It Starts....

We enjoyed a typical weekend dinner....pizza and soda with the family while enjoying some football.  Nothing new there!  Veggie pizza for the ladies and meat for the guys, so original!  Two days later our little family fell ill.  We were all sniffling, sneezing, coughing and sounded like a cold was coming on.  I was puzzled by why we all were coming down with the exact same symptoms at the exact same time.  Sigh, we don't have time to be sick!!  The hubby decided he was tired of feeling yucky and did a bit of research based on what a pediatrician had told him growing up "When you have any type of sinus issue stop all dairy until you feel better".  Hubby surfed the net and came upon NotMilk.com  He talked with me that evening and explained his findings and how he believed that we were all feeling sick because of the huge amount cheese we had enjoyed on our pizza (not to mention the ranch we had dipped it in).  He threw out some facts and figures....I listened politely and then told him he was CRAZY!!!  I was 7 months prego and ate about a pound of cheese a week!  I drank chocolate milk by the gallon and I felt fine (or so I thought).  He continued to explain what he had learned and asked if I would just give it two weeks.  UGH!! Two weeks without my BELOVED cheese and crackers......or my midnight cup of chocolate milk.  I was not happy about this but was working on being a respectful wife so I agreed to the two week trial (and inside was looking forward to it failing so I could do the "I told you so" dance and go back to my yummy cheese and chocolate milk).

Three days in we all felt better....no more runny nose, cough or sneezing. I figured it must have been a weather change :)  The two weeks came and went.....and I realized the husband just might be onto something (believe me, I was as surprised as anyone!)  Dairy really being the enemy??  What about the Food Pyramid, what about "Milk, it does a body good"??  I decided to see for myself.  I logged onto the hubbys "end all" website and looked around.  My first thought, THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS!  Of course that sparked my interest more and I continued to read.  The more I read the more things started to add up.  Sadly I was in agreeement with the hubby.  Milk was not for our family.  I became the crazy lady at the grocery store spending 10 mintues reading labels just to find a box of crackers she would allow her kids to eat. Dairy is sneaky and comes in many forms....I became an expert in label reading :)

After a month of being "dairy free" I was off all but ONE of my allergy/asthma meds.  Anyone who has known me for ANY length of time knows I have always had to take a variety of allergy and asthma meds, keep my inhaler handy and have a breathing machine in the closet.  My allergist had recommended I begin allergy shots as soon as I was done breastfeeding.......after he saw my progress on the dairy free diet he said allergy shots would NO LONGER BE NEEDED, WOOOOOHOOOO!!!!

Dairy free was a starting point and it has now just become a little piece of our new way of eating.  We watched Food Inc by chance and it made my eyes open to what I was really feeding my family on a daily basis.  That was it....time for a major overhaul!  Every night I would pick a food/health/nutrition documentary from netflix, grab my pen and notebook and gather as much information as I could from those who had been there.  The hubby bought me several books and I began to make dramatic changes to my grocery list. 

I already knew the bennefits of Organic Produce and had been a member of a co-op so I emailed the WONDERFUL, WISE ladies and asked for suggestions as to where I could find grassfed, "happy" beef, pastured "happy" chicken/eggs and WHAT ON EARTH WILL I FEED MY FAMILY without processed foods.  These ladies came back with a million recipes and suggestions as well as several local farms for meat, eggs, cheese and milk.  Where had I been???  All of this wonderful food has always been at my fingertips I just didn't know where to look!

So now we purchase our meat from local farmers who care for their animals in a way I believe should be demanded.  The animals are happy and loved from the time they are born until they are killed.....even the trip to the slaughter house and waiting they are treated with dignity and respect.  Some would say "Why not just go Vegan?"  For our family meat is something we enjoy and something I believe is here for a source of food....but I believe that we have a duty and responsibility to treat these animals with dignity and respect while they are alive.  They are God's creation and should be treated as such.  It's crazy that we are using modern technology and developments to treat animals as poorly as possible without causing death INSTEAD of treating them the best possible ensuring a quality food source.

Our produce comes from the organic co-op, local grocery stores that carry organic produce and WONDERFUL farmers markets and "pick your own" farms.  It's a joy to bring an abundance of produce into the house only to have it gone in a matter of days! Love watching my little one climb up into the fridge and ask for apples, avocados, hummus or carrots for a snack.  Our kids don't know what candy is, only like juice from freshly juiced produce, never ask for cookies and prefer hummus to just about any other kind of dip.  It makes my heart happy to provide this food to my family.

**I'm just a mom documenting the food journey my family is on.  

Please do your own research, pray and decide what is best for your family**