I had the idea for this blog several months ago. I wanted to help other parents change their children’s diets into a healthy lifestyle of eating and living. My family has eaten a vegetarian diet a couple of times in our lives, when our children were babies and toddlers. We all really enjoyed eating this way, but, over time, “life” would get in the way and we would go back to eating meat and less fruits and vegetables.
At the beginning of 2010, I watched “Food, Inc.” on the recommendation of a friend. I also came across T. Colin Campbell’s book, “The China Study.” I will be forty in two years. I know all of the information out there about my metabolism slowing down, losing muscle, and becoming more susceptible to diseases as one passes this milestone. These experiences changed my direction, yet again.
So, armed with the information I had gathered from the movie and book, along with my passion and enthusiasm, I began to do a web search on the topic of Whole Foods, Plant-Based (WFPB) eating. I also would search a vegan diet, as these are fairly similar ways of eating. I didn’t get much. There is precious little about kids and WFPB. There is some good information out there, especially from Rip Esselstyn, that I found useful.
The idea for this blog came about to share some of my personal experiences, triumphs and failures that have come out of implementing a WFPB lifestyle with my family, particularly my children.
Now, we have not been what would be considered the typical American family, according to experts; I have always made my kids eat veggies and fruit daily, with every meal, but we ate ice cream, both my kids have a special “candy” bucket, and I didn’t pay much attention to ingredients in, for example, crackers (which is a staple item in my kids’ diet.).
However, when our youngest daughter, Nelia, was a baby, I had a copy of "Super Baby Food." So, when the time came to incorporate foods into her diet, in addition to breast milk and formula, I went all out. I would steam, bake and roast veggies and fruits and freeze them in ice cube trays. These became her meals, along with cooked whole grains, homemade yogourt and tofu. She ate this food for the first year of her life, and I’m so glad I took the effort to do so. Our oldest daughter, Lourdes, was 2 ½ when Nelia was born. I would also feed her many of these good foods, but, since she had already been exposed to so many other “yummy” things, she didn’t take to eating steamed kale like Nelia did.
My husband had been raised a vegetarian during his teen years, so his palate was amenable to the changes I wanted to make to our lifestyle during these phases. He also has a reputation in our families for being the best “consumer” of any kind of food. He just loves food! He is my best “taster” and so appreciative of my attempts at certain meals, even when they turn out dry and tasteless. Thanks, honey!
This time, however, I was determined to change our eating habits to become a lifestyle that would take my husband, Paul, and myself into the latter half of our lives, healthy and active. I also wanted to give my children a rich heritage in healthy foods they would thank me for…later.
I don’t plan to go into great detail here to show why you should eat certain foods. Others are much more qualified to do so, and there are great resources out there that you can search. I will include some links along the way as well.
Here, I want to share my family’s experience in making the change, gradually, and share how, as a mom, I was able to get my kids on board. And, believe me, this is a work in progress!
Thanks for joining me on this journey.
