Thursday, July 12, 2012

Toddler Food No-No's

Mr.Asparagus Pants
I firmly believe in a whole foods diet for my whole family. Our food supply scares me, the supermarket is packed with non-nutritious,toxic, junk food. My concern isn't unwarranted either, I preach regularly about the state of our country's health. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is causing so many health related issues, in simple terms you really are what you eat. Cancer rates are as high 50% and expected to rise to 75% in the next 20 years and chemical toxins are a leading cause.It isn't always easy, preparing and planning meals, but your children will reap the rewards. This isn't only for toddlers, the diet of the parents is always going to be mirrored in the child's food preferences. My son has a few allergies and sensitivities, and it is always to stuff no one should be eating anyways(corn,wheat,soy etc), so in my house we know we are eating good  as long as he can eat it also! I also want to say that it isn't "stealing" a childhood away with healthy food and not buying processed crap.  My son and I enjoy baking together and enjoying our meals after we prepare them from scratch. In my experience children helping prepare the meals instead of  'Here eat this' always warms them up to try new things. 

We have to take power back in the name of our childrens health from these large corporations that control our food system, and tell them "NO MORE" We can do that by buying local, whole food organic product, showing them what we want through our dollars spent.

Artificial Colors and Preservatives
There are so SO many safe alternatives to artificial colors and preservatives that they belong NO WHERE near anyone's plates. They cause hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children. Not to mention nervous system damage and cancer among various other ailments. I urge you to try to eliminate these from your childs diet and see the amazing change in their behavior and health. Our bodies do not recognize these substances as food, and has no idea what to do with it excrete what it can, and store the rest. 

"Recent studies suggest that a person's body might create even more body fat so that it has more room to store the onslaught of toxins." 


All of these additives are unnecessary and are only in the best interest of shelf life, not human life. There are over 300 additives recommended to eliminate from your childs diet, and it is your duty as a parent to research and make informed decisions about what is in your childs food.

http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition-and-diet/weight/46763.html#ixzz20STm8enO


"The Feingold Program recommends eliminating from the diet: all artificial (synthetic) colors, listed on the label as ``food coloring'', ``color added'' or by its FDA number, like FD&C Yellow #5 or FD&C Red #40 (both used in the Lancet study); artificial flavors listed as ``flavoring'' or ``artificial flavoring'' or artificial vanilla (vanillin); aspartame (an artificial sweetener); and three preservatives, BHA, BHT, and TBHQ – already removed from most food for children in the U.K." 


And let me tell you, these are in almost all of mainstream conventional food and household/personal products. 


Artificial Sweeteners
For me the most disturbing trend in food additives is the sugar free scam. Aspartme is a byproduct of ecoli and causes brain cancer. It is disgusting and should not be on the market whatsoever. It is in all conventional gum and pretty much anything that is "sugar free" In this article from Dr. Mercola he shines some light on the dangers of this toxic substance.(It is a MUST READ)


"Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain."


I have seen this in numerous(more than I can count) childrens food products. Don't even get me started on marketing to children on food packaging either!! It just blatantly shows that these corporations have a bottom line(the dollar)  in interest and NOT your childs health. There are alternatives that are healthy and safe that should be utilized instead of artificial sweeteners.(Honey or Stevia anyone?) Also I would like to take a moment to advocate for natures candy AKA fruit.(Woop woop!) If you start early and feed your child a natural whole food diet then they will enjoy a strawberry instead of an artificially flavored,colored,sweetened processed "treat". I remember as a child liking strawberry flavor and not strawberries, and thought blackberries tasted like spray paint which just so happen to be my favorite berry. It took me until I was 20 to try it again, so starting young is key with food preferences.


Pesticides,chemical fertilizers and Irradiation


 Pesticides are important to eliminate from your baby/toddlers(and your) diet because of their sensitive developing bodies. As we know, you are what you eat and  the cells in your body are the foundation of health. Pesticides are chemical toxins cause them to malfunction and sometimes damage or kill them. Causing your detoxification system, mainly your liver, kidneys, lungs, colon, and skin, to work overtime and eventually malfunction as well. In children this also affects their nervous, endocrine among other various systems that are still developing. Organics also have more nutritional content and are not genetically modified. They also no not irradiate the soil, which is using radiation to kill pathogens in the soil which obviously is dangerous(and stupid)(and doesn't actually work) The top ten dirty dozen list is helpful when transitioning into buying organics! 

Why it matters

Toxins are accumulative and we are introduced to enough through our industrialized environmental (i.e. oil refineries and vehicle exhaust) so we need not introduce any more chemicals into our babies little bodies. Starting now, wherever you are in your journey as a parent, makes a direct impact on your childs future and wellbeing. Also, it is always fun to garden with your children, is educational and nutritious for everyone and is a great way to introduce picky eaters to the food on their plate! 

The statistics on our country's health is proof that we need real change. And the first step is what we put into our bodies. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, ADHD, asthma, autism are all usually diet related and are skyrocketing in the youth. Also the large amounts of antibiotics we use and the high prevalence of sugar in our diets is causing Candida overgrowth in an estimated 70% of Americans. Candida is a yeast overgrowth which feeds off of sugar and starch. Antibiotics kill the good bacteria with the bad and this is the result. Find out more here . We have to stop trusting corporations with the well-being of our children and educate ourselves on what is really going on.

Childhood should be about family, love and fun and is not hindered by removing chemical toxins from their diet. My toddler is a happy healthy boy, who whines for a banana at the grocery store instead of a candy bar. "Fun" foods aka cakes and candy do not have to constitute toxic cancer causing processed foods. I make my treats for my son with whole food ingredients that are good for him,and we enjoy them just the same and get special bonding time preparing them while we are at it! I think childhood is hindered by the many ailments that affect the nations youth everyday, and we need to revamp what childhood is about. The "Golden Arches" and food coloring shouldn't be staples of toddlerdom and should be replaced with sunshine and gardening.


Written by Haley


Children are not pets: Their right to rights

https://www.facebook.com/BayAreaIntactivists
As we wrapped up a wonderful juice bar lunch with the kids (no tears & didn't even need to break out the emergency bananas!) we were approached by a member of the ACLU, (American Civil Liberties Union) clipboard in hand. We began to discuss our disappointment with the organization, and their blocking of  circumcision banning legislation in San Francisco.
(If you don't know why circumcision is cosmetic, unnecessary and a violation of human rights please look into intactivism and get educated about this important topic. Feel free to ask for links and additional information.)
He wasn't prepared or informed on this topic and had some really odd responses. 
These included a "federal hair cutting law" retort (we'll come back to our hair cutting philosophy later) to which we tried to explain the removal of nerve endings and permanence of  circumcision. He responded that "We don't know that much about hair." It gets worse:  a Nazi reference, his approval of circumcising dogs, equating intactivism to a "god hates gays" movement and even saying "Children are like pets..." 

Yes, a person advocating for civil liberties thinks children are pets.

I would like to make it very clear that children are humans and entitled to the same inherent rights. These rights should not be withheld due to arbitrary age and are not anyone's to refuse or allow. Being a parent does not make you an owner of a child, (it would be more accurate the other way!) Your ownership is of your own body and does not extend to the possession of another human being. Your rights end (religious, parental) where another person's body begins.

Our duty as parents is to provide, protect, educate and allow our children to become the best version of themselves. Children's rights mirror these values and include freedom from fear and harm and the freedom of choice over their own body.

It is not a parental right to choose elective and cosmetic procedures for children. It is the child's right to choose, especially when the procedure is permanent and body altering such as circumcision, ear piercing or tattoo. It is in our own parental philosophy to let the children choose when they want their hair cut. I recall a dispute with a lady informing me that sometimes you have to traumatize children as a part of childhood, like a haircut. Disagree. Choice, right to one's body and nurturing win in this home, personally we enjoy watching their hair growing in their natural patterns:  mullet, curls and swirls.

Let's commend the German court that ruled that a child's right to physical integrity trumps freedom of religion and parent's rights and for the ban on circumcision that came from this ruling. 

We wouldn't subject our children to personal, medical, religious or other procedures they did not choose or did not want. Of course there are loopholes and scenarios we could go batty over, but even in a medically necessary (emergency procedure most likely) I would validate my child's emotions and physically be supportive with them through it. 

We also conclude that a child's right to be free of fear and harm win over the (improper) parental right to hit a child. (Since nowhere in society hitting another person is a right, and even a threat is considered criminal) 
We need to rethink our roles as parents. There is nothing that bugs me more than a "Because I'm the  Mom!" approach to parenting. Children are people, they have real feelings, real thoughts and inherent rights. We need to humanize our babies and never forget that they are not a possession but a person who we are given the honor of loving, protecting and teaching. We must respect their rights and teach them to respect others. If we nurtured every child this way the world would be such a better place.