One of my favorite people in the world, Dani Johnson, (an entrepeneur and business coach) has a great saying. She says, "If you want to be successful, find out what everyone else is doing, and do the exact opposite." This unconventional philosophy is precisely what I adhere to when feeding my little ones. Current conventional wisdom tells us to serve babies cereals as their first foods, and to serve them juices and eschew raw milk. I have literally done the exact opposite.
Nathaniel is almost 2.5, and he has not yet had any grains. That means no bread, no crackers, no cereal, and no snack bars. He has not had any sugar- no candy, no cookies, and no ice cream. He has never had juice, he has never had pasteurized milk, and he's never had fruit leathers or fruit snacks. He's never been served "kid food" and he won't ever be. He eats what we eat.
He has, however, had immense amounts of {organic} raw milk, coconut oil, raw cheese, grass fed beef and organic chicken, organic fruits and vegetables (he especially loves apples and peas) and one of his favorite snacks, bananas "fried" in coconut oil. He drinks smoothies with us and loves our green drink. He takes cod liver oil every night without a fuss, and has ever since he was a small baby. He also takes Garden of Life's Primal Defense for kids.
In return, we have an exceptionally healthy child, who has never once been sick, (that means no colds, no flus, no ear infections, no digestive issues, etc), has eyes and a mind that have been alert and observant since birth, as well as perfect teeth.
In light of the experience I've gained, I am going to be doing a series on feeding babies, to help you as you nourish your little ones in optimal health! It is possible, and it is really not that hard! Any slight inconveniences are forgotten with such wonderful payoffs as I listed above.
Please let me know if you have any specific questions, so I can be sure to address those in my posts. In the meantime, happy baby/kid feeding!
13 comments:
Thank you for sharing!
Question:
Coconut Oil...do you have to use Extra Virgin and do you know why? I've seen just Coconut oil in the stores.
Also...by raw cheese...soft or hard or both? I make soft raw goat cheese. But was wondering where I would find raw hard cheeses?
Another...the green drink...Super Green by Garden of Life? How do you drink it and how does your little one drink it?
Another....sorry..I'm full of questions! ha;) Ok...cod liver oil...do you give it straight?
I'm switching Quirt over to my goats milk which is raw. The pediatrician said that goats milk doesn't have folate which he needs...hum...what has folate? I know the vitamins over the counter has them. But would like to make sure they are whole vitamins and not synthetic. Just wondering if you have had this issue or not.
Thanks! Did u see my post that I made the carrot cake? It was yummy!!!!!
Kellye
Why have you not served him grains yet? When do you plan to introduce grains? Thanks!
Hi Kellye!
I did see your post on the carrot cake, thank you so much for letting me know you made it! :) I will have to give it a try.
You asked great questions! Here are my thoughts...
1)Coconut oil: the extra virgin classification just refers to the amount of processing it undergoes. Although I have read that coconut oil differs from olive oil, in that virgin and extra virgin are essentially the same. But I'd steer clear of any mainstream store brands. They are usually very processed and adulterated. Nutiva, Tropical Traditions, and Garden of Life all have great coconut oils.
2) Raw cheese: Yes, both soft and hard. We are particular fans of raw monterey jack cheese by Organic Valley. We get it through our co op. Although, Dr. Mercola also sells some very high quality raw cheese on his website. http://www.mercola.com
3)For the green drink, we love Garden of Life's Perfect Food Berry, equivalent to 4-5 servings of fruits and veggies!
4)Cod liver oil: yes, I give it straight! I was putting it in his milk for a while, but he hated the taste in his milk. :)
5)Yes, your pediatrician is correct, goat's milk is lacking folate. I would recommend nutritional yeast added. Check out the section in Nourishing Traditions entitled "Feeding Babies." She addresses this and gives brand recommendations.
Thanks for your comment Kellye and have a great day!
5)
Maryea, thank you for your comment! I've not introduced grains for Nathaniel because babies do not produce amylase, the enzyme needed for the digestion of grains, until they get their two year molars. Nathaniel's got one to go! I'll be talking more about it in today's post. :) Another reason I've avoided grains is because it's so easy to feed carbs, because they're easier and faster to prepare, when what is really important for optimal growth at such a young age is animal fats and protein.
Thanks Maryea, and have a great day!
Doina, thanks so much for the encouragement, I appreciate it! I am very grateful to have come across the Maker's Diet before we had children. :) Blessings to you!
And I have to add that no matter what age your children are, the information you now know can make an amazing difference! Studies show that even after one week of introducing only organic food, children's bodies show very little traces of pesticides. So their bodies change quickly and adapt to good food! You're doing a great job! :)
Very helpful post, Cath! Thank you.
It's me again!
Do you give your baby cod liver oil? I'm just wondering how much to give my one year old. I just started him on the kids primal defense. He got a major ear infection a couple of days ago with fever. Had to get antibiotic. Now he has yeast infection diaper rash! yuck!
Thanks for helping us and for the blog!!!!!!!!!
Kellye
Kellye, I'm so sorry to hear about your little guy's ear infection! How is he doing now? The Primal Defense will really help with that! :) Yes, I do give both kids cod liver oil, at one year, he can take a teaspoon a day. That will also help his immune system!
Catherine, How old was Nathaniel when you started giving him raw milk?
Hi,
Thanks for your comment! He was 11 months old. I recently started Micah on the raw milk formula due to a breast milk supply shortage. He was 9 months when I started him on it as a supplement and he's done great with it too!
For breast milk supply shortage I take fenugreek and or blessedthistle. Tremendously helps!
3 Studies PROVE How Coconut Oil Kills Belly Fat.
This means that you actually kill fat by consuming coconut fat (also coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).
These 3 studies from big medicinal magazines are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world upside down!
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