gels
- Quick-dissolving teething tablets

DO GIVE TO YOUR TEETHING BABY:
- A safe, non-toxic teether (made of natural rubber or plastic free of BPA, PVC, Lead and Phthalates)
- A soft damp wash cloth frozen in your freezer (you can soak it in very weak tea of Chamomile or
  Catnip)
- A homeopathic teething remedy that comes in sterile water (never in a pill or gel form)
- There are very safe, non-alcoholic organic herbal glycerites and other herbal solutions that would
  facilitate your  baby's comfort during this challenging time (do consult with a professional before
  making herbal choices)
- Give your baby lots of attention, hold your baby and love him/her - a parent's love is a remedy in itself!


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Food Allergies

There is a lot of information out there for the parents of children with various food allergies, ranging from mild reactions to anaphylaxis.  Sadly, we live in the age of childhood disorders and every "expert" has an opinion and an advice for the tired parents who are overwhelmed and exhausted.  I have looked at many books and articles dealing with food allergies in children and adults.  I also personally know parents and children who had to struggle with allergies to corn, to many grains, to certain oils, herbs... you name it!  I met a man who could eat nothing but raw milk and I met a nursing mother who could eat nothing but lamb meat, broths, and a few vegetables in her diet!  We hear these two words "food allergies"  a lot today and we can find all kinds of "remedies" for these reactions.  Unfortunately, many resources available to parents today contain only part of the story...  I have searched for a long time to find a resource that would give parents concrete explanations and good science behind nutritional choices they can make on a daily basis to deal with true food allergies and with other types of adverse reactions to foods.  Many "experts" recommend inclusion of some foods and elimination of other foods, but they don't get to the bottom of why these choices have to be made, for how long and how to heal the condition over time.  Some do offer explanations and reasons for these choices, however, these reasons are not based on well thought out concepts, correctly evaluated data or even on the real biological processes in the human body!  I see gluten-free recipes roaming the internet and dancing on the cook book pages, but they offer no long term solutions to gluten sensitivities and miss a bigger picture, - the root cause of these sensitivities.  I see mothers running from one isle to the other in natural grocery stores, reading every label, trying desperately to find one thing their kid can have safely and it brings such sadness to my heart.  I can only imagine how tired they are of all the advice they may have received over the years and how disappointing some of the results may have been for their little ones.  

With this said  I would like to offer the work of a brilliant doctor to all who are searching for complete, wholesome, simple, well researched and based on real science information about food sensitivities.  In my  professional opinion, this work tells the full story and it makes sense, which is not something I can say about most health information available to us.  Dr. Natasha Cambell-McBride is a medical doctor (her credentials and experience are rather impressive), a mother and a compassionate healer.  She has written a book called "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and I highly recommend it to all parents.  I found her work easy to understand for a parent with or without medical background and her solutions are practical and wholesome.  Her success stories speak for themselves.  She has helped thousands of children in her practice and continues to work tirelessly to spread the word about nutrition that works!

Please read a couple of articles linked below for an overview of her amazing work:


Article about Food  Allergies

Article about GAPS - Gut and Psychology  Syndrome



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