Ohio Child Taken From Home For Obesity

Perhaps rather than put the child in foster care where the child is likely to have poorly chosen and state-funded food, the state (or even better, federal) government could begin teaching parents and children alike about what causes obesity and how to stop it. What if you were in the parents shoes? Can you imagine destroying your child's self-esteem and then attempting to get the child to put in... the hours of exercise it would take to lose that amount of excess weight. This is really outrageous. If the government cannot provide correct information about food and nutrition, they should not provide any, and they most definitely should not be allowed to remove children from homes that are destroyed by their ignorant food guidelines!

State-funded nutrition advice... yeah great idea. Let's serve a child that is at risk of developing diabetes and numerous and countless other medical problems 9 to 11 servings of whole grains a day!

I do not think that all foster care is bad, however, the state has no business trying to step in in this situation. If the parents had found a doctor that was willing to look into the real problem behind this (they are VERY hard to find), ...then perhaps this problem could have already resolved. We educate our doctors in a way that leads to a prescription-dependent population. What if we actually wanted the population to be healthy and happy? It could be amazing how wealthy and powerful this country could be in the coming years; rather we have overworked people who do not feel satisfied, do not read, have poor information and a wealth of "healthy" inexpensive food readily available and easily made. Then, we allow stores to drive up the cost of whole foods.

Undoubtedly, there are supporters of removing the overweight Ohio child from his home and placing him in foster care, why wouldn't there be in a society shuns people who are even at a healthy weight as being fat..., but how are we going to decide which of the 33% of overweight children in America will need to be removed from their homes?  Will this be based on a percentage perhaps their BMI or a number of pounds overweight?  Are there going to be an equal number of people go to the office and begin paperwork to become foster parents today?

How are we going to make sure that we do not keep children who need medical care from the doctor?
Just a little bit more food for thought... Should we also remove children from homes that have any exposure to third party smoke due to their possible development of cancer, bronchitis, asthma? What about the many other health problems children in the US are exposed to on a daily basis that give them the risk of developing some disease?

Obesity (though presented as one) is not a disease in itself, it's a symptom of a generally undiscovered health problem, physical or psychological.

The Walk to Remember

Being Primal is about so much more than food.  There is so much to consider about what exposures there are in our lives, what exercise we do, and how we manage/decrease our stress levels.  Walking is so second nature, so vital, and yet so depressed in today's society.  It's defeated by striving to be too efficient, our competitive nature, and being simply overlooked. 

There have been many efforts put forth with the promotion of pedometers; and yet I think for the most part people overlook the ways they are cutting it out without cause or need. 

I began purposefully parking in the very lost slot of parking.  Despite having four children to walk through the whole lot it is honestly probably the best parking area.  I can always find my car and no one else is parked nearby.

I used to attempted to gather everything together everytime I was going up stairs or downstairs to eliminate the number of times I was doing this, thus saving time.  I think I actually began this after a C-section when I was told not to use the stairs and it just kind of stuck.  Now, I do the opposite, attempting to make the trip far more frequently and adding steps into my day. 

Family walks are another great way to spend time.  We try to eliminate as much food prep time as possible and have the children helping with it too.  This enables us to take more time out as a family, and we are promoting our health! 

Unfortunately when your time feels short this is the first area that tends to be neglected, the good news is the more aware you begin to become of this tendency, the more you can adjust redirect your efforts.

Making Lunch While Juggling

So, when you are really on the go and have no time, how do you live primally?  Some of the best things would be simply raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts.  They take very little preparation, but let's face it... most days are like this and you can only eat like that for so long before you begin to crave texture and temperature differences. 

My crockpot is my best friend.  It cooks the food perfectly with no attention at all.  When getting ready for the week I count on having to have at least four "emergent meals" to cover a shortened lunch break, extra work, unexpected errands, etc.  Because I know to expect these interuptions, I have found it perfect to take frozen meat out of the fridge in accurate portions sizes for the family, put them in a crockpot bowl, put seasoning on them, place a wonder KeepEez top on and pop them in the refridgerator.  KeepEez is BPA free, and provides a nice vaccum seal.  Now, when I am done I have already got all of the "emergency meal" meats prepared.  We need only to place them into the crockpot and turn it on.

Some of the favorite seasonings to add to the chicken:
  Mint.
  Thyme.
  Lemon pepper.
  Chili powder.
  Onion.
  Garlic.
  Cayenne.
  Lime.
  Olive oil or Coconut oil.

To add a little bit of substance as a side we may add yams or white rice on occassion.  We may steam a Member's Mark broccoli bag or top it off with a smoothie. 

What really great about this is, if there is by some chance a little extra, it saves and reheats very well! 

Making Time To Live Primally

So, when it comes down to it many people wonder how I manage my time... and I can definitely see how on the outside it would look amazing; but I have been doing it for years and adding just one thing at a time, so it just seems normal busy to me. 

So, with homeschooling, living on a primal diet, keeping a home, and working a full time job and a part time job (running my own businesses) how can I have time to fit in exercise at all? Well the answer is I am trying not to make it too complicated. I walk the dogs when I can, I have my laundry room on a different floor, so I naturally have to go up and down the stairs several times for that and to get to the living space... I guess I am just simply trying to fit in exercise one step at a time.

I am trying to keep toned muscles to assist in my metabolism department and if you could see me while I am working and working out I would be quite a sight to be seen. There was a resistance band I saw some time ago that inspired me to find ways to use resistance bands to work out while I am typing, and this is what I have so far:

1. I wrap my legs together at the knees with the resistance bands and spend about a half an hour attempting to pull my legs apart.

2. I use the arm wrests on my chair and wrap the resistance bands around the arms to the chair and then my legs in a way that creates resistance on my inner thighs, and I spent about a half an hour attempting to pull my legs together.

3. I wrap myself to the chair and then I sit on the very edge of the chair. I spend about an hour attempting to sit forward and slowly leaning backwards against the resistance again to help tone in both directions.

Keep in mind I do all of this while I am typing, so I am quite sure anyone could find a way to adapt and fit a little bit of resistance training into their lives. I am attempting to do a few push ups everyday, but that is definitely an area to grow in! 

I would love to hear any ideas anyone else has about staying fit at their desk!

Fitting In My Jeans By Following My Genes Demands

Fitting into my jeans by following my genes... what an interesting concept it is to follow what our bodies want us to follow! 

After embarking on this adventure there was a little bit of a burnout (especially since I felt like I had been completely limited down to chicken, broccoli, and H20 after my allergy testing results), but that just inspired a new desire to explore foods and ideas we had never thought of like avocado chili, spaghetti squash, and our version of Mexican food.  The children frequently are a part of this endeavor and really enjoy expressing their creativity.  Just tonight Sis came in and said she was wondering if we could try a new idea that she had for chips to have with a Mexican inspired meal, using avocados to make chips.  A new spin on some healthy foods is always welcomed here; and as we are homeschooling food sciences is a favorite course for all! 

Teaching our children about health is really important to us; however, shortly after talking very in depth with the children about what foods that suit our genes do for our bodies and the nutrients they provide as well as their health benefits, I believed I had to have talked way above their ability to focus and their interests; however, I have found since we began discussing these things my children will often start these conversations.  They will ask about what a certain food will do for their body or to their body and the will discuss what the benefits of exercise are.  I hear Sis reminding my husband to keep our meals balanced, and Buddy regularly will remind him that the nutrients are in the peels.  They are very interested in what food is going to make them feel like or grow like.  They desire to be healthy and want to learn about how to be healthy.  I have never seen children so interested in health or how their bodies function, and I feel great knowing I am giving them the tools to maintain a healthful family for a lifetime. 

... and because teaching the children begins with showing them, I have started to squeeze in healthy amounts of exercise all throughout the week.  I know my body is meant to move, I try to keep moving whenever I can, but once I feel tired I quit, and because I know my body does not tolerate whole grains and several other foods, we have eliminated them.  Now, I have squeezed myself into a pair of jeans I had not worn in about nine years!

Anyone can read a book, anyone can "start a diet," and anyone CAN make a permanent lifestyle change if they marry into it.  It can look and sound overwhelming when you have not embarked on the transformation fully; but it is like a ball, once you get it rolling it does not want to stop.

The Primal Mom

Why We Went Primal

I have to say this is probably the biggest confusion among the people I know.  Why would you choose to be so different?  Why would you put your kids through this? 

To be honest, had I not had my own very trusted physician request me to read the Primal Blueprint for health reasons (I became obese very quickly), I probably would have never changed.  The journey that got me to this point was long.  It started about 10 years ago when I was pregnant for the first time and I lost a baby.  I also continued to carry a baby until he was 35 weeks.  At five months I began to have an awful immune response that led me to going to the doctor daily.  I lived in a small town and my doctor told me that I was just naive and did not know what to expect out of pregnancy.  When I went in on my birthday I took my mother-in-law (mother of nine children) with me.  When the doctor put the Doppler to may stomach within three beats I exclaimed that his heart rate had slowed, and the doctor said that it was a little slow but he didn't know what to tell me, so I left and went to a specialist.  I was admitted at 34 weeks my size five frame now carrying a size 28 body.  I was in the hospital for a week, and then they decided to transfer me to a larger facility.  I was moved and within 30 minutes of arrival my son was born.  After a very traumatic 30 days in the NICU we had to let him go.  At 19, I now had closed on a house in the NICU that ended up to have so many problems that had we been allowed time so we could get back home and do a walk through we never would have bought it.  Now, we were paying for a house we could barely use, mourning two losses of children in a year, and out every friend we had because no one could be around us without being scared to talk.  I was so tragically depressed I could not bear to get off of the couch.  Needless to say, the weight did not leave and at that point I really did not care.

Then, I got pregnant and was diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder.  My healthy daughter was born a week shy of my son's birthday and my life began to came back together.  I lost 40 pound in two months by running nonstop on the treadmill and counting calories right down to the gum I chewed. I began to become extremely fatigued and would actually fall asleep while running.  As I lost the weight, boom I was pregnant again.  Apparently, since I suffer from PCOS when I lose weight my fertility increases. 

I was pregnant every other year for an additional three pregnancies, each time I began to lose I was pregnant and every pregnancy was high risk with it's own crazy problems.  Between each pregnancy I tried different variations of low-carb diets and antiinflammatory diets.  Finally, after the birth of Boo, and continuing to put on weight I decided it was about more than the weight, it was about the health.  To me, a vegan diet (after research) seemed right for me.  I was working out and losing weight and eating vegan foods.  I was happy, until the extra energy got during the first two weeks of the vegan diet fell out from under me and I was extremely fatigued. 

When I went to my doctor and mentioned my issues with weight and being vegan he was very concerned.  I was very vitamin B deficient despite injections and anemic despite my extremely high intake of spinach.  He suggested I read The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf.  I read these two books within two weeks, but I emptied my entire pantry out that day. 

In reading The Primal Blueprint, I felt that the only reasonable thing to do was to place the entire family on the diet.  Ultimately, I could not imagine failing to properly care for my family if I have the knowledge and understanding of how to do so. 

In just seven weeks on the diet I have dropped 40 pounds, gone from obese to overweight (I don't feel a need to attack the Wii anymore), managed to work less, workout very little, and spend a great deal more quality time with my family and friends.  When I say going Primal is a lifestyle, I mean it encompasses every part of my life and has made me happier!  My children Sis (7), Beau (5), Buddy (3), and Boo (1) have all adjusted fully after about two weeks and now eat all of their vegetables gladly!


As far as overall health benefits we have seen in the short two months we have been primal, this is what my husband and I have witnessed throughout the different members of our family:

Resolved:

• Eczema
• Attention issues
• Weight (my son who was severely underweight is now gaining, and I am losing!)
• Acne
• Attitude
• Fatigue
• Gastric problems

We are all becoming more tone and fit and enjoying each other so much more. 

Although this move has been a wonderful experience for my family, I will touch later on the social challenges we face and issues within extended family.  I will give ideas on manipulating outings and social gatherings as well as dealing with people who just do not understand and do not want to. 

So, if you want to know why we will continue to be primal you can look below; it is the best and most motivating reason anyway!

The Primal Mom

Lunch - Steamed Cod and Broccolli

In our Primal journey we are attempting to be as natural as possible; however, living in today's world's pace there are definitely exceptions.  I work full time from home while homeschooling four children, and it definitely has its challenges.  We have to have very easy and fast meals very often, and this is a favorite!

We get our wild caught cod from Sam's Club in their frozen section.  Being in a landlocked state definitely makes it more difficult to get fresh fish; but Sam's offers several wild-caught fish options in their freezer section.  I also get frozen broccolli there, they have a Member'sMark brand that has four steamer bags! 

Anyway, today I was a little busy and did not have time to get lunch started in the slow cooker, so my husband came home and made steamed cod and broccolli for lunch.  It is that fast! 

Breakfast - Smoothies

Being Primal threw the toast and cereal out the window!  Because we are allergic to eggs we needed to come up with an alternative idea.  Now we make green smoothies everyday.  I have found (with the various blenders I have used over the years) that the Blendtec blenders are the best choice. I use mine several times a day.  They do not have to be green (generally they are still pink in color); however you want to keep the carbs as low as possible. Generally, we use about 60% spinach (to increase our iron) and 40% fruits - mainly berries. 


Today's Smoothie
I filled my Blendtec with:

• Approximately 60% full of spinach (you won't taste it).
• About 30% full of strawberries.
• About 10% full of mango.

Then I added these around it:

• 1 Tbsp of Lemon Cod Liver Oil/per person (you will only taste the lemon flavor
• 1 Tbsp of cinnamon (to decrease insulin response)
• Flax seed approximately 1/10 of the smoothie size
• About 1 cup of water ( or milk, coconut milk, juice, etc.)

Blend and you're done. 


Cod liver oil can lower blood pressure, lower anti-inflammatory status, improve brain function, and improve cholesterol.  That is why we commonly use it.  Flax seed does a lot of the same and has protein and fiber.

If you want to add protein, add some protein-packed nuts!


Ratings on a scale 1-10, ten being best:
Kids rating: 10
Adults rating: 9


Have a blessed day!

Primal Recipes

This is where we will list our personalized Primal Recipes.  We will give a rating from the adults in the house and a second rating on the kids opinions too.  Please take note that our primal recipes purposely have abandoned several recommended primal foods due to food allergies.  Feel free to add in beef, pork, eggs, and any vegetable or fruit you may desire for a little twist!  You may also choose to use dairy in moderation; however, my recipes will call for alternative ingredients.  Watch this page for a minimum of weekly updates!

In The Beginning

So here on day one I thought I would just give an overview of what can be found here.  There will be many aspects of primal living addressed on this page.  If you are not aware of what this means, I am referencing the book the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. You can get a copy through Marksdailyapple.com.  I began living primally about three months ago, and I have a lot to say on the subject; so buckle up, it's going to be a long ride!  In addition to Paleo diet and Primal Lifestyle you will hear about my personal primal transformation, homeschooling, working from home, parenting, family time, frugal ideas, primal meal plans, cloth diapering, etc.  I will also work on living socially in a non-Primal world and attempting to deal with skeptics, especially those within the family.

Have a Healthy Day!