One of the questions that I get the most often comes from parents who swear their children will never eat this way. I have watched friends who have a power struggle at every meal with their child.  The problem is that often we forget that as a parent we are RESPONSIBLE for our children's health.  It is up to us to bring home food that nourishes their bodies and gives them the very best start in life that we can.  Now that usually requires a quick learning curve of what is actually healthy for many parents.  

We also think that if we try feeding our kiddos all of these veggies, fruits, rice and beans that they will end up starving in their refusal.   If we are brining home chocolate chip cookies and potato chips, then of course the kids (and the adults too) will gravitate towards those items!!!  What happens when you stop buying them though?  When there are no cookies or chips, then what do the kids eat instead?  I will be completely honest and tell you that your kids will tell you there is no food in the house for a little while.  However, you just keep pointing to the big bowl of apples on the counter, remind them of the grapes in the fridge, the cut up carrots, hummus, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, nuts, seeds, blueberries, raisins, applesauce, etc.  Soon you will realize that when they say there is no food, they are actually telling you there is no junk food.  :)  Will your kids eat this way??  Absolutely!!!  Don't worry if they refuse a meal or two.    Quickly they will learn that THIS is dinner and there is nothing else to choose from.  

Feed them oatmeal loaded with nuts, blueberries, bananas, shredded coconut and cinnamon for breakfast.   For lunch, tortillas filled with fat free refried beans, guacamole or avocados, and fresh spinach.  Even a peanut butter and jam sandwich is a great choice!  Dinner..... oh dinner .... there are so many great options.  Taco soup, salad, spaghetti, veggie hot dogs, avocado rolls, vegan quesadillas, lentil tacos and cajun veggie burgers are just a few of our favorites.  Get creative!   Look for simple meal ideas on this website and on Pinterest.  If you don't like cooking, keep it simple and get the kids to help you make it!  Kids love to be a part of the meal making process and then they are more vested in the meal and more likely to eat it!  You seriously can eat this way and have dinner on the table in less then 10 minutes.... with a smile on everyone's face and their bellies full of good food.  

I just recently had my yearly physical at my doctor's office.  For me this is always dreaded, because I HATE blood work.   Yes, that is with a capital H-A-T-E.   Not because I fear the results, but instead I fear the needle.  I did it though and managed to survive it, like I always do. 

For me the blood test results remind me that I am doing the right thing with my diet.  My doctor is always in awe of how great my levels are and teases me that I am "boring".  I would much rather be boring when it comes to my health!

Now, I need to let you know that my levels are not due to great genetics.  My parents and siblings do not eat the same way that I do and they are on medications to manage some of these levels in their system.     Genetics are nice, but the food you put in your body really does matter!

Here are some of my blood test results, just to show you what a difference the foods you eat really makes.    *Lisa's Results

CRP - C-reactive protein (CRP) is a blood test marker for inflammation in the body.  
  *0.8 mg/L  Lower then average cardiovascular risk.   

Calcium - without drinking an ounce of cow milk in a very long time  
 *9.6 mg/dl (8.6-10.2 mg/dl Normal Range)

Total Cholesterol
 *161 mg/dl ( <200 is optimal risk category)

HDL Cholesterol
 *69 mg/dl (>=46 is optimal risk category)

Triglycerides
 *105 mg/dl (<150 is optimal risk category)

I hope that by sharing this personal information, you can see what a difference you can make in your life by changing some of the things you eat.  Also, I hope that this helps to show you that dairy and meat are not a necessity for our health.  Quite the opposite...

Have you ever drank too much coffee, tea, or Coke?  You know that jittery, horrible feeling?  You know...the one that no matter how hard you try, you can't sit still, despite being exhausted?  That is a similar feeling that kids with ADHD have.  They don't want to run circles around your living room, but because of the junk placed in the foods they are eating, they just can't sit still.  They also have a really hard time focusing on something through completion.  I see this same thing in the yoga classes that I teach.   Some of us are lucky enough that we can work it off, by doing some form of exercise or activity.  However, when foods are causing this and you eat 3-5 times a day, you have a constant supply of the problem entering your body and causing the ADHD.

One of the first times I realized the difference that food could make, was when we were trying to manage ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in one of our children.    I had learned about the Feingold Diet that was created by Dr. Ben Feingold.  He found the relationship between food and it's affect on the attention and behavior of some individuals.   In my mind, it was worth a try before having to resort to prescription drugs.  Little did I know that, as often happens in life, this one step would lead me down a new path of how I looked at food. 

This was the first time we had a major overhaul of the food we ate.  It involved removing the foods with certain additives, preservatives, colorings, etc that had been linked to causing trouble for some people.  I won't lie...it was hard...for the first week.   Then, the results made it all worth it!  We had friends asking us what prescriptions we were using because the affects were that noticeable.  It was amazing!  Our hyperactive child, who couldn't sit still or focus, became calm.  He was able to relax and take in the world around him, without needing to always be going a million miles an hour.  He was able to focus long enough to do school work and to learn.   

When it came down to it, it really was just a matter of buying different brands for the things that we typically ate.  By swapping brands, we were able to avoid the additives and colorings that were causing the hyperactivity and lack of focus to begin with.  I even went through our pantry and fridge with a marker and put an "X" on anything that was not Feingold approved, so that we didn't accidentally give our child something that wasn't approved.  

The foods that we feed our children, and ourselves, matter more than we realize.  With each meal we can choose heath and wellbeing or agitation and disease.  It is one thing to choose to feed ourselves poorly, but to do the same for our children is not allowing them their full potential in life.  How well can anyone learn or grow if they feel ill or addicted all of the time? 

As a Mom to teenagers, we quickly ran across a pretty bad case of acne in one of my children.  We tried all of the traditional routes with benzoyl peroxide, sulfur masks, salicylic acid and even stronger pharmaceutical grade skin care products from a dermatologist.  When our pediatrician pointed out that my child's skin was actually scarring, I finally got fed up and realized we needed to look at food again.  The solution was so easy!  Carrot juice.  See, I told you it was simple!   I would end up using 10-15 carrots, depending on the size of the carrots and would make 12-16 oz of carrot juice every other day for my child. The difference was outstanding!  His skin started to clear and eventually the acne was gone.  With time, the scars began to fade as well.  

The problem was solved and at some point we slacked off and quit making carrot juice.   It took a few months, but the acne is back again and I am reminded of the importance of it for my teenage son.  So, we started the carrot juice and I am watching it clear the acne from my son's face again.  We have shared this with our friends, that had also been suffering with acne, and it worked for them as well. Amazing.  It reminds me of the quote by Hippocrates,   “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”  With the carrot juice, there is no longer the need for the medicines.