wholefood mama maintenance

When was the last time you had a medical check up? Or visited your natural health practitioner?

I recently had a blood test to check my cholesterol level, triglycerides, iron, vitamin D, thyroid function etc; I do this every two years mainly because my mum died very unexpectedly at age 44 of a heart attack and because I believe so much that prevention is better than cure. Don't wait to get sick to get well!

The test results came back showing I was anaemic (low in iron). Tiredness is a common side effect of being anaemic and there I was thinking I was tired from Sol waking me up every night. After all, aren't all mothers tired? Well apparently not. And there is a difference between feeling tired and feeling exhausted to the bone and no amount of rest or sleep can restore your energy.

Anaemia has been an on and off problem for me since giving birth to River almost 7 years ago. It is not because I don't have enough iron in my diet but more so an absorption issue.

I decided to write about this here because I think many mothers put their own health and wellness at the bottom of their very full to do list and it really needs to be at the top.

I booked in to see my local Chinese medicine practitioner and spent an hour receiving acupuncture, shiatsu, wisdom and herbs. In addition to taking the herbs it was recommended I have a daily root vegetable juice, drink plenty of water and also chlorophyll. It was not recommended I sit down to a great big steak which is a common thought, that meat is the answer to anaemia, eating big amounts of red meat if your digestion is weak will make you more tired! I am enjoying the ritual of making the juice and now that the weather has finally cooled I have made a bone stock. The herbs have made a huge difference to my energy in just 10 days of taking them. The words of wisdom I received that I think will resonate with many mothers is to do things in your own time on your own terms, set goals that work for the present always with an ideal in mind that will be more possible in the future.

In your own time, on your own terms. Don't you love that? This applies to so many aspects of mothering and looking after yourself while you are busily focused on looking after all those around you. For instance, weaning, co-sleeping, practicing yoga, changing your family's diet. Your ideal might be to attend a yoga class twice a week but for now a yoga DVD at home is more achievable. Your ideal might be for your family to eat wholefood home cooked meals three times a day but for now you are focusing on wholefood breakfasts and saying goodbye to boxed cereals and white toast every morning.

What are you doing to take care of you mama? Do you find it hard to do?

the generation gap: grandparents and sugar

I'm curious, does anyone out there have a wholefood grandmother or if you're really lucky two wholefood grandmother's in their family? Or a wholefood grandfather? I'd love to hear.

Both Pete's mum and my nan are of similar vintage, they are beautiful grandmothers we love them to bits and like many grandparents they have sweet teeth, that's right not just one tooth, a whole mouthful of them and take great delight in giving our children sweet 'treats' mainly in the form of chocolate AND/or ice cream. These great women grew up in times before fast food, before overly processed and packaged additive filled 'food', they were the days of backyard veggie gardens and chooks, cooking from scratch, and at times - going without.

Fast forward to the days of 'convenience' food and these beloved ladies are kicking up their sugar coated heels and relishing every moment of pouring ready made custard from the carton on to their heat'n'eat apple pie. My nan still loves to bake, cheesecake and pavlova being her signature desserts. And in some ways I can't blame them! They are living long lives defying nutritional odds, they've worked very hard, given a lot (and still do) so I say yes ladies put your feet up and have your pav and eat it too. Of course I can't help but think of the longevity and vitality that adopting even just a few wholefood ways would provide for them.

When it comes to sharing the sugar coated love with our boys, the sweet treats from their grandparents are well spaced as we only catch up once a month sometimes less because of the distance apart that we live. If we lived closer I fear I'd have to change the rules. I say fear because you and I both know there'd be tears and possibly not just from the children.

Grandparents are not the only ones though who take great delight in filling children with sugar and other processed junk 'food', other relatives and some friends do too.

I read with interest on the weekend an extract of Dara-Lynn Weiss' book The Heavy: A Mother's Battle Against Her Seven-Year-Old Daughter's Obesity. What stood out to me in Weiss' story is the way she stood up to social pressures on a daily basis to prevent her child being offered and encouraged to eat unhealthy or excess food. The stakes were higher for Weiss in navigating this because her daughter at age 7 was obese and had high blood pressure, she was very clear first with herself and then with those around her that she wanted to improve her daughters health and if that meant asking her daughter when she went to a friend's birthday party to choose between chocolate and cake then she would. It wasn't always easy but she did it with the best grace and good nature she could muster and her daughter is healthier for it.

Parents of children with allergies are also navigating more challenging waters when faced with people who want to pressure their children into eating foods that are not compatible with their body. 'Go on just a little bit won't hurt'. A friend learned her child was allergic to orange juice and dairy, she took her child to her mother-in-laws to be minded for the day and explained the allergy diagnosis. Her mother-in-law replied that she didn't believe in allergies "you never heard of it in my day." Well no you didn't but that's a whole other post.

I am well underway with writing my first ebook and it relates to this post. I am working at filling it with useful information, tips and recipes to help you share the whole food love with your family. One of the chapters covers dealing with peer pressure from grandparents and other caregivers to feed your children junk. I would love to hear your experiences with this.

Do you have parents or grandparents who are not on the same page as you when it comes to sugary 'treats'? Have you had to set limits? Do you make allowances? Or do you have wholefood grandparents so it isn't an issue? Is converting your family from eating processed food to wholefood something that you are working at or have you already done so? Tell me tell me tell me do.

back to the stone age

From now until Christmas, week on week off, I am following Dr Zenon Gruba's version of the Stone Age Elimination Diet. I have written here before about Dr Gruba and the 12 week guided detox program that Pete and I undertook with him last year. We did it because we really subscribe to the theory of - 'why wait to get sick to be well?!' 

Many people wait until they are diagnosed with a chronic illness to improve their diet and lifestyle. I believe that even for people who are in good health and eating a nutritious diet there is always room for refinement. 

It had been 12 months since I last saw Dr Gruba so I went for a follow up visit and basically he gave me the thumbs up for improving my health. To keep me on my path though he recommended I follow his version of the Stone Age Diet. With the emphasis being on eating fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat (no pig products) no grains and no dairy there are similarities to the Paleo diet, however in contrast to Paleo ways Gruba's diet includes legumes and potato. (The baked rice in the third picture was not for me but the vegetables were). This article is a good read to cover the for and against Paleo.

Having completed my first week I can say the beauty of the one week on one week off is two fold. For me it makes it very achievable. Having gone 3 months with no sugar, salt, dairy, wheat, fruit, alcohol or caffeine, 7 days is a walk in the veggie garden. The other aspect I am enjoying is it has heightened my awareness to which foods agree with me and which don't. As much as I enjoy a bowl of porridge on a cold morning I have really noticed that if I eat too bigger a bowl I feel like Goldilocks in need of a nap.

I won't bore you too much with the intricacies of my personal observations (because given there are people in the world who only have rice or less to eat I do find bantering on about detoxing etc; to be self indulgent and the need to detox indicative of our culture of excess) but another aspect I like about this diet is the reliance on real food. I was in the veggie garden harvesting greens 3 meals a day compared to one or two meals a day where I would take a leaf or two for a salad sandwich I was picking bunches of greens to cook up and eat with an egg or some kangaroo or to mix in with chickpeas and other veggies. By the fourth day Pete asked me to please go easy on the kale plant. It made me realise that most people eat too few vegetables. 

I commenced last Saturday to coincide the ending of my 7 days with going to a birthday party where I red wine, bread and cheese were back on my menu.

Where are you all at with your real food journeys? I ask because, well because I want to know, but also because eating real food in a processed world requires a certain way of thinking, a commitment to good health and it takes planning. Share your tips and thoughts.

Saba's story

Saba Button's story was on the front page of The Australian newspaper today. The story moved me deeply. I spent the time I would have been writing this post earlier today writing to the letters page of The Australian. My heart goes out to Saba's parents Kirsten and Mick Button, people I have never met but as a parent I have immense empathy for what has happened to their little girl and the ripple effect it has on their family.

As reported in The Australian today, Saba Button received the Fluvax influenza vaccination in 2010 and as a direct result of suffering febrile convulsions caused by the vaccination she is now brain damaged. Saba was in perfect health when she received the vaccination at 11 months. Now almost three Saba has epilepsy and has to be fed through a tube. Fluvax has since been banned for use in children under five. It has though been selected for Australia's flu immunisation program this year.

The photographs below show Saba and her mum and Professor Peter Collignon the photos are taken from a story published in The Australian in May last year titled Virus in the system written by Natasha Bita. It is an excellent feature article about the influenza vaccine and it is a must read for anyone considering flu vaccine or for that matter vaccination of any kind. Natasha Bita's reporting of this issue is exceptionally well balanced, unlike nearly every other piece written in mainstream media on the topic of vaccination.

Professor Peter Collignon (left) says last year's flu vaccine might have caused more harm than good in otherwise healthy children; Kirsten Button (centre) with baby Saba, 2, who has brain damage (picture: Frances Andrijich); and Saba when she was a "perfectly happy and healthy baby". Source: The Australian


Reading the report in The Australian this morning I wondered why children so young were being vaccinated for the flu? how many children get the flu each year? do any die? So I did a search and came up with this information (which I included in my letter to the editor) taken from Department of Health and Ageing Australian influenza report 2011 (No.14 - 30 September 2011), in it I read "In 2011, 14 influenza associated deaths have been notified to the NNDSS, with a median age of 47 years." 


And this "The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) conducts seasonal surveillance of children aged 15 years and under who are hospitalised with severe complications of influenza. Between 1 July and 18 October 2011, there have been 46 hospitalisations associated with severe influenza complications in children, including 20 ICU admissions. Of the 32 hospitalisations with completed questionnaires, around half of these hospitalisations were associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection, and 13 were noted as having underlying chronic medical conditions." 


The report did not state how many of these children were vaccinated. 

As of June 2010 the Australian Bureau of Statistics (report 3235.0) showed the population of children under 15 was 4.23 million. 

46 children hospitalised with severe influenza complications out of some 4.23 million, to me suggests that the risk of contracting a severe bout of influenza under the age of 15 is low.

Sadly it is too late for Kirsten Button to weigh up the risks of not vaccinating Saba based on these figures. Saba was in perfect health, she did not have an underlying chronic medical condition. 

She now has an irreversible condition that there is no price that can be paid to compensate how this has changed Saba's life and that of her family. At the expense of Saba's well being the learning to come out of this is for all Australians is to go the extra distance in informing themselves before they put their trust in their doctors hands and agree to any and every vaccination they are offered. 

Contrary to the amount of pressure placed on parents to vaccinate their children you do have a choice. Of course no parent wants to see their child with a severe or chronic illness as I was asked by a local general practitioner when she learnt I had chosen not to vaccinate my sons. Nor does any parent want or deserve their children to be accidental test cases for vaccines. 

Please take the time to read Virus in the system I feel it is the least we can do as a community to show support for the Button family and other families who have suffered as a result of vaccines.

go aluminium free

I was very happy to find this new organic, aluminium and chemical free deodorant by Harmoni's Kiss on the shelf at Woolworths ($4.95). Made with aloe vera leaf juice, witch hazel extract and scented with essential oils including lime, orange, lavendar, geranium and rose it has a wonderful fragrance and it works!

Between 1 October 2011 and 31 December 2012 fifteen cents from every sale is donated to the McGrath Foundation. “McGrath Foundation supports McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and educates young women to be breast aware.” This is a fantastic, practical initiative. Every woman knows what the support of another woman means during hard times, and in the case of a woman with breast cancer to have a nurse that can answer their questions and support them emotionally is an initiative worth supporting. And educating young women about the importance of breast health and self-checking their breasts is important as early detection of breast cancer saves lives.

What's the fuss about aluminium in deodorant? While some medical articles argue there has been no conclusive evidence to show a direct link between aluminium in deodorant causing breast cancer, I would add - yet. While I believe there is no one single factor that causes cancer, I  believe in reducing the pollution, stress and chemicals we ingest and that includes not putting aluminium into my body.

If you'd like to share this post with the women in your life please go right ahead.

what are you weighting for?

Monday is D-day for many women. D-day? The day of the week they begin a ‘diet’. The fact is, you can’t ‘go on a diet’ because you are already on one. Albeit one that may not be providing the nutrition, vitality and body weight you desire.

I’m writing about this because weight loss is a recurring conversation among some of my friends and family. And I’m not talking about ‘those last 5 kgs’ I’m 20-30kg kind of weight loss.

If only weight loss were as simple as mastering the energy in, energy out equation. It’s not. If it were, income for Australia’s weight loss industry would not have been $789.6 million in 2010-2011 as reported by IBISworld market research.

So, what to do?

Here are a few tips and tricks from my own experience of being a woman in our image obsessed, food abundant society. I haven’t had to lose 30 kgs but I have managed to stay a size 12 for twenty years even through working as a restaurant reviewer and food writer, and having had two babies.

1. Keep a food diary for at least a week. I have done this and any of my friends who have ever done this have found it very helpful to work out when?, why? (bored, sad, lonely, frustrated, happy, celebrating) and how much? they are eating. Writing it down makes it real. You may not think you eat very much, or that you eat ‘healthily’ perhaps that’s true, the diary will show you the quality and quantity of food and from there you can change direction.

2. Read ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’ by Mireille Guiliano. Regardless of whether you are wanting to lose weight or not if you are interested in real food this book is an excellent read, Guilliano’s writing is very engaging and the recipes appealing and straightforward. Her philosophy and tips are easy to incorporate into your life, it is not a diet it is a way of living and she is a big advocate of the real food way of life such as buying local produce, going to farmer’s markets, using spices to flavour food rather relying on salt and sugar.

3. Eat at the table, off your own plate only. The ‘off your own plate only’ is for mothers. We mothers are renowned for finishing what our children don’t eat. Put it in the compost, feed it to the birds, put it in the bin. If you don’t have time to sit down and eat, make time. Munching down food standing at the kitchen bench, in the car, while you’re working means you are not consciously eating. This means you can overeat and tell yourself the calories don’t count. They do.

4. Check out Cyndi O’Maera’s fantastic e-book Changing Habits Changing Lives 21 day weight loss plan ($22). Cyndi is an Australian nutritionist and author who doesn’t believe in low-fat, low-calorie diets instead she writes about changing habits – the what, when, how you eat and exercise – and provides a delicious collection of family-friendly recipes that won’t leave you hungry and feeling like you are ‘on a diet’ being punished. Great tips and inspiration for sneaking exercise into your day, turning off the TV and changing your life.

5. Change how you see yourself: NOW. Don’t wait until you lose the weight to accept yourself, love yourself, be kind to yourself, forgive yourself. Do that now.

And if you find in a months time the weight loss plan you are following is not working then stop what you are doing and REALLY change direction. Seek new ways, not fad diets, meaningful new ways that see you live differently from your heart not just what you eat.

Good luck to everyone who has losing weight on their goal list this year, perhaps a goal to add if you don’t have it on there already is being fulfilled in your relationships and creative pursuits. You may find being fulfilled in other areas of your life takes a weight off your mind and body J