Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Real Food Real Results...AMAZING!

Yesterday I said to check back in for some real eye opening finds. I am not going got ramble on about things I have read, or information I've seen on television. What I am going to share with you today is first hand experience. Things that prove that ones diet has a major effect on their life...

Our daughter Bugs had an illness of unknown origin (IUO) when she was two. We never got any answers...her illness came on quickly, lasted several months, then just disappeared as mysteriously as it began. However, it left her with lingering symptoms for several years. From time to time I would do research trying to find out what she could have had. On many of the sites, I would find sidebars or articles concerning diet and how it could help alleviate some of the symptoms she still dealt with. I just filed that information away as I felt our diet wasn't really that bad... after all, I didn't feed my kids poptarts, frozen pizza, or sugary breakfast cereals. Then when Beanie was about 9 years old she started having serious trouble concentrating in school. She was easily angered, and everyone in the family was beginning to walk on eggshells, because we did not know what would set her off. Things continued to get worse, so we took her to see a doctor. She was diagnosed as being "Juvenile Bipolar". As devastating as that diagnoses was, we were glad she was finally going to get the help she needed or so we thought. She was put on one medication that did absolutely nothing. So her doctor tried something different, then a combination of medications all with the same results. Between the emotional ride with Beanie, and Bugs suffering from lingering symptoms, I was really buckling under the stress. That is when I decided to pull out the diet information I had set aside. I figured if it reduced Bugs issues by half, it would be a tremendous help.

I started reading labels at the grocery store with a fine tooth comb. I was amazed to find that items I thought were relatively healthy really weren't...granola bars, cereals, breads, even salad dressings that normally found their way into my shopping cart were being left on the store shelves. If it had high fructose corn syrup, yellow, blue or red dyes, hydrogenated oils or nitrates/nitrites I did not purchase it. Within the first couple of weeks, I noticed a difference in our house. Bug's symptoms seemed to be easing up, Beanie was finally put on a medication that was working, and life wasn't an emotional roller coaster for her or the rest of us. On top of that, we all managed to stay well, when everyone around us was getting sick! Things were changing, however; I still did not attribute it to the change in our diet...after all, it had only be 2 weeks. A little over a month later, I noticed more peace and harmony in the house, better concentration in our homeschooling, better health, and those of us who were carrying around extra weight had thinned out some...

It was almost Christmas and we were headed out of state for a family reunion. While in route, we got in an auto accident that postponed our return home. That caused a change in our diet overnight. We ate Lucky Charms in place of  oat meal, white bread instead of 100% homemade whole wheat, canned condensed soups and many other highly processed foods. After only 2-3 days, I noticed major changes in the way we were feeling, and how my kids were behaving. Then we ran out of Beanie's medication. I called her Dr. and he informed us that she had to be seen before he would write her a refill. I explained that we were over 1,000 miles from home. What happened next, I could not believe... her doctor said "Well I will not refill your daughter's medication until she comes in for her next appointment. So you better keep a close eye on her and pray she does not become suicidal!".  Roughly a week later we were dealing with issues from the change in our diet as well as a child suffering from Juvenile Bipolarism who did not have her medication. At this point, all I wanted to do was return home so that we could get things back to normal.

Once home, we were faced with many unexpected situations...the biggest of which was no more medical insurance. Because of this, we were not able to get Beanie in to see her doctor nor get her prescription refilled. Thankfully I had control once again over what we were eating. I went back to fixing real food...and within a week, the changes were once again amazing! However, the most unbelievable change of all was seen in Beanie...all of her Bipolar symptoms disappeared! She had been misdiagnosed... it turned out that she is extremely sensitive to food dyes, preservatives, SUGAR and other things associated with highly processed foods.  If what I have told you thus far has not sold you on the benefits of eating better, here is something that might...$$$! Eating a mostly unprocessed diet meant Beanie no longer needed her prescription, monthly blood work, or bimonthly doctors appointments. Bugs was able to go off of most of her asthma medications which without medical insurance would have run close to $400.00 per month.

So, for all who grew up hearing "You are what you eat" I can tell you it is true! Give real food a try for one month...I promise you too will see HUGE results!

My food choices for yesterday~
Breakfast: None
Lunch: Side salad, 2 pieces of broasted chicken, sauteed Asian vegetable blend, Asian sesame dressing, and 2 small cups of decaf coffee with half n' half
Snack: 1/2 of a small soft serve ice cream
Dinner: 5 olive oil & cracked black pepper Triscut crackers and roughly 2 oz. of caraway cheese (small dinner because of a late lunch)

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