Thanks for reading!

Carrie

Random.org chose the winner for this contest: Rachel S!!

waiting for the local library to get a copy of the new book.  My family medical historyI enjoyed Real Food and have been  includes lots of miscarriages and trouble conceiving.  Combine that with an interest nutrition and gaining a copy of this book would be a great gift.  Thank you for the opportunity.

I am so happy to get this book into your hands, Rachel S!  Stay tuned, I’ll be in touch with you over the next few days to get your information!

Thanks again. For those of you who are still interested in the book, Amazon.com has it for a really good price right now:

Stay tuned for more great contests and giveaways coming soon at Organic and Thrifty!

Without further delay, the winner is….

….as chosen by the Random Number Generator…..

Christiana!!!!

Congratulations!  And thanks again to everyone else who played! 

As a consolation prize, Pure Indian Foods is offering a coupon for 10% off all orders through Monday, January 25th!!!

Use the coupon code “ORGANICTHRIFTY” at checkout!

To order, click the link below (if you can’t see it, be sure to disable your ad blocker on your browser preferences) and go enter on the Pure Indian Foods website:

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled Real Food Wednesday for a personal message to the backbone behind Organic and Thrifty…the “wind beneath my wings” as it were….and though this is not my most flattering picture, I post it because it
highlights the extreme handsomeness of my love. And no, I’m not going to sing you a Shaniah Twain song over youtube. Sorry!

Happy Anniversary, my Love!!!

Ghee is preferred over butter in many ways:

Great for cooking: Ghee does not contain milk solids and it is very stable at high heat. Because of its high smoke point (~400 °F), it is considered one of the best oils for baking, sautéing and deep fat frying. When you sauté with butter, the milk solids precipitate to the bottom of the pan and they can burn causing an unpleasant odor, appearance and taste. When you sauté and fry with ghee, there is no hissing, popping or splattering. It also has a sweet aroma and actually becomes richer in flavor as well.

Pure Indian Foods is a very special company that knows its ghee. In fact, that’s basically all they do.  One of the things that makes their ghee so superb is their commitment to organic, grass-fed, non-homeogenized milk. This ensures the purest product available; rich in CLA (a fatty acid and antioxidant which has been shown to prevent cancer).  If you’ll allow me to diverge into biochemical nutritional nerdism for a second, you can see why ghee can be an important part of cancer prevention, particularly breast cancer:

We have described two distinct activities of CLA in mammary cancer prevention. First, CLA feeding limited to the period of pubescent mammary gland development is sufficient to confer a lasting protection against the subsequent induction of mammary tumors. This effect is probably due to a decrease in mammary epithelial branching and proliferation of terminal end bud cells which are the target sites of mammary carcinogenesis.

Second, CLA is also capable of suppressing neoplastic progression. The inhibitory response is dose-dependent and requires a continuous availability of CLA. Additionally, our in vitro experiments show that CLA decreases cell growth and induces apoptosis in a primary mammary epithelial cell culture system. Future research will test the hypothesis that CLA suppresses mammary gland preneoplastic lesions by blocking cell proliferation and/or by stimulating apoptosis. Detailed mechanistic studies will be carried out first in cell culture, followed by animal experiments to validate the relevance of the in vitro information.Source

A few more reasons why ghee (or other grassfed milk products) should be a staple in the diets of growing children!

Now Organic and Thrifty readers can win a 6-pack of Pure Indian Foods’ Grass-Fed Ghee, a $50 value.

Here’s how to play:

To enter, click the link below (if you can’t see it, be sure to disable your ad blocker on your browser preferences) and go enter on the Pure Indian Foods website:

Bonus Entries:

1) Follow OrganicThrifty on twitter, and leave me a comment and introduce yourself!

2) Follow Pure Indian Foods on twitter! Leave a comment and let me know your screenname!

Don’t Delay!

Enter NOW! This giveaway is only up through Thursday, January 14, 12 midnight PST. The winner will be announced on Monday, January 18.

Contest Details:

This contest will end Thursday, January 14 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner will be chosen via random.org. The winner will be announced on Monday, January 18th  on my blog. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with his or her full name, address, and phone number.

Due to shipping costs, this contest is open to readers in the United States only.

Good luck, everybody!

Questions? Comment below.

Disclaimer: Pure Indian Foods is a Real Food Media sponsor and I do get paid a small amount for running this giveaway.

Holistic Medical Doctors Many people, due to insurance restrictions, are unable to take advantage of the services of an “alternative” practitioner such as a naturopath or chiropractor.  To find an MD who is more holistic and “integrative”, you might search www.acamnet.org for the American College for the Advancement of Medicine.  I have been impressed with several docs who have written about natural therapies who are members of this organization. You can search for a doctor or naturopath through their website.

Nutritional Therapy Practitioners practice in many parts of the US. You can look at www.nutritionaltherapy.com and click “Referral List” on the sidebar and search. While many do not bill insurance, Nutritional Therapists often offer their services at very affordable prices compared to doctors.

Also, health advocate and blogger Jimmy Moore has a great website called “http://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com/” which shows, state-by-state, doctors who practice a low-carb/grain free nutritional approach to disease management.  This is an especially helpful list for those who are suffering from digestive disorders and diabetes who may still be seeking answers for their conditions.

The Price-Pottenger Foundation  has a list of practitioners who practice medicine with a holistic, nutritional foundations approach.

Applied Kinesiolgy Is a form of energetic muscle testing utilized by many chiropractors, osteopaths, and naturopaths.  Practitioners who utilize applied kinesiology incorporate nutrition, alignment, herbs, and homeopathy into their healing protocols. For a list of doctors who utilize applied kinesiology, go here:

Metabolic Typing is a program by which a Metabolic Typing practitioner gathers information about you to determine your metabolic type.  Metabolic Typing practitioners then guide clients through their protocol based on their metabolic type.  If you’ d like an excellent explanation of metabolic typing, take a few minutes to read this. To find a Metabolic Typing Practitioner by state, go here. 

Orthomolecular Physicians are practitioners who utilize nutritional therapy and biochemical individuality to create a personalized nutrition plan to balance the body and promote healing.  Orthomolecular medicine and psychiatry are used all over the world. To find a practitioner, go here.

The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians has an amazing search feature by which you can search by specialty and state for a qualified Naturopathic Physician.

The American Holistic Medical Associationhas a beautiful mission statement, including the belief in the healing power of love. How beautiful! To find an MD or other pracitioner who practices holistic medicine, check out this search function.

If there are other search engines or listings that you know of, I would love to add them to this list. I will eventually make this post a page on my blog so that people can easily reference this resource in one place.

I sincerely hope that this information will help you in locating a practitioner who is right for you!

This post is a part of Works for Me Wednesday hosted by “We are THAT family”.

It’s hard to believe we are nearly halfway through December with holiday festivities just around the corner.  I have to admit, the rushing, the spending, the advertising, and the big box stores all really drain my energy this time of year.  Christmas is a sacred holiday centered around giving; which is a beautiful thing.  But when giving becomes indulgent, greedy, and wasteful I think we really miss the point.  Here at Organic and Thrifty, we value quality over quantity. We chose to support sustainable products and businesses and principles which give back to the earth and do no harm.  I’m not here to convince you that these need to be your values, but if they are, I encourage you to read on for some great sustainable (and quality!) Christmas ideas.  The best thing? You can avoid driving and long lines (and possibly even shipping!) and excellent costumer service along the way.

If you’ve ever checked out my Resources page, you have already been introduced to these great businesses. These sponsors all work through the Real Food Mediaad network, and when you support these businesses, a small percentage goes to support the work of this blog as well as the other Real Food Media bloggers.  Real Food Media is choosy about who we support, and you will be able to tell if you ever work with any of these businesses.  I’ve gotten feedback from readers who have ordered items from a number of different sponsor, and consistantly, across the board, the message is “Wow, I can’t believe what amazing customer service”.

The Nutrivene Company (listed as GapsDiet.com) actually personally called one reader after placing an order to make sure the order was correct and the shipment was received within a few days.  US Wellness meats offered another reader to gift wrap some of the items ordered and asked for specific instructions through e-mail.  Their order was received within a few days as well.  I mention these instances to illustrate that with these companies, you are working with real people, not beaurocrats and middle-men, who have a mission to promote real food, health, and sustainability. 

If you are still needing to complete your Christmas or Holiday shopping list, please take a peek through my Resources page and shop around!  But first, here’s some additional information:

Actual Organics

Actual organics has a line of cosmetics, perfumes, and mother-baby personal care items good enough to eat.  Literally.  No harmful ingredients.  Read more about them here!

The Homestead Company

If you’re looking for a great gift for someone in your life who struggles with dry skin or eczema, or are looking for a 100% natural and effective diaper rash cream, check out the products offered at The Homestead Company.  Check out my resources page for a 15% off coupon on your order!

US Wellness Meats

If you want to give a gift of wellness that is unique and fun, why not give someone the opportunity to choose from the myriad of items sold at US Wellness meats?  A gift certificate will give someone in your life a chance to choose from high quality, sustainably raised beef, pork. goat, rabbit, turkey, grassfed cheese.

Grass-fed beef is rich in omega-3 anti-inflammatory fatty acids (the healthy fat found in salmon), in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a proven cancer fighter and lean muscle-building tool, as well as vitamins A and E, essential nutrients that are known for their antioxidant properties. When it comes to nutrition, grass-fed beef truly is a completely different animal. (source)

The Urban Homemaker

If you value thrift and self-sustainability, the The Urban Homemaker is your one-stop shopping center for all items that will help you be more self-sufficient!  This family-run business supplies all kinds of resources for the kitchen, including Bosch mixers, grain mills, and Norwex environmental products (you have to go read about these amazing products!)

Cultures for Health

I’ve blogged a lot about this amazing little company; but don’t just think they sell cultures.  At Cultures for Health you’ll find a host of other gift-worthy items such as cheesemaking kits, Excalibur dehydrators (my favorite dehydrator!!!), and an extensive collection of the best books on the subject of Real Foods.  Check them out; you’ll find some unique books and kitchen supplies, and even gift certificates are available.

Pure Indian Foods Grassfed Ghee

Grassfed ghee is an utter nectar of heaven, and what a unique and amazing gift to give!   The best thing? It’s lactose and casein free, which means it can be enjoyed by people on the GAPS diet or who are simply looking for a wholesome source of animal fat.   Check out their website for countless articles and information on the amazing health benefits of ghee.

I hope you’ll consider supporting these purveyors of high-quality foods!  Spend wisely!

It’s rather obvious to most that pregnant and nursing women have significantly higher nutritional needs than the rest of us. What we don’t often acknowledge, at least in this culture, are the important nutritional needs of women long before they become pregnant.  Traditional cultures understood this; a typical preconception diet was practiced by both husband and wife for six months prior to conception.  When Dr. Weston A. Price travelled the world in the early 1900′s, he noted in several instances when the nutrient-dense foods were reserved especially for the newly married couples to eat.

Beyond the basic general “eat healthy” guidelines for fertility, there are actually many things you can do to ensure optimal nutrient stores and minimal toxin levels to create an ideal environment for a growing baby.  Unfortunately, many people (both men and women) spend years abusing their bodies with poor food, alcohol, caffiene, drugs–both illegal and OTC–synthetic hormones (birth control pills), and just generally over-stressed behaviors.  All of these lifestyle choices depleate the body of vitamins and minerals and in their place leave a load of toxins and damage.

The good news is that those toxins don’t have to stay, and you can rebuild your lost vitamin and mineral stores.  Taking six months to a year to wean yourself of the highly addictive bad behaviors is crucial to having a healthy pregnancy.  It’s a good idea to find a naturopathic doctor or wholistic nutrition pracitioner who can assess your nutritonal status and provide foundational support for your body’s systems.  Pregnancy obviously works best when all systems are “go”; especially digestive and endocrine.  Your body has a human to build!! 

Traditionally, cultures that value this preconception period reserved the finest, most nutrient-dense foods for the pregnant, nursing, and preconception  mothers.  These foods included fish roe (eggs), seafood, liver, and certain kinds of fats found in the body of a hunted animal, such as kidney fat.  Butter from cows grazing on spring grass, along with cod liver oil is also an incredible source of fat-soluable vitamins that are so important for functionality.  Lacto-fermented beverages (such as beet kvass) or kombucha are very tonifying to the blood and detoxifying, which is crucial for the prepregnancy period.

The dreaded morning sickness during pregnancy is said to be caused by a number of different factors, but all stem from the same source: nutrient deficiency.  Whether it’s dehydration, vitamin deficiency, or high toxic load in the liver, all of these problems magnify the symptoms of morning sickness.  If nothing else, a proper prepregancy diet can be a proactive approach to preventing possible morning sickness.

Here are some basic tips for optimizing fertility through real food:

1) Get out all the junk!  White sugar, white flour, colas, fruit juices, transfats (read:packaged foods), cigarettes, alcohol (let your liver rest and detox!), and start to wein yourself off of caffiene.

2) Get hydrated! Start drinking water! Plain and simple.  I enjoy my water with a squeeze of lemon juice and  a pinch of sea salt (which is good for someone who suffers from adrenal fatigue).  I’m going to post more about hydration in the coming weeks, and share a secret I’ve found to help keep me hydrated!

3) See a functional nutritional practitioner:This can be a naturopath, oesteopath, MD, chiropractor, or wholistic nutritional therapist who uses functional nutritional testing assess the state of your health and can provide necessary supplementation support.  You will be glad to know of any vitamin deficiencies beforegetting pregnant so that those issues can be resolved.  Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D levels are good ones to know, as these contribute to some important metabolic functions that are crucial for a healthy pregnancy.  Folic acid, of course, is very important as well for the prevention of neural tube defects in babies.  Believe me, I wish I would have known about this option before I was pregnant with my first!

4) Adopt a cleansing/detox protocolwith the help of the above-described health pracitioner.  It’s probably pretty obvious why we’d want to get the toxins out before baby comes. Now granted, the baby is VERY protected by the placenta and the umbilicus during pregnancy, but toxins are toxins, and no matter how good the body is at keeping them away from baby, wouldn’t it be nice to try to get them out of you too?

5) Destress . This is so important for mothers to master this!  Stress affects the adrenals, which impairs our ability to function and meet the demands of pregnancy and motherhood.  A 2001 study linked major stress during pregnancy as a possible contributor to autism. 

6) Rule out possible barriers to fertility.  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is one of the leading causes of infertility and is associated often with insulin resistance and diabetes (type 2) in women. It is a condition in which the ovaries become infiltrated by many tiny cysts. This condition can go undiagnosed, but symptoms include irregular menstration, acne, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.  Although medication is an option, there are many people who have success in managing their insulin levels through a low carbohydrate diet.  Other than medications, a low carb diet is the only way to get insulin levels back under control, which is so important even if you don’t have PCOS.  If you suspect PCOS, a non-invasive, non-harmful way to see if you have improvement is to begin a starch-free diet that is high in good quality fats (NOT trans fats, but YES saturated fats are okay), and moderate in good quality protein.  Avoiding sugar and starch and limiting fruits is key.  It may sound harsh, but truly you feel so much better once you break the carb addiction cycle and the weight does begin to fall off and the menstration returns to normal.  SO many problems are centered upon insulin.  It’s not saturated fat!  It’s excess glucose and the resulting insulin that is so damaging!  But that’s beyond the point of this article.

Registerd Dietician Martha McKittrick writes:

PCOS is a metabolic disorder that affects  5 – 7.5% of all women. It is the number one cause of infertilityand if left untreated, can increase risk of endometrial cancer. In addition, women with PCOS are at a greater risk for heart disease and diabetes. Until recently, diet was not thought of as an important adjunct in treatment. However, since the fairly recent discovery regarding the role insulin resistance plays many experts now believe that diet should be a part of the treatment plan. Although further research is needed, it is believed that diet can help reduce insulin resistance, which can not only help erratic menses, hirsutism and acne, but may decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes as well.

Another often undiagnosed problem that contributes to infertility is Celiac Disease. In a 2009 article in Medical News Today, medical experts are finally coming out and saying:

Health studies suggest that celiac disease, a hereditary condition that often goes undiagnosed, can lead to infertility. Experts acknowledge that without treatment, celiac disease can cause repeated miscarriages and early menopause.

It might be encouraging to know that both Celiac and PCOS can be effectively managed through diet, and a diet low in starch, high in good fats, and moderate in protein is not harmful to anyone and at the same time has been shown repeatedly to prevent heart disease, diabetes (type 2), and to control PCOS and Celiac symptoms.

Well, fortunately there are many great resources to assist us in answering this question. One book is Nina Planck’s Real Food for Mother and Baby which talks in depth describing diets for preconception, pregnancy, nursing, and baby’s first foods.  I recently had the opportunity to listen to a podcast interview on Jimmy Moore’s “The Livin’ La Vida Low Carb Show” with Nina, and I think you will enjoy it as well.  Nina’s books are available on my resource page also. In fact, one very fortunate reader is going to get a FREE COPY of Nina Planck’s Real Food for Mother and Baby coming soon. If you’re not already a twitter follower, become one and you won’t miss the info about this upcoming giveaway!

The most recent Weston A. Price Foundation conference had a few things to say about fertility nutrition as well; in fact, that was the theme of the conference. I was unfortunately unable to attend this year, but many of my fellow Real Food Media bloggers were there and soon the entire collection of MP3s from the conference talks will be available for purchase through my resources page as well.  Stay tuned!

 Finally, you might enjoy a stop over at Naturally Knocked Up and read Donielle’s amazing real-food healing story from PCOS!

This post was submitted in conjunction with Real Food Wednesdays and Works for Me Wednesday.

Housekeeping Note: I have gotten lots of questions about how to subscribe to this blog. For some reason I’m having major challenges in this area with WordPress, so the easiest thing to do is to do it the old fashioned way. So e-mail me: carrie [at] organicthrifty [dot] com and I will manually add you to my e-mail subscription list until I can figure out the more sophisticated way of doing it! Thanks for reading!

Moderation or Cold Turkey?

There are two schools of thought on this one.  I say that it depends upon the health of your child.  Refined carbs (white flour, white sugar, even white rice) are stripped of all of their nutrients and thus actually deplete the body of mineralsduring digestion.  Not to mention the triggering of insulin, which over time, can become resistant and can lead to type II diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and obesity.  So the main quesiton is: How much is okay in moderation?

Here are some questions you should ask yourself with regard to sugar and moderation:

1. How many minerals do I want my child’s growing body to waste in order to process this “toaster pastry”?

2.How many empty calories do I want to give my child today?

3. How much insulin would I like my child’s pancreas to produce in order to deal with the effects of these foods?

Reasonably speaking, I think moderation with white flour/white sugar would look like one serving, one time per week, if at all.  The truth is, white sugar is addictive (and sugar addiction is linked closely to alcoholism) and if your child is the type who “can’t live without sugar” (as mine was!) then you really have to starve their little bodies of the sugar before they can break the addiction. So again, I say: It depends, but somewhere between none and a little bit.

Tips for the Transition

Everyone loves their treats, and I joke that I give my kids just as many treats as the next parent; only my rule is that a “treat’ is something that is nutrient-dense, full of good fats, protein, and unrefined, whole-food sweeteners (primarily using real fruit, raw honey, and stevia).

Here are some random tips, in no particular order, just some ideas that work for us. 

Note: If you suspect your child has candida, you really do need to get rid of all sweeteners (even natural ones) except for perhaps stevia. Grains and starches should also be eliminated for a time.  If you suspect that your child is suffering from a sugar addiction or candida, I strongly suggest taking him/her to a wholistic nutritionist or naturopath who can specifically guide you on a path to healing.  The GAPS dietis also an incredibly helpful therapeutic diet that healed my daughter of candida.

1. Know that above all else, your child’s body will eventually not miss the refined stuff.  I never thought that could possibly be true with our daughter who was so carb addicted, (and don’t get me wrong, she still loves an occasional, wholesome treat) but it’s so true! Their bodies really do want real, nutrient-dense food.  Once you break the sugar addiction cycle (which can be anywhere from 10-40 days), the body will start to crave less and desire nutrient-dense food.

2. Get the junk out of the house (if at all possible).If you have a disagreeable spouse or older child who is entrenched in their habits, you might need to settle for a lock box.  Point being, if every “choice” in your refrigerator/freezer/pantry is one you can live with your child eating, then you are much more likely to have success. Therefore, get rid of juice (try a fruity iced herbal tea flavored with stevia), boxed crackers, cookies, granola bars, pasta, etc.

3. Find good quality substitutions, but use them sparingly.  Brown rice pasta is a reasonable substitute for wheat noodles (although it’s still very starchy, and those in the candida category need to find other innovative pasta bases, like my zucchini noodles or kelp noodles).  Almond flour is an incredible substitute for wheat flour. With its balanced, nutrient-dense profile of fats, minerals, and protein it is an ideal choice for crackers, cakes, muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, and breading.  I highly recommend amazing food blogger Elana Amsterdam’s The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. Let me caution, however, that it’s easy (and expensive) to go overboard with gluten-free substitutions. It’s better to ultimately learn to live with less baked goods are more whole, real foods. We need to get to the point where an apple or orange is an amazingly indulgent dessert.  I also highly recommend Bruce Fife’s Cooking with Coconut Flour.  Both of these books have inspired birthday cakes and desserts that have gotten rave reviews by “regular folks”.  These books (and countless others) provide recipes for pizza crust, pancakes, pie crusts, cobblers, and cookies that are gluten free and refined sugar free!

4. Avoid poor quality substitutions.  One of my biggest problems with the whole “gluten free” movement is that I think it misses the boat in that it often substitutes one high-carb paradigm for another.  Nearly all of the gluten-free baking mixes on the market use cane sugar (often refined), white rice flour, and countless starches, such as potato starch. All of these components render these goodies pretty high on the glycemic index, thus not really being good at all.  Always read the labels; better yet, buy food without a label (or make it yourself!). It will be a great day when there are gluten-free baking mixes that include almond flour and coconut flour as their main components!

5. Make sure your child is getting enough good quality fats. Fats are critical for the absorption of many key nutrients for immunity, such as fat-soluble A and D.  Fats also give us a feeling of satiation and they balance our blood sugar as well.  Virgin, unrefined coconut oil is ideal for its antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It’s also a medium-chain fatty acid, which means that it is absorbed in the small intestine and doesn’t require bile salts to be released to break them down. Thus, MCFAs provide quick energy and facilitate the body’s transition to using fats for energy.  Organic butter, nuts, avocados, raw whole milk, seeds, animal fats, and coconut oil are all good quality fats.

6. Be firm.  You are the parent, you don’t have to give in.  And if they refuse to eat the gluten free food you are providing, let them go ahead and starve for a day (I promise they will eat eventually and will be fine).  When hunger comes from the stomach rather than the taste buds, it’s amazing how appetizing a plate of broccoli drizzled with butter is.  Be sure to provide “incentives” for eating their dinner, such as a delicious whole food treat. Nut balls are an easy and quick treat most kids love.  If they refuse to eat your dinner, you may want to find a “reasonable compromise” that requires no work for you to prepare that they can eat instead. (In our family, you are welcome to eat the dinner I make or a can of sardines or hard-boiled egg).  The alternatives are acceptable to me, easy to prepare, and not particularly appealing!

7. Start young. I plead with you!!! If you have a nursing baby who is just about to start solids, let me gently plead with you to make good choices from the start, and you will never have to backpedal and take away the bad.  Our second child was on real, whole foods from the start and we never compromised with candy, sugar, wheat, etc.  Instead, we fed him liver pate as a baby, introduced sardines shortly after 12 months, gave him lots of broths, seaweed, and all sorts of nutrient-dense foods.  He still loves them now, and has a taste for them rather than the empty foods. It’s so much easier to raise them without bad foods from the start if you can!

8. Accept your limitations and be okay with it.  If you are in a situaiton where you can’t control all the meals your child is eating, don’t worry.  If your child is getting a steady dose of wholesome meals at home, chances are the effects of the junk will be mitigated and it may not even be all that appealing. 

9. If you are able to, pack food for your child to take to school/church/scouts/soccer/camp/etc.  I’m in the habit of always taking something with us wherever we go in case my children are hungry and there is nothing they can eat.  I often grab basic, portable things like crispy nuts, dried fruit, smoked salmon or jerky, and raw cheese.  Play the “allergy card” because most places that work with children understand this and comply.

10. You teach, you teach, you teach.  Teaching our children how to make good choices when they are not with us is a crucial life skill, and is something worth talking about often.  I’ve taught my children how to discriminate between “real food” and “fake food” and we always read labels.  We look at the weekly grocery store circulars and I point to various items and we talk about healthy and non-healthy choices.  I know, I’m a total nerdy nutcase!!!  But it’s worth it because I can really trust my 4 year old not to sneak the cookie off the kid’s table at church, or take the lollipop from the Trader Joe’s cashier (or even put up a “but whhhhhy Mommy??!??!?”). 

Another great thing is to help the children learn to cook. It’s amazing to me how much more likely my kids are to eat what I make when they help me prepare it!  Even children as young as 9 months old can “help” while being carried in a sling or front pack to see what’s going on.

I hope these have been somewhat helpful, and offer this last thought: I think that fundamentally our bodies know how it feels to be healthy, and sugar is a major health inhibitor.  Once we get it out of the body, we begin to function better, have more focus, more energy, and more peace.