Today we are featuring a guest post from one of our many incredible instructors, Maggie Butterfield. Maggie is passionate about nutrition because she has seen the difference it makes in the health of her family. A proud VBAC mother, teacher and much more, we are proud to call her one of our own. Enjoy her post, and if you are in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, call her!
What exactly is an anti-nutrient?
“Hmmm…I would never feed that to my child!”
“She eats well most of the time.”
“We’ve had such a hard time getting over this illness! I guess it is just that time of year.”
Lies. All lies people. I want to shout it from the rooftops “THERE’S A BETTER WAY!!”
When we think of feeding our children, we are tired. Let’s face it, as moms, we are worse for the wear. From wiping noses and vomit or being up all hours of the night–yep, that’s us. Tired and looking for anything that will help us maintain our sanity. It’s no wonder we turn to the convenient to appease our always “Mom, I want a snack!!” little stinkers. Can I buy it in bulk? Check. Is it in an easy open package? Check. Do my kiddos like the way it tastes? Check.
What are anti-nutrients you ask? If you can buy it in a box, bag or drive through, chances are, it’s chocked full of these stinky anti-nutrients. Think of the 7 dwarfs of nutrition- white flour, over-processed meats, artificial flavors, white sugar, chemical food dyes, dough conditioners and preservatives. A good way to know is by turning the package over and reading the ingredients.
Anything over five ingredients can pretty much guarantee one or all of these nutrition stealing dwarfs are present.
According to Dr. Lendon Smith, author of Feed Your Kids Right, the body gains very little in the way of nutrients from these substances, and that it often will use up more nutrients then it gains in its effort to digest and process them through the body. In other words, you may be better off if you didn’t eat at all, rather than put your body through this kind of abuse. Dr. Smith discusses that the elimination of these anti-nutrients in the diet delivers a healthy immune response to the body in and of itself. Just by eliminating these foods in our household, I have seen our health improve tenfold.
Another fun fact from a trusted expert, author and nutritionist, Adelle Davis candidly expresses in her book, Let’s Have Healthy Children, that all children deserve to be beautiful, and can be IF their nutritional needs are met. Wait what? Beauty can come from nutrition? (Side note-have noticed this too, esp with my prior very acne prone skin.)
She proves that health, intellect, and the beauty (physical development) of children goes beyond genetics, and can be largely determined (or changed) by what they are fed. You don’t say Ms. Davis?!?!
Now that the experts have spoken, that’s all fine and well, but how can it be done? We are busy, we work outside of the home and are on a fixed income. We are limited to what we can afford.
I always ask people if they would rather pay themselves or the doctor? It may sound funny but it is a reality that most Americans are not ready to face. So, how can the everyday mom feed her kids the very best? A simple and perhaps dreaded word-Planning. I plan everything that goes into the mouths of my children. I’m intentional about it because we have had to learn the hard way (as I do much of the time). From ear infections, fevers and rashes and my own personal journey fighting against autoimmune disorders, I am uber-passionate about what we eat.
Living in 2014, we have so many resources to help us with this seemingly daunting task. Baby steps are key.
Here are some simple tips to help you get started:
1. Have your kiddos help you plan meals and snacks. This way they can feel involved and include their favorite foods (with a healthy and delicious twist) on the shopping list.
2. Go to a local farmer’s market with your family. Pick out some fresh, local produce or some grass fed dairy or beef and cage free eggs. There is something special about meeting the farmer and buying something local that makes it taste better and gives your kids pride about the food you buy.
3. Give yourself grace. It takes time. You will learn how to tweak things each day and as you continue to learn, you will feed your kids in an exceptional way.
Also, some of our regular snacks:
-GMO free plain popcorn with raisins
-Carrots (or sugar snap peas) with hummus
-Apples with almond butter mixed with maple syrup and cinnamon
-Ironman Coconut Bars (http://friskylemon.com/2011/08/23/ironman-coco-nut-bars/)
-Protein Popsicles (Arbonne protein powder with almond milk, maple syrup and cinnamon—frozen in popsicle molds)
-PB Oatmeal Banana Bars (http://cooking2perfection.blogspot.ca/2012/07/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-squares.html?m=1)
-Any kind of frozen fruit (my kids love it! They especially like frozen mango with pineapple!)
-Organic Cheese Sticks
-Grain-free granola! (http://mybluedaisy.blogspot.com/search?q=granola)
– Trail mix (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, almonds, dried cherries-yum!)
Here are some of my favorite blogs about real food:
Here’s to eliminating anti-nutrients!
References:
1. Denise Thompson, BANT blog & abcsofhealthyparenting.blogspot.com
2. Let’s Have Healthy Children by Adelle Davis, REVISED AND UPDATED. Mass-market paperback. Signet books, 1972.
3. Feed Your Kids Right by Lendon Smith M.D., Mass Market Paperback. Dell, November 15th, 1981
Photo credit: hermanturnip / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Maggie is a Birth Boot Camp Instructor in the Tulsa Metro Area. She is passionate about Jesus, her husband, kiddos, birth and food! Her husband and her currently serve as ministers in Green Country. As a former classroom educator, she loves taking that love of instruction and educating women on how best to take care of their bodies through nutrition and natural childbirth education. You can find more information about her classes and philosophy at birthgreencountry.com.
You can also see Maggie on youtube talking about why she teaches Birth Boot Camp! Check her out-
Great article with lots of great tips. And thanks for mentioning my granola recipe. I’m so glad you liked it!
I have to say I am 63 years old and would not be alive except for the fact that Dr. Smith came to the Portland Sanitarium to treat my mother and I.
When my mother was discharged 2 weeks after my birthday she was told to go home because they didn’t believe I would live due to Rh negative factors. He was a man ahead of his time. 6 mos. Later I was discharged.