Success on vacation

We are back from a 2-week vacation to visit my family. My son chose on his own accord to eat 100% raw while we were there! I was so impressed with him. Even more so, it was a very significant milestone for myself, to go back home and be exposed to my family's cooking and my previous comfort foods, and not partake. Every other time I have gone home, I have had issues bingeing and feeling unwell. So I was prepared. I told my mom in advance that we were planning on sticking to our raw diet (I said we'd be eating "mostly raw" - I was unsure if I could wholly commit).

 

I wasn't planning on eating ALL raw there, but it sort of happened - mainly because I was so amazed at my son's streak, that I didn't want to break it! Food addiction is so interesting. Unhealthy foods have always been tempting to him--unless he is far enough removed from them (mentally) that he just doesn't care. He never begged for their cooked dishes, he had already accepted the fact that he would be eating raw. He was making his choices so easily that I didn't want to break it for him.

 

And so we ate 100% LOW-FAT, RAW, VEGAN for 2 straight weeks.

 

That is an accomplishment but now I am doing to get realistic. Previously I have raved on this blog about my son being a dream child on the raw food diet. Well, we had a nice time the first part of our trip, but after the first week we started having issues. He was too tired, or too overstimulated, or something--but we had several tantrums, hard time following instructions, hyperactivity, etc. and personally I became very irritable again, aggressive and short-tempered.

 

I don't know what to attribute that to, but I did realize that I wasn't having my Weston Price special foods - like Cod Liver Oil, raw milk, etc. - Maybe our bliss before the vacation was due to that (the healthy fats, the Vitamins A and D, etc.) and not to eating all raw. I certainly noticed a difference when I started the cod liver oil--seems to help my brain function quite a bit. I don't know, but real life involves some setbacks, doesn't it. And I think I'm sick of overanalyzing it all. So I don't know where I am headed right now, but most likely minimizing any deviations from a low-fat, high-raw, Weston Price sort of diet. I am mostly just trying to listen to my body's signals (as far as cooked and animal foods go) - but I definitely am committed to avoiding processed foods! I sway with the tide as far as eating exclusively raw but you may notice I have NEVER jusified eating processed foods, additives, junk foods, chemical-laden foods, etc. That is one thing I stick to 100% and I am proud of my success at maintaining that.

 

Naturepath visit today

My son and I saw our naturepath today and it went great. It was his first visit to a doctor of any kind, and he was excellent. The results are just wonderful, he has zero nutrient deficiencies, and all hormones and systems in balance. No candida, no microform problems (I think there were before, but I have been self-diagnosing and treating). He does have the food allergies I suspected (wheat, oats, dairy) as well as corn, buckwheat, and eggs. He also had a couple structural issues that we will need a chiropractor for (two vertebrae are out of place). And his distended abdomen is due to his illeal-caecal valve flowing the wrong way, so partially digested fluids are backing up in his small intestine (that was way interesting, I need to do more research on this). She taught me how to correct that though, it's a therapy thing I need to do to him daily. I'll let you know how it works. but generally I am so relieved that I don't have to buy any supplements for him! Just keep him on a good diet. This naturepath is so wonderful--she was able to tell us all this, AND correct an ankle issue, within 30 minutes with no invasive testing (just energy medicine, muscle testing, etc.)

 

And for me, my thyroid problem and microflora problem have both been healed since my last visit. But I still need HCl with any non-fruit meals, and need to stay on those Standard  Process supplements for nutrients (vitamin A, calcium, and some other minerals and bovine extracts). I suspect because of breastfeeding--otherwise I don't think I'd need supplementation. But since I'll probably get pregnant when I am done breastfeeding, I will have to stay on them anyway!

Update

I haven't posted much lately but I'm still here :-) And we are doing better than ever!

3 months ago I was a stressed-out, irritable, anxious mess, yelling at my kids and simply not enjoying life. My son was doing better than most with his Aspergers, eating a whole foods gluten-free, high raw diet. But "going raw" has made SUCH A HUGE difference with him. We've been focusing on raw foods for these 3 months, but the past month or so we have only eaten cooked foods (vegetables mostly, sometimes liver) a handful of times. No cooked starch at all. Also, this month we added raw goat milk into our daily diet and we're taking some supplements for fat-soluble vitamins (like Cod Liver Oil). And we, both of us, are SO MUCH HAPPIER! It's a night and day difference. This diet does something for our brains--and I'm not saying it's this way for everybody--but for us, I am SO THANKFUL that we have cleared up our brain mess and found some peace in our home. I don't yell anymore. Hardly ever. I wake up happier, I maintain an even mood throughout the day, I have even energy levels. I go to bed actually cuddling with my kids, treasuring our family bed, feeling so grateful for them--instead of going to bed exhausted and so glad they are finally asleep! My son is much more reasonable and doesn't throw fits. A few times he has cried over getting hurt or a disappointment, but other than that we are smooth sailing.

...And just in time for HOMESCHOOLING!! I couldn't have done it when I was stressed out. There's so way I can teach somebody when they irritate me to such a high degree (yes, sadly, that was my state of mental health). And now we are starting first grade, generally unschool but with some loose structure, using programs like CD-Roms and a bit of routine to our day. Our routine for first grade will be simple and only 1-hour a day (of structured time, not "learning-all-the-time" time) during Elisabeth's nap. We do daily exercise all together (dance or taking a walk), reading time both together and solo, scripture story; and during her nap we do 1-on-1 activities like games, but mostly talking so he can learn through questions and answers. Throughout the day we also talk about math and other questions. This has been the most effective way to teach him math, so I am grateful his brain works like this. We don't do worksheets, we just talk about it. He is always asking me questions so all I have to do is answer them, and Bam! He gets educated! Isn't it wonderful?

...Then I point out patterns to him so his learning widens. For instance, he asked what 3+3+3 is, and I told him there is a shortcut for that, it's called 3x3. He is learning all of his operations at once, this way. Talking about math is awesome because they are visualizing the concept instead of looking at written representations, which limits our mental spacial ability. We see quantities and demonstrate how the operation changes it, instead of memorizing written patterns. I think this method will increase his mathematical creativity and help him to nurture his own strengths instead of having a "standard method" thrust upon him (there is more than one way to come up with the right answer). Also, this method would undoubtedly enhance his skills for mental math.

So that's what we've been up to lately. Elisabeth is a delight, although becoming more feisty now that she is a toddler! She is still nursing for 95%+ of her food intake, and some days doesn't eat any solid food. When she does, it's usually tomatoes (her favorite), fruit, or something random she pulls out of the fridge. She can now hold a piece of fruit and take bites herself. With a tomato, she will hold it and eat the entire thing!

My son still has a distended abdomen, which I wonder about. I am taking him to see my naturepath next week, so I hope we can get more insight into his health.