Menu-Board

Pictured above is the menu board in the kitchen I’ve lived in in San Francisco for the last 8 years. See the rest in this  kitchen tour.

Why would I lead a cause that I don’t fit the demographic of?!

I will celebrate my 48th birthday in July and only 13% of our Facebook followers are in the 45 – 54 age range. I conceived of and founded Nourishing Our Children in 2005, at the age of 39. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would still have an opportunity to have children then. I wasn’t married yet. I didn’t want to adopt, or utilize a sperm bank to raise a child as a single mother. Nonetheless, I cared deeply about our children, in the collective sense. I was working as a learning specialist in private practice at the time and had begun to suspect that the children I served who were faced with “learning disabilities” were likely malnourished. I have a long history of caring about and working with children and families as a babysitter, live-in nanny, teacher, tutor, Marriage Family Therapist, and Art Therapist.

I know from first hand experience that we really are what we eat, and that vital nutrients during pre-conception, pregnancy and during our formative years are necessary for optimal development of every aspect of our being.

Nourishing the Wide Smile

I am referring to nourishing the wide smile on both a physical and emotional level.

My mother grew up on a traditional diet in Morocco which was rich in nutrient-dense organ meats and pasture-raised animal products. They didn’t  have a refrigerator in her early years and there were no canned or packaged foods. Just like Dr. Weston A. Price discovered – those on a traditional diet ate no processed foods of any kind. She is number 8 out of 11 children. My grandmother conceived 14 children and 11 survived. She didn’t necessarily space them 3 years apart, which we recommend.  Yet, my mother and all her siblings had a wide palette, all 32 straight teeth … no need for an orthodontist! My mother migrated from Morocco to France where I was born and she favored modern foods such as margarine and low-fat products. Even though my mother breast fed her 4 children for an extended period of time, we are an example of the physical degeneration that Dr. Price observed time and again that occurred when the so-called “displacing foods of modern commerce” were introduced into the diet.  All 4 children in my family have had crooked teeth. I had 8 adult teeth pulled from my mouth – including wisdom teeth …  and wore head gear and neck gear for several years. I would describe myself as having had extensive orthodonture.

So what’s wrong with crooked teeth? Can’t we just fix them with braces? Yes  … however, there are other issues that develop when one is malnourished that can’t be fixed with braces. I have a fairly narrow nasal passage and don’t breath comfortably. I have been identified as a mouth breather. The ends of several teeth have become translucent because my mouth isn’t closed at night when saliva would remineralize my teeth.  My breathing had been restricted enough that I had nasal surgery in 2010 in order to widen my nasal passage, reduce the size of my inflamed turbinates and correct a deviate septum. Unfortunately, I still experience my nasal passage as constricted as I breathe through my nose. My tongue is too big for my small mouth that houses only 24 teeth. I also have had weak bones as a teenager that resulted in stress fractures, and was diagnosed with osteopenia at 38. I have relatively mild, yet clearly visible scoliosis of the spin.

I talk about this pattern in the article How The Teeth Tell The Tale.

So, I have learned through my own life experience that our bodies require certain nutrients to develop as we are intended to.  We need a wide smile to fit all of our 32 teeth and tongue comfortably, and a wide face that allows us to breath easily.

Once I was an adult, I became a vegetarian and at times a vegan throughout my twenties and into my thirties. All during that period, I was emotionally unstable, at times suicidal, often depressed and anxious. When I started to eat according to Nourishing Traditions in 2004, my moods stabilized dramatically. I have never again experienced the depths of despair I had in the years I lived primarily on a plant-based diet.

I don’t have children, so what do I care?!

Quite simply, I care because I don’t want the next generation to suffer in the ways that I have. I don’t want parents to regret what they didn’t know, to regret their possibly uninformed choices. I care because I hold a vision for our children, as I express on our website and in all of our educational materials.

Imagine.

Imagine a child raised according to the nutritional wisdom of our ancestors. This child grows up free of the common ailments and diseases that we currently take for granted. This child’s strong, white teeth grow in straight – and free of tooth decay. This child’s face is broad and well formed. This child is attentive and engaged, and can learn easily and readily because of optimal brain development. This child is energetic by day and sleeps soundly at night. This child is sturdy but not overweight. This child has a strong immune system, experiences only mild versions of childhood illnesses or allergies, and has a stable, cheerful and optimistic disposition.

Not realistic?

We know it is possible for every child to be healthy, intelligent and well formed because Dr. Price documented and photographed whole communities in many parts of the world where this picture of childhood was a reality generation after generation. His photographs, descriptions and startling conclusions are preserved in a book considered a masterpiece by many nutritionists and health professionals.

 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Price documents the foods that allow people of every race and every climate to experience their birthright of radiant health and wholeness. These are whole, natural foods that have not been industrially altered with pasteurization, extrusion, additives, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides. These are foods that come from animals living outside and eating their natural diets. These are foods that generally don’t come in cans, packages, boxes or microwaveable containers. These are foods that have continually proven to support health and well-being in our children.

In celebration of our 8 year anniversary, our educational materials are currently on promotion until June 30, 2013 for up to a 60% reduction in our usual donation request. Donate to our cause and learn how to nourish and not merely feed yourself and your children.  I don’t think I am exaggerating when I assert that this information is life changing!

What has your experience been that has led you to our cause?