So my 5yo has a few cavities in her milk teeth. That was quite a shocker for me, as she has brushed her teeth daily, we make sure that we eat healthy. Obviously not healthy enough. She did have the odd bit of white flour product and sugar when we visited friends or family or when she was playing at another childs house. I had figured it wouldn't be that bad. Obviously it was.
So then the dentist comes with the luminous idea to drill and fill. With 1 it worked out. With the next it did't. My daughter was scared and didn't want to co-operate. Obviously the first time had been difficult on her.
The dentist wanted to refer us to a specialist dentist who would do it with anaesthesia. Somehow that just didn't sound right. There had to be a better way.
Besides the whole drilling and filling thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
And then my brain went onto the rollercoaster of thinking. How could it be that our teeth, the ones we depend on our whole life, go down the drain that fast and how come so many people are dependent on replacements, especially when so many people brush daily and do all they have been told.
It didn't make sense. There had to be more to it.
And there was.
After a nice search in information online and offline I found what was "the more to it".
The human diet has changed dramatically over the last 100 plus years. We have lots and lots and lots of processed foods, lots of junk food. Just immense amount of dead food.
And the it seriously hit me. How can food that is totally devoid of nutritients help you keep your body healthy and how can it help a 5-yo grow???
Obviously that is not going to work very well.
So after I have already been into thinking the WAPF way of nutrition I realized that we had gone downhill in our nutrition the weeks before our move. We had speed meals in stead of slow meals, which contain much more nutrients.
Other than that she had had a massive growth spurt, which means she needed even more nutritients, which we basically weren't using.
So then my thinking got me to realize that when the body is growing the building blocks have to come from somewhere and that would be the bones and the teeth.
And then it also hit me that this can be healed, contrary to popular belief.
Nothing in our body is dead, and our body's are very well capable or repairing, our bones can repair, so why not our teeth.
Well... also our teeth can heal. So I got myself a nice little book which explains it all and also explains in lots of detail which foods take nutritients out of your body and which foods give you a nice amount of it.
So we are going to use that now to build up the body's of our little ones to make sure they are healthy.
Will be interesting with family visits with loads of cookies, crips, syrups and all that stuff, as we won't be doing that anymore :-)
Friday 30 January 2009
Monday 19 January 2009
co-sleeping success
My dear partner slept in a cot in his own room without any attention at night, screaming or not, from birth. So when he and I spent the odd weekend together he had problems sleeping that one Saturday night because I was there right next to him in a king size bed. He wasn't used to it. Then slowly but carefully he did get used to it. After a while he was able to have our bodies touch while we were sleeping there, which I really enjoyed.
A while after that I got unplanned pregnant. So I discussed the family bed with him, as I had done the family bed with my older 2 children. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep again until the baby would leave our bed. I told him that he got used to co-sleeping with me, so he probably would be able to get used to having a baby with us. At first our baby didn't move much after she was born, so he had no problems, but as she grew older and managed to move around more he did get the odd night that he had trouble sleeping, but he did enjoy having her next to him. He didn't see her 5 days a week so he needed the nights to bond, so he persevered. He loved having her around and managed to relax and sleep. Not always all night, but who does.
After 4 years with her alone in our bed I was pregnant again and of course our new baby would sleep with us. This got my partner a bit anxious as he didn't know how 4 would fit in the bed. I told him to relax, we would see how things would work. Time would tell. Time did tell. Initially our youngest was at the side of the bed, but the she got more active and my partner noticed his bond with our 4yo was stronger than with our youngest, so we switched, our 4yo went to the side of our bed next to me and the baby in the middle. Later on the baby was nearly a year she was big enough to be next to her big sister and now the both of the are "in the middle". Sometimes almost pushing me out of the bed, sometimes almost pushing my partner out of the bed.
I think this is quite a success story on co-sleeping. My partner had to learn to co-sleep and he succeeded very well. Its done him good the physical contact with me and our girls.
A while after that I got unplanned pregnant. So I discussed the family bed with him, as I had done the family bed with my older 2 children. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep again until the baby would leave our bed. I told him that he got used to co-sleeping with me, so he probably would be able to get used to having a baby with us. At first our baby didn't move much after she was born, so he had no problems, but as she grew older and managed to move around more he did get the odd night that he had trouble sleeping, but he did enjoy having her next to him. He didn't see her 5 days a week so he needed the nights to bond, so he persevered. He loved having her around and managed to relax and sleep. Not always all night, but who does.
After 4 years with her alone in our bed I was pregnant again and of course our new baby would sleep with us. This got my partner a bit anxious as he didn't know how 4 would fit in the bed. I told him to relax, we would see how things would work. Time would tell. Time did tell. Initially our youngest was at the side of the bed, but the she got more active and my partner noticed his bond with our 4yo was stronger than with our youngest, so we switched, our 4yo went to the side of our bed next to me and the baby in the middle. Later on the baby was nearly a year she was big enough to be next to her big sister and now the both of the are "in the middle". Sometimes almost pushing me out of the bed, sometimes almost pushing my partner out of the bed.
I think this is quite a success story on co-sleeping. My partner had to learn to co-sleep and he succeeded very well. Its done him good the physical contact with me and our girls.
Fast food, why is it soooo irresistable
I have wondered about that time and again. Somehow it keeps being an attraction, though we know its not good. One of the reasons why its so bad is that the fries are fried in vegetable oil, which no doubt contains a lot of soy oil, which is really really unhealthy.
So I ran into this, through a friends blog and it all makes a lot more sense now :-(
Have a read: McDonalds fries
So I ran into this, through a friends blog and it all makes a lot more sense now :-(
Have a read: McDonalds fries
Thursday 8 January 2009
Thoughts on fat and obesity by Jess Boulette Frazier
We are told that we are getting fatter in this society because we eat a high fat diet. But the truth is that we do not eat a diet that is necessarily higher in fat than what was eaten 100 years ago (and beyond). In fact, low-fat and non-fat products (especially dairy products) are promoted heavily in our society and many people eat these products. Conversely, 100+ years ago, people were drinking whole milk, eating real butter, using cream in their porridges, valuing eggs for their life-giving properties, relishing the fat from meats, etc.
When you look at diets from about 100 years ago, the big difference that you do see is that we eat a lot more refined sugar (and products that contain them) and a lot more refined processed grain products. We eat refined sliced breads, crackers, cookies, breakfast cereals, refined pastas and rices, etc. In fact, the bulk of most peoples' diets are such refined and processed simple starch grain products.
Refined grains cause our blood sugar to be imbalanced, and they affect the hormones that cause you to feel full after eating. As a consequence, we eat these foods and still feel hungry, so we eat more and more of these nutrient-devoid foods, more and more empty calories. And this is a big part of why we are getting fat.
When you limit fat, your body wants to horde that fat. So if you are limiting fat and eating lots of starchy carbs instead, your body will hang on to the fat and gladly use the carbs as fuel instead. If you eat fat regularly, your body will not be in "starvation mode", and consequently eating more fat will actually help you burn more fat. If you look at primitive societies you will see that they valued animal fats for health and survival. They freely ate full-fat dairy products, animals fats, and organ meats as well as whatever plant fats they could find. They knew they needed fat to live, and since they were not eating an abundance of refined starches, their bodies used the fat as fuel during their daily activities, and hence their bodyfat was regulated and kept in balance. They had the amount of bodyfat they needed for health and survival and optimal functioning, without storing an unhealthy excess.
Eating fat, such as full-fat dairy products, also makes us feel more full and helps us reduce our cravings for refined starchy grain products. In addition, if you do eat whole grain products, eating healthy fats (such as full-fat minimally processed butter and cream) along with the grains actually helps you digest, absorb, and utilize the vitamins and minerals in the whole grain products. Dairy products and other animal fat products contain fat-soluble vitamins, which are necessary for the absorption and utilization of the minerals and water-soluble vitamins found in grains, vegetables, and meat. When our ancestors ate their porridge with cream, and their bread with butter, they probably weren't just doing it to make it taste better! Without these fats we are not getting the most out of the other foods in our diet, leaving us in a constant state of nutrient starvation.
When we consider these facts, it becomes abundantly clear that it is not fat per se that is making us fat. It is processed and refined sugars and starchy grains.
A simple comparison of today's typical diet (and products available on grocery store shelves) with that of 100 years ago will clearly show that the most dramatic difference in diet is the greatly increased consumption of processed, refined, prepackaged grain products (often laden with refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup), and the simultaneous decrease in the consumption of healthy fats. This fact alone should lead us to look at these sugary nutrient-devoid grains as one of the main culprits of our obesity problems.
[As a personal testament of sorts, I have lost 20 lbs. (and maintained that loss) just by switching from low-fat dairy products to whole organic (preferably non-homogenized) milk, butter from grass-fed cows, and whole cream-top yogurt. I have also incorporated extra virgin coconut oil (a healthy tropical fat) into my cooking whenever possible. My consumption of refined grain products has not changed much, though that is one of my major dietary goals, and I still lead a life that is much too sedentary. I am just astonished that increasing my intake of healthy fats alone has had such an effect on me.]
When you look at diets from about 100 years ago, the big difference that you do see is that we eat a lot more refined sugar (and products that contain them) and a lot more refined processed grain products. We eat refined sliced breads, crackers, cookies, breakfast cereals, refined pastas and rices, etc. In fact, the bulk of most peoples' diets are such refined and processed simple starch grain products.
Refined grains cause our blood sugar to be imbalanced, and they affect the hormones that cause you to feel full after eating. As a consequence, we eat these foods and still feel hungry, so we eat more and more of these nutrient-devoid foods, more and more empty calories. And this is a big part of why we are getting fat.
When you limit fat, your body wants to horde that fat. So if you are limiting fat and eating lots of starchy carbs instead, your body will hang on to the fat and gladly use the carbs as fuel instead. If you eat fat regularly, your body will not be in "starvation mode", and consequently eating more fat will actually help you burn more fat. If you look at primitive societies you will see that they valued animal fats for health and survival. They freely ate full-fat dairy products, animals fats, and organ meats as well as whatever plant fats they could find. They knew they needed fat to live, and since they were not eating an abundance of refined starches, their bodies used the fat as fuel during their daily activities, and hence their bodyfat was regulated and kept in balance. They had the amount of bodyfat they needed for health and survival and optimal functioning, without storing an unhealthy excess.
Eating fat, such as full-fat dairy products, also makes us feel more full and helps us reduce our cravings for refined starchy grain products. In addition, if you do eat whole grain products, eating healthy fats (such as full-fat minimally processed butter and cream) along with the grains actually helps you digest, absorb, and utilize the vitamins and minerals in the whole grain products. Dairy products and other animal fat products contain fat-soluble vitamins, which are necessary for the absorption and utilization of the minerals and water-soluble vitamins found in grains, vegetables, and meat. When our ancestors ate their porridge with cream, and their bread with butter, they probably weren't just doing it to make it taste better! Without these fats we are not getting the most out of the other foods in our diet, leaving us in a constant state of nutrient starvation.
When we consider these facts, it becomes abundantly clear that it is not fat per se that is making us fat. It is processed and refined sugars and starchy grains.
A simple comparison of today's typical diet (and products available on grocery store shelves) with that of 100 years ago will clearly show that the most dramatic difference in diet is the greatly increased consumption of processed, refined, prepackaged grain products (often laden with refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup), and the simultaneous decrease in the consumption of healthy fats. This fact alone should lead us to look at these sugary nutrient-devoid grains as one of the main culprits of our obesity problems.
[As a personal testament of sorts, I have lost 20 lbs. (and maintained that loss) just by switching from low-fat dairy products to whole organic (preferably non-homogenized) milk, butter from grass-fed cows, and whole cream-top yogurt. I have also incorporated extra virgin coconut oil (a healthy tropical fat) into my cooking whenever possible. My consumption of refined grain products has not changed much, though that is one of my major dietary goals, and I still lead a life that is much too sedentary. I am just astonished that increasing my intake of healthy fats alone has had such an effect on me.]
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