Thursday, October 18, 2007

The "why's and how's" of living and eating "healthy"
(click links in blue)

The "why".

1 Cor 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
And, because I care what I am putting into my body, and the bodies of my family. God entrusted me with raising these little people, I intend to do my best.
People often wonder WHY 1 in 4 people are diagnosed with cancer, WHY the diabetes rates are so high, WHY obesity is an epidemic, and WHY heart disease is the #1 killer. I will tell you why. Look at the way we eat, and treat our bodies.

The "how"

It's much easier to eat the standard American diet (SAD) than to scrutinize everything.
Here are some of the changes I have made, and why.
- no longer use white sugar. Evaporated cane juice crystals, turbinado sugar, and sucanat are much healthier options. Available at the grocery store.
- no longer buy regular milk. Organic milk, or raw are much healthier options. Perhaps try Rice Milk. Regular (store bought) milk contains hormones (that are given to the cows so that they will produce more milk), and antibiotics (given to cows because of their living conditions, and mastitis due to milk production). These things are passed on to you in the milk. Research shows that this is why young girls are reaching puberty at a much younger age. Also a contributing factor as to why we are immune to all but the strongest antibiotics.
- no longer use white flour. Zero nutritional value in it. It has been bleached with a chemical similar to chlorine bleach. Whole grain flours are much healthier. I do use organic AP flour sometimes.
-no longer buy commercial meats/poultry. We raise our own chickens, and occasionally buy meat from farmers we trust. My family also likes venison, which we always have on hand (thanks to my hubby, and Jackson)
-I only buy 100% juice. No sugar added. My kids are allowed 1 cup a day, the rest of the time they are encouraged to drink WATER.
-buy organic whenever possible. Organic produce and grains have not been sprayed with toxic pesticides, and herbicides. Organic dairy products (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.) have been fed organic diets, are free of pesticides, and herbicides, and have not been given growth hormones nor antibiotics.
- make my own bread whenever possible. No, I don't knead and roll the traditional way. I dump all the ingredients in my handy-dandy bread machine, push the button, and walk away. 3 hours later...home made bread. Yum!!!
-I buy organic packaged, and canned foods when I buy canned and packaged. Kashi brand is really good. I buy that brand of cereal for the kids, we also buy their granola bars, and snack crackers. My local grocery store (Meijer), has it's own brand of organics, that are very affordable.
-no longer use regular laundry detergent. The perfumes, etc.. that are added are toxic to our bodies. Your skin is the largest organ right?? Well, it's absorbing whatever is placed against it, slathered on it, etc... I switched to "Free and Clear" from the grocery store. Every brand makes it now.
-no longer use body lotion. I can't even pronounce the chemicals that are in there. I now use (for me and my entire family) organic, unrefined coconut oil.
-no longer spray perfume directly on my skin. When I do use it, I spray it on my clothes.
-no longer use regular body soaps/bars. Sodium laurel/laureth sulfate is bad, bad, bad. I buy homemade soap, or Dr. Bronners castille soaps.
-no longer use Cascade type automatic dishwasher detergent. It contains chlorine (toxic), and I don't want my family ingesting chlorine. I use BioKleen brand instead.
-no longer use antiperspirant/deodorant. Contains aluminum which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and cancers. I use the health food store kinds.
-no longer use toothpaste containing fluoride it is toxic. Research that one, it is very interesting.
-we try to only eat "out" twice a month. Note: try. :)
-Oh yes! and last but not least: We DO NOT VACCINATE. I do not want my kids immune systems compromised by poisons (mercury or thimerosal) that don't make them "immune" anyway. I wrote about it here and here. Read more about vaccine dangers here.

I have been asked "how do you afford to buy organic and the healthy stuff"?? Honestly, I quit buying the other stuff. I no longer buy soda pop, packaged convenience foods, junk food, frozen pizza's, and sugary snack items. This leaves a lot of money to spend on the good stuff.
I make my kids "snacks", baked items, etc.. And they eat a lot of fruit instead of snack crackers and potato chips. We did not do this all at once. I started replacing things one at a time. I didn't want my kids or husband to starve to death, or to think that Mommy flipped her lid. :)

I would love to hear your thoughts (positive or negative) , or healthy ideas. I'm always learning. And don't misunderstand me. I am not claiming that my diet is perfect. But I try. I still have a couple of hang-ups. I love Coke, love it (so I don't keep it in the house). And I love coffee, which I'm not even sure how to function without it. Rumors are that it is indeed possible.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stacy -
I LOVED this post! I am also making some of these changes for my family. I am so excited about the changes I have witnessed in my children. We just had a very yummy dinner of gluten-free, dairy free pizza w/ veggies that was a big hit. The shredded rice milk cheese I used was awesome! We should get together for coffee sometime. I often ask Emma, "What do you think Staci would do?" I still have so much to learn but, the process has been so exciting. Thanks for all the great info!

Anonymous said...

I guess you will never want to eat at my house once we move, huh? Ha ha ha! I don't know how you can keep track of all of this. Did you decide that being a vegetarian didn't work well in a house full of hunters?

Staci said...

Rebecca,
Your welcome. I am still learning. I have seen positive changes in my kids behavior due to these changes. I am still very excited about all of this stuff, and can't wait to share it with anyone who will listen.
Yes! We should meet for coffee. Call me and we will figure out a time. Thanks for commenting.

Staci

Staci said...

Brooks,
Don't be silly! I can't wait for you to move back. And of course we will eat at your house, unless you plan to serve jelly beans and kool-aid for lunch, and I know better than that. :)

Being a vegetarian. I have tried, and tried. But, I am addicted to cheese. I can give up meat, no problem. Cheese is my weakness. And yes, it's very hard in a house full of hunters.

I can keep track of it because like I said, I didn't make all of these changes at once. I changed one thing at a time, over a period of about 3 or 4 years.

I think if you try to go cold-turkey you are setting yourself up for failure. Baby steps. :)

My advice is try something easy first. Like the sugar. Buy evaporated cane juices crystals. It looks similiar, and tastes just like sugar, your family will never know the difference.

Staci

Talena said...

I knew we were kindred spirits!

I am so. excited. My Mom got me a grain grinder for my birthday, and it CAME TODAY!!! I can't wait to try it out!

The only difference we do from what you listed (other than the fact that we haven't started raising our own meat quite yet) is that I let my kids have juice about once every three months--when they serve it at birthday parties, etc. Even the natural sugars in juices are far too concentrated of a simple sugar in that form, so when I do let them drink it, I try to dilute it about 1 part juice to 2 parts water, to mimic more the concentration they would get if they ate just a piece of fruit.

Also, when my expensive natural dishwasher soap runs out, I plan on starting to use a great natural recipe I found that is 1 tbsp. Borax mixed with 1 tbsp. baking soda per load. I've started doing a bunch of other research on ways to make my own natural cleaners, too--I find that the store-bought brands, though convenient, are quite expensive. And that many that you make yourself are really not that inconvenient, either.

Glad to see that there is another "radical" like me, trying to educate the world! :-)

Talena said...

Oh, also, white vinegar works just great as a rinse agent in the dishwasher, too. :-)

Staci said...

Talena,

I wish I had a grain mill. Let me know how well you like it and if it is worth the $$.

I agree about the juice. I do water mine down too. I should really cut back the amount of juice they drink. Great point.

I will try the vinegar. I have heard that it is a great all purpose cleaner, but the smell bugs me.

So, the borax/baking soda combo get grimy clothes clean??? I have 4 really dirty guys in my house, and need major cleaning power. Most of the time I have to pre-treat, and then run their jeans thru the wash TWICE, they are so dirty.

Thanks for the tips.

Staci

Kelli said...

Those rumors are false! It is not possible to survive without coffee. Or Chipolte.

As you know, many of these things are also done in my house. :)

I even switched to organic wine. :)

Great post!!!!!!!

Staci said...

Thanks sista!!! Oh yes, Chipolte...yum!!!!

You rule!

Staci

Anonymous said...

Hi Staci, This is great information, and a good boost for when I feel like buying take out etc. I have a great recipe for laundry soap, it's easy and very cheap. Grate a bar or two of soap (I use cheap castile from meijer-$0.99) and add to almost boiling water, about 3 gallons, add 1-2 cups baking soda and 1-2 cups of washing soda, also from the grocery store. At this point you can add more water or not and it will be more concentrated. Stir occasionally while it cools. Use 1/4 to 3/4 cup per load depending on your washer, water hardness and soil level. Oh, we also use white vinegar for fabric softener, we don't smell it after the clothes are dry. Ask me about borax sometime.

Christine said...

Great post! It can be very challenging to stay away from all the preservatives, etc. out there. I also love coke, so I really try to keep it out of my house.So far, we have not had our third blessing vaccinated, and I hope hubby will continue to allow her not to be. I was wondering what to do for a non-vaccinated child , if he/she steps on a rusty nail? I have heard that it can be treated naturally.

Staci said...

Kelly,

I want to try your recipe for laundry soap. Please define "washing soda", I have no idea what that is, or where to find that.

How much vinegar per large load (as fabric softner)??

Thanks for the recipe!

Staci

Staci said...

Christine,

A great link for tetenus is:
http://www.vaccinetruth.org/page_8.htm

You may have to copy/paste that to your browser.

And an interesting quote:
Discovering that most people recover from an acute bout of tetanus was unexpected, but it was disconcerting to find that many of the reported cases of tetanus were in "fully vaccinated" people. A review of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the CDC called "Tetanus Surveillance -- United States, 1995 -- 1997"[2] revealed unexpected information and facts.

Yes, you read it right. You can still get tetanus, even if you are vaccinated.

What would I do for a puncture wound? Clean it with soap and water, and apply (liquid) grapefruit seed extract directly to the wound. Then cover. Clean daily. The GSE prevents infection. Then watch for sign of infection: redness, swelling, fever.

Staci

Staci

Anonymous said...

Hi Staci,
Washing soda is actually Sodium Carbonate. It is sold in the laundry product isle by Arm and Hammer in a yellow box similar to baking soda (which is sodium bicarbonate), it is also sold as a pool chemical, you'd just have to read the labels to find the one that is sodium carbonate. You can use borax in addition to or as a replacement for the washing soda. I just fill the fabric softener dispenser in my machine to the same line as for softener. If you don't have a dispenser on your machine you can use a "Downy Ball", or just add about 1/2 cup to your final rinse.

Anonymous said...

Well, they have organic coffee!!! So, buy that!! LOL. I've tried making my own laundry soap, tried it twice and it never worked out. It got all seperated and gross. So, I spend the cash for the non-toxic stuff...and I just won a big box of detergent and a bottle of fabric softener!!! Yippee!

Talena said...

Hey, Staci, The recipe I gave you was for dishwasher soap. I have seen several recipes for laundry soap around the internet similar to Kelly's, which I intend to try once my current stuff runs out.

Also, anyone wanting to never have to flinch when someone asks them why they don't vaccinate again should read this article. I gave it to my doctor, and he's never mentioned the subject since.

Staci said...

That is an excellent article, by a very credible source. Thank you.

Staci

Staci said...

Talena,

Oh silly me!! You did say that recipe was for the dishwasher. Oops.

Is Borax safe to be ingested?? I heard it isn't. What are your thoughts?

Staci

Julie said...

Staci, you are right great minds do think alike. LOL. I have enjoyed reading your healthy living posts.
I am working on the food side now. I plan to move into the cleaning side next and then the hygiene products.
I'm working towards better meat for the family. I just cant afford it right now, but soon I hope.

Anonymous said...

Hi Staci! Love your tips, plan on trying a few. Just wondering...I just had my 4th baby and he is the first to not be vaccinated. Hes been to the pediatrician once and they mentioned vaccinating the next time I come and I just havent been back. I didnt feel like getting into a debate on that visit and could tell by the attitude from the Dr about my homebirth and the fact that he hadnt recieved any vaccines yet it would have been one.

My question is, is it hard to find a ped who will treat your child if you refuse to vaccinate? I am wondering how other moms get around the vaccines at every well baby check. Are all those well baby checks even really nessesary or just there mainly to keep the vaccination schedule? Davey is 6 weeks now and only been once but has been checked out by Lynda, cindy and even you once and he is doing great! What are your thoughts on all those well baby checks at the ped office, id love to avoid a vaccination debate everytime I go.

Mindy

junglemama said...

Interesting read.

God Bless.

I am to a fellow sister in Christ, but I am raising my 10 children a little differently. Nothing wrong with either way, but interesting to read about different families.