Disease-Proof your Child

I hate it when I see kids sick. It's normal to fall sick, but why not take it to the next level and prevent it  than cure?  Every mother must have this book, I wished I had discovered this when I was pregnant. But I'm happy that I am on the right track. From The Super Baby Food Book (which I will blog soon), the foods discussed are the same, veggie-grains-beans-nuts-seed-fruit diet. Simone follows that, but of course I include meat like salmon and chicken and no red meat, oh and dairy (but now minimizing).  The book explains what physicians do when patients come to them-- of course to diagnose and prescribe medicine. It is right they are taught to treat, but what food we eat must also be discussed, and that is where Dr. Furhman (the author) is most concerned about. He talks about the different diseases, especially cancer. Dr. Fuhrman states that all cancers that occur now are from the foods that we eat during the first quarter of life, that's why we have to eat the correct food to build our bodies and protect them against diseases. He also discussed antibiotics as too much given to a patient can lead to auto-immune therefore they will not become effective anymore, it will also destroy the good cells.

Here are excerpts from the book that are very knowledgeable:

• The modern diet that most children are eating today creates a fertile cellular environment for cancer to emerge at a later age.
• Childhood diets create cancer.
• Kids become ill not because they naturally pass around germs or have bad genes, but because their diets are inadequate.
• The vast majority of adult cancers are avoidable if an excellent diet is begun and maintained from early childhood
• Not only do children like to eat healthy, but once they do they will reject junk food on their own
• Animal products contain no antioxidants, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, folate. Vitamin C, K or those thousands of phytochemicals that are essential for cellular normalcy and preventing DNA damage.
• Flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts are examples of great brain food that can maximize human potential. Berries and vegetables are also rich in brain0favorable nutrients.
• Most vegetables have more protein per calorie than meat and more calcium per calorie than milk.
• Animal protein is married to saturated fat, the most dangerous type of fat.
• Vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds are all rich in protein, and they also have no saturated fat or cholesterol. But the clincher is that they are higher in nutrients than any other foods.
• Excess animal protein and sodium promotes calcium loss in the urine, increasing calcium requirements.
• Parents need to eat the diet they would like their child's diet to become.

The five most dangerous things to feed a child are :

• Butter and cheese (ouch for me!)
• Potato chips and french fries 
• Doughnuts and other trans fat containing sweets
• Sausages, hotdogs, and other processed food
• Pickled, smoked barbequed meats

He also has his fab 5:

Berries, Greens, Seeds, Beans, Tomatoes

He also encouraged that we take 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, an ounce of walnuts and hemp seeds daily. I think I can do that!!!!! I have been trying to find a decent(meaning not too expensive) grinder for the longest time since Simone was an infant!!!!! I want Krups but a bit expensive though :(

You may check his website at www.drfuhrman.com and his blog, www.diseaseproof.com for articles, videos, recipes and a lot more. He has other books that I'm planning to buy too.

I'm SLOWLY following a Nutritarian diet based on Dr. Fuhrman

You can learn more about it here http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/foodpyramid.aspx I'm in need of a long life for my family.

Seriously, there's a LOT more in the book! I learned so much. You don't have to go all the way, just do what you can and the rest will follow. Before, I was hesitant to eat brown rice and beans because you still have to soak them overnight and cook them for an hour, but I got the hang of it. Simone eats brown rice, beans and vegetables and fruit everyday and I'm happy that she is a healthy eater. Today, I was chopping her broccolis into smaller pieces when she took a floret from her plate and ate it! I was stunned! I hope she will continue that habit! I went grocery shopping this evening, got home, placed everything in the fridge because all were vegetables... Uhhh something was missing I though, but I didn't bother. OH WAIT, MY BEANS! yes, I left the other plastic bag containing Black beans and chickpeas at the cashier. Quickly called Fair Price and luckily it was there LOL. Seriously this brain of mine is dead! What a forgetful me! Ugh.

Tootles,

Shiela