Back on December 7, 2010, I asked our Facebook community of parents to offer their pearls of wisdom:
“For those here who are parents, what would you consider to be the most important pearls of wisdom re: nourishing your child, or yourself in preparation for having children, that you’d like others to know?” Here are the responses:
Heather Vogel Thalwitzer How about having a healthy attitude and good practices in general, not just towards food?
Marilen Blanco If I knew then what I know now, i think i would have “nourished myself” better before having children … so the foundation was set even before they where born …
Lauren Sturm Having less stuff in the house leaves more time for cooking wholesome meals and more time with your children because there will be less to clean and organize.
Lori Hanson Krause Hmm . . . not sure where this falls, but don’t worry about the little things. That if they miss a nap or the dog licks them in the face or they have cake for dinner, it’s not the end of the world. And you are not a failure of a mom!
Rebekah Grace Potts Eat your kale, drink your broth, and liver and onions (with a little garlic) is actually manna.
Deb Malyss Stay away from GMOs and fluoridated water.
Marilen Blanco … I have started with my own children with teaching them what is best for them and to consider if having children, healthy conscious eating, exercise, and green living is a must …. to consider everything before bringing a life into this world .. .the legacy we leave them and the ones they will carry on … think nourishing our children in all things not just actual foods but our planet … and families seem to get to together better at the dinner table … food and conversation.
Victoria Kushnir Everyone has to contribute to making sure there is enough good food for everyone they know. Whether it is growing yourself, helping a neighbor find a place for what would go to waste or even hurt the production cycle (recycling toxic stuff) or simply learning to cook nutritious meals so loved ones are healthy. All must find out what part of responsible food choices they are most happy contributing too and join in. If you think about it. Kids’ only real priorities are to be a part of things around them and to see their loved ones healthy and happy. Food, a bonding ingredient for 65,000 years (?).
Tandy Batt Although nourishing our children is extremely important, especially in early years, we have info on this. I come across so many women who have no idea that nourishing their own bodies in preparation, as well as when they first conceive thru pregnancy, is crucial to the health of their child when they are born. The babies health when born, is a reflection of the health of the mother, as well as during those 9 months, what the nutrition, or lack of is. My twins and I are proof of this. In the interest of time, I’ll give just a couple of the many details: My body would not hold or nourish a baby, let alone 2. I nourished & repaired my body for 4 years until it held 2 healthy babies (naturally). This would not have happened w/out proper nourishment (good fats, vitamins A and D, cod liver oil, etc) my twins were born w/ good weight, perfectly healthy, no complications (but also absolutely no drugs, anti-biotics, “vitamin K” and other shots). They received nothing synthetic, and nursed immediately after being born. We were discharged from the hospital the 2nd day, all in excellent health (even being a few weeks early). I give most credit to nourishing my own body in preparation, in addition to meticulous health during pregnancy (and not allowing western medicine to interfere w/ our body’s natural abilities). Pregnancy was excellent, better w/ twins than single pregnancies in the past before I knew about a Traditional Diet. Birth experience was amazing, and 2 new extremely healthy babies to add to my other 2 children, life is happy, healthy and great. It hurts my heart to see pregnant mothers essentially poisoning their bodies and the body and health of their unborn babies. It hurts my heart to see such tiny infants endure what western medicine does to them, because of the improper growth and deficiencies. This subject is so near and dear to my heart, having watched my 1st born, over 9 yrs ago almost die in his journey to earth. I wonder how that would have been different, had I know traditional eating, and proper nutrition both for myself and my unborn baby. I would for one, Love to see info to share with expectant mothers, as well as those trying to conceive, and cannot- and our knowledge of why- diet. Sorry for the long post :) Good thing this is only some details, in the interest of time :) haha. Thanks for all your hard work, Sandrine!
Hilary Pachter start your kiddo off with veggies, not rice or other cereals. My kiddo eats every kind of veggie and asks for them because I limited her grain intake until she was 2.
Kimberly Usher http://fightforyourhealth.blogspot.com Mothers before doctors …
Kate Wehmeyer Related to Hilary’s wisdom: Avoid cheerios as an early self-feeding food. This is such an easy trap to fall into, and it creates carb-loving snackers very early on. I wish someone had told me this 12 years ago. My girls loved veggies (wouldn’t eat mashed fruits at all) and still do, but graduated from cheerios to goldfish crackers and looooove their processed cheesy carby tastiness.
Kristin Howard Salber I think for me, the biggest thing I can tell people is that eating in a WAPF or NT manner is not has hard or as expensive as it seems at first glance. It’s just a re-routing of your thought process. It can be just as easy – if not easier – to eat this way, with good food from scratch as it is to open a box of cereal, and you only spend what you can afford to spend. You just have to think outside the box, outside the mega-mart grocery store.
Alexia Dunay Expose them to all cuisines. I was taught to be adventurous with food. I ate fried grasshoppers at the age of 6. Collard greens, and other veggies and at the age of 12, I was introduced to real Chinese breakfasts. Yummy! Creamy bean curd soup, and stuffed buns – savory and sweet.
AnnMarie Michaels Butter is your friend! And the friend of children if you want to avoid tantrums. :-)
Elizabeth Grange Probiotic foods before and during pregnancy! Pass on healthy gut flora to your baby during birth through the birth canal. Safely have mercury fillings replaced and detox from metals at least 1 year before pregnancy, but not before conception. Your “baby” (the ovum and sperm) starts developing 3 months before conception! Ample nutrients at least 3 months before conception. Avoid commercial birth controls – they deplete zinc and other minerals needed for babies development. Don’t fall for “baby” yogurts laden with sugar- just use simple homemade plain yogurt for older babies starting on dairy. Hold your baby all the time! They will be well adapted to the world around them if they know their momma is close by and secure. It goes by too fast!
Daphne Blumenthal Read and re-read Nourishing Traditions books, blogs, and websites. Cook up a storm when you can. Have a happy attitude toward food. Don’t show emotion if they don’t like something you give them. They will likely change their minds tomorrow. When you can’t provide the perfect diet, relax. Give yourself hugs for doing your best. Be thankful and loving towards your children no matter what.
Marilen Blanco Ban all GMOs! they are messing the seeds up, even if we plant them, the seeds are modified already, OMG! just stop!
Please share your pearls of wisdom and join the conversation!
Nourishing Our Children 
11 Responses to Pearls of Wisdom
Reach out to other like minded parents – a community of healthy families is an awesome way to explore new ways of keeping our lil’ones vibrant and strong.
That is so very true! Community makes a world of different, eh?! “It takes a village … ” — Thanks, Andrea!
Avoid commercial formula! When my son was born, he was premature and I couldn’t nurse (very well and for very long), so I wish I could have used the homemade formula recommended on the WAP site.
http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/recipes-for-homemade-baby-formula
Also, I’d be sure to give my baby liver, cod liver oil, egg yolks, and home-made bone broths, yogurt, and kefir from raw milk if I had to do it over again. My son takes his cod liver oil, probiotics, and drinks raw milk everyday. He also eats a lot of butter, ghee, yogurt, and eats a lot of pastured meats, eggs, and poultry.
Really sage advice — thank you, Raine!
I would add: don’t stress too much if you didn’t start off “right.” Kids (and even adults!) can heal incredibly well given time and nourishing foods.
Remember that your doctor should work for and with you! You know your kids and yourself way better than they ever can, so if something doesn’t feel right to you, speak up. If all else fails, don’t be afraid to switch doctors. We did and it was the right decision.
Here is the approach we take to working with our current (very excellent) doctor: http://theliberatedkitchenpdx.com/basics/making-the-most-of-a-doctor-visit/. It has really paid dividends for us and our doctor really appreciates how prepared we are for appointments.
Thank you so much, Kelsy! I took a brief look at your post and really appreciate you adding this valuable resource in our “pearls of wisdom”! I would add to this that keeping a food journal is also of value: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150320316750172
Agreed! I keep a food journal of sorts in my day planner, as I do all of my meal planning in there. I don’t write down mood, bowel movements, behavior, etc., as I keep track of this with Facebook. Except the b.m. part, of course; no one needs to read about my bowel movements! I like to go back and look at my and my partner’s status updates to see how we were doing, if the kids were fighting, if we were sick, etc. It’s not as tidy, of course, but with 4 of us, it’s certainly easier.
I will take a look at your website at greater length for more pearls of wisdom that I might pass along to parents!
Thanks for all………….
My bit of wisdom is to truly trust your instincts as a mother ~ not to get caught in our society’s shoulds. And trust that your child will develop when they are ready, again, not on our society’s shoulds. That and eat a lot of butter!