Nutrition information overload

Hi guys :) Quick update: River is a healthy, happy little munchkin the majority of the time. Some nights h wakes only twice, other nights every few hours...I am glad I can usually snuggle him back to sleep or feed him as he so desires. The best lesson I have learnt is that if I'm not worried about his sleeping patterns or a strict routine the more relaxed we both are and the better sleep I get. No, I dont think a baby is capable of manipulation, I treat all of his wants as his needs, I know in my heart that my son will grow up to be independent, secure and confident that his needs will be met. I fully believe that our children identify with the labels that we give them...a reason that I avoid labelling River as anything detrimental. Call a child "difficult" and that is what will manifest. So my bub doesnt "sleep through"...we all still get enough sleep (most of the time!). River is fed to sleep or cuddled to sleep, we have lots of sleep associations (his blanket, his "Elly", dim lighting etc) and he is gaining more independence by the day. My "alternative" parenting style works well for us :) Part time EC is still working and River is now stepping (his record is 6 steps) although not walking independently yet. It can be difficult not to succumb to competition and pressure...but I know he will do things when he is ready to. Man can that kid chat though! He is very verbal and its lovely hearing him learn new words. He still doesnt say "no" which I love...Mayim Bialik wrote a great account of her boys learning "not for ___________" instead of that awful "no" phase. I'm proud of my son, and I'm proud of myself...for following my instincts and not letting anyone tell me how to raise my child, for being kind to the earth while being kind to my family, for not feeling sorry for myself when it may be easier to shirk parental responsibility. I loose it, he can grate on my nerves, he is currently testing out how loud his voice can be, and sometimes I'd just like to have a minute where somebody elses welfare isnt my number one priority. But I created him & brought him into this world...how can I demand that he sleep when I want him to? How can I expect him to be quiet when it is socially acceptible and not bash on my computer when I'm trying to study....? He cant even cook himself dinner!! So for the most part I just let it be. And I sometimes ask for help when I need it ;) hehe.

So...onto the nutrition component of the blog, basically I prescribe to these basic principles:

• I eat no animal products (not even free-range eggs haha)
• I try to eat as close to nature as possible...also known as "whole foods". But I do love bread and pasta, nut spreads, coconut yogurt and tofu! And by golly do vegan chocolate and I have a love-hate relationship!
• I aim to eat 80% Alkaline & just 20% acidic foods daily
• I try to eat every 2.5-3hrs to maintain my metabolism
• Organic is best, local is better
• I allow myself to eat what I feel like without getting down about it...everyone feels like "junk food" occasionally and I simply love eating out with friends and family. These days I refuse to get hung up on what I eat...that way I dont spiral into depression & self loathing...it has taken me a very long time to get to this point. The point where I actually love food, feel good about eating and use it as medicine and nourishment. I find that I prefer nutritious, wholesome foods anyway - winning :D

What do vegans eat.

This is a lifestyle...NOT a diet. There are no "cheat meals" there is no half assing it. I go to bed at night knowing my existance doesnt harm another mamal...and yeah I am proud of it though I understand it isnt for everyone. Most people think they wont like vegan meals...most people with tastebuds can enjoy a vegan diet. Another thing I hear is people assuming it is more expensive...well yes I try to buy organic which does cost a little more, but since being vegan I havent once been ill enough to miss work...the money I will save on my health is WORTH it, and if I can feed River & I on $100 per week, then I really dont feel like it is a costly diet.
I like to have a warm lemon water when I get up. If I am rushing, I usually wait until coffee time (weak soy latte with raw sugar is devine...) which I try to avoid at least one day each week. In winter I am having oats with soymilk, cinnamon and berries (frozen or fresh). About twice a week I have avocado on rye with tomato and spinach.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. My house always has stocked: quinoa, fresh veg & fruit, wild rice, buckwheat pasta, mungbean pasta, pumpernickle type bread, tofu, nut butters, chia seeds, chilli, soymilk (bonsoy yummmmmmm), coconut oil & flour, olive oil, coconut yogurt, hommus (if I cbf making my own), garlic and ginger, beans, lentils and legumes, and sea vegetables.
Dont hate carbs...they provide essential vitamins and mireals for metabolising protien, waste removal, and energy release.Whole grains are a perfect fuel for the human body.
As a side note; River is vegan despite being breastfed...human milk for human babies!

Alkaline/Acidic Foods

"All food leaves an ash residue after metabolism which is either alkaline or acidic, depending on the mineral composition of foods and the way in which individuals digest them...the human body needs an alkaline environment to continue proper functioning of vital organs" Dr. T. Baroody

Extremely alkalising foods include lemons & watermelon, papaya, watercress, seaweed, and asparagus. Moderately alkalising foods includevapples, spinach, carob, beans and vinegar. Slighly alkalising foods include almonds, mushrooms, tofu and coconut. Neutral foods include much dairy food and blueberries. Lentils, olives and seeds are slightly acid forming. Skinless potato, wine and oats are moderately acid forming. Beer, coffee, meat and artificial sweetners are extremely acid forming.

For babies

Until they cut thier two year molars, avoid wheat. This is a good indicator that their body is producing the right digestive enzymes to break it down. River has a very basic diet...please dont confuse this with me "depriving" him of anything. Our bodies are taught to crave salty, sugary, processed shit. Imagine if your parents taught you to desire only the freshest of seasonal fruit and veg, the highest quality organic grains and delicious flavoursome nutritionall dense foods...pretty sure you'd thank them as one day I hope to be thanked. My aim is to give my children an understanding of where their food comes from, where the roof over their head comes from, that things dont just materialise...part of that is respect and compassion and I think that not enough emphasis is placed on this understanding of the way the world works.

Anyway I could be here all day running off my "hippy philosphies"...I hope you all have enjoyed today's blog. Please comment and tell me what you would like to read more about. As promised...boobs:

Cheers & Giggles
xx

Why poo goes in the loo & other enviro blather

Here is a list of seasonal foods this month:

 

Tuck in!

So, it seems an appropriate time to go on a spiel about me & my personal environmental journey. Yes, this was inspired by a heated conversation with besty, who has been annoying me about being a vegetarian for the past 13years and yet he's "passionate about the environment" (now I win the debate because he doesn't blog)!

When I was little I was pretty into the environment, we didnt have a TV for ages, I loved spending time outside with our family dog, my over-active imagination meant I enjoyed playing games, reading and writing and of course dancing. Surprisingly I was into the body and its connection with the world via breathing...I'll have to dig up the picture I drew! One thing that I was really fearful of was change. When they tore down our local park in my mind it was equal to the end of the world as I knew it.
Like most children, I loved animals. Possibly thanks to Disney movies, I thought of myself as someone who could befriend them all. Yes, this all sounds rather lame!

When I learnt that meat was actually the muscle of a farmyard animal, I recall being quite sickened. At this stage it never occurred to me about the death process, only the fact that I couldnt imagine someone eating me! So I soon began declining to eat meat. At our house where you must "finish everything on your plate or you cant leave the table" I was met with noncompliance to my wishes. At twelve, my mother deemed me "old enough" and so, meat was no longer a part of my diet. Eggs were eliminated too because though I knew they were unfertilised, it still bothered me to eat a "chicken period". My sister told me today that this description put her off eating eggs for years (sorry)! When I moved out of home it became easier to eat a healthful diet as I could cook what I wanted, when I wanted but financially it was not always the case.

Here is a great list for anyone considering becoming a vegetarian: http://www.vegetarianvictoria.org.au/going-vegetarian/10-reasons-to-go-veggo.html the best books I have ever read about the matter are "The China Study" & "The ethics of what we eat".

As I got older I engaged in a number of unhealthful activities. Smoking was one of my worst habits. But I was always mindful of my impact on the earth. The reason I previously mentioned my fear of change was that I really did not want our world to end up unlivable. We can probably thank the Terminator movies for my fear of technology (and how ironic that I should end up a blogger). I wasnt always very good at doing my bit...sure I recycled but I also littered with cigarette butts, sure I didnt eat animals but I also ate some garbage foods, sure all the cleaning products in my home said "earth" but I was partying hard weekly. To be honest it wasnt really until I was pregnant that I had a long hard look at my lifestyle. I was in an aerobics team at the time and my main priority was doing well and looking good whilst doing it, no matter the cost.

But my body suddenly didnt belong to just me. I went a little mad, I admit...but nothing toxic was going into my bub's body. Almost everything I bought had to be certified organic and natural (even toothbrush & paste!). My diet had to be so much better balanced, no skipping meals, no booze, no other toxic products (when I conceived I was drinking four cans of "V" and a good few coffee's DAILY) and my stress levels had to decrease. Where I'd always found yoga boring it became part of my exercise routine and played a huge part in balancing my mind. I REALLY embraced my hippy-ness and had never felt more in control of my life, nor had I ever felt healthier.

Just a side note here, the aim of this particular blog is not to look down on anyone, nor is it to "veggie-bash". It is simply to share with you the way I try to be eco-friendly.

So, naturally, I wanted a drug-free birth, to breastfeed, to use cloth nappies, to use organic and biodegradable products, provide home-made meals only, and be practically bpa-free. While I didnt quite get the gorgeous birth I had planned, I am proud to say that I have followed on in my quest to live greener. Some people like to excel in what they do...I am one of those people...an "alpha-type" parent if you will. If I'm going to be a mum, I am going to be the best damn mum I can be. I dont think that my lifestyle choices make me better than anyone else, nor that they would suit everyone. However, it is my strong desire to help make the world a livable place for my son's generation just as it is my strong desire to help make my son happy & healthy. I love the quote "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time".



How I'm doing this:

• Being a vegetarian: if everyone just had one meat-free day per week we would save water, crops, gas, land & anti-biotics, prevent greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, animal excrement and ammonia emissions!!!
• Cloth Nappies: the first ever disposable nappy is STILL in landfill. Babies wee & poo ALOT, and the ramifications of using disposable nappies stay with us for centuries. It is also best for babies skin, may help with toilet learning and save ME money. See more at http://www.drmomma.org/2011/04/chemicals-in-disposable-diapers.html
• Putting Poo into the toilet: yep, all you disposable users should do this too!! Ever heard of landfill leachate? You do not want human poo in landfill, it belongs in the sewage system, where we can manage and treat it.
• Breastfeeding: not only does it save bottles, sterilisers etc (I've only ever bought 3 "eco" bottles & one pump), it doesnt put money in the hands of formula companies (http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/10/why-way-you-feed-your-baby-is-my.html), and it has been PROVEN to correlate with IQ so that one day my bubbah can make informed choices about HIS health and how he can be kind to the earth. This is also a good reason I dont use CIO method, and wont smack my child.
• Recycling & upcycling: having a child is the perfect reason to keep toilet rolls & old magazines (also it indulges my inner hoarder!)
• Buying Organic: my dad said once "we never had this stuff when I was growing up" and my response was "you also never had as much chemical crap put into everything you eat, use or wear" and he did agree. Our soil is far less nourishing than it used to be, meaning that our fruit and veg can be compromised. Most foods are better when they are less treated.
• Trying to eat whole foods: the more processed the food, the less likely we benefit from it. Period.
• Phthalate and BPA- free: these endocrine disruptors are baaaaaaaad. Phthalates are linked to cancer and genital/fertility issues and BPA interferes with brain development among other ill-effects. Read more here http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/life-style/family-home/nine-steps-to-a-healthier-greener-household-20100705-zxr7.html & http://zenki.com.au/Pages/about-bpa-a-phthalates.html

These are a few examples of how I am trying to do my bit. What do you do to show mother nature you care??

http://www.ronitbaras.com/focus-on-the-family/kids-children/55-ways-to-save-the-environment-and-make-a-difference/

http://www.familyessential.com.au/articles/163-simple-ways-to-save-the-environment.html

cheers & giggles

xx