But I’ve noticed that homeschoolers tend to ignore this part of a child’s day. Even myself. And it disturbs me. It disturbs me for a few reasons.

1. your body’s bone mass has reached it’s peak by the time you finish your teen years

2. your heart is a muscle and you know what happens when your muscles don’t get used (shhh, they get flabby!)

3. it’s good for their mental health

Giving our children a good education is wonderful, gives the mind nourishment and is necessary for them to get along in the world but we don’t want to be negligent in their physical needs. If we do not require that they get physical exercise we are setting them up for ill health in later years.

Muscle Mass

Did you know almost all hip fractures are due to osteoporosis?  All through a child’s growing years the density of his muscles are being formed and they reach their peak at the end of their teen years. Super important time for children to be outdoors running, playing and doing what almost all small children did before video and computer came along.  The denser the muscles, the less likely your child will suffer from osteoporosis in later years.

Achieving a good density is important but to not lose it as you get older, you must maintain it by doing weight bearing exercises. Weight bearing exercises are ones that work against gravity such as walking, running, hiking, racquetball, climbing stairs, etc. Bicycling and Swimming are neither one considered to be weight bearing exercises because with them you are not supporting your weight against gravity.

Reason #2 that it’s important for our kids to have regular and vigorous exercise…

A Strong Heart

A heart is like any other muscle in your body; if it is not used it becomes weak and flabby.  A weak and flabby heart has more difficulty pumping blood to the rest of your body and thus your blood pressure is raised. That is why exercise is recommended to bring your blood pressure down.  Your heart is what keeps you alive but how careless we are of this precious fact. Thankfully, you can bring your heart back up to a thriving strong muscle by doing regular exercise.

Reason #3 that we should exercise…

Mental Health

Exercise is sort of like work. You may not always enjoy it but it brings a sense of satisfaction when completed. After some exercise, you feel invigorated and ready to take on the day. This is because endorphins are released into your blood when you are exercising.

Endorphins are the body’s natural feel good chemicals, and when they are released through exercise, your mood is boosted naturally.  …exercise also releases adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine.  These chemicals work together to make you feel good. —Natural Therapy Pages

What We Can Do About It

Get our kids outside.  Some ideas for our younger ones could be tag, basketball, soccer, jumping on a trampoline or even water fights. For our older kids they could do an aerobic video, jog, take a brisk walk, hike or some other type of sport. (Scheduling hikes in the school year would be a good thing.)

It may not be convenient, it may be difficult and it may be hard to establish a habit of exercise, but one thing for sure, it is necessary.

Let’s teach and encourage our children to exercise for healthy and strong bodies.

I started my first ever batch of kombucha this past week. I purchased a scoby or “mushroom” from Cultures for Health and after I make my kombucha, I’m going to attempt to drink it since that is the point of the whole thing.

Maybe you haven’t heard of it so let me tell you a little about it.  It’s basically a fermented tea drink that is supposed to be good for a variety of things in your body:

• liver detoxifier
• aid in digestion
• builds immune system
• increases energy
• fights against cancer and other degenerative diseases

Sally Fallon talks about it Kombucha in her book Nourishing Traditions and also includes a recipe.

Since I am starting from the beginning with my own “mushroom”, I followed the instructions included with my scoby (mushroom) that I purchased from Cultures for Health.

1. I combined 3 cups hot water and 1/4 cup sugar in a Mason jar and stirred until it was dissolved.

2. I then added 2 tea bags of English Breakfast Tea and steeped it overnight. (I could have proceeded to step 3 a lot sooner – when tea cools to 68°-85°F- but it was time for bed and I was tired!)

3. Removed the tea bags.

4. I then added 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the cooled tea.

5. Added my dehydrated scoby to the tea mixture.

6. I then covered the jar with a napkin and secured it with a rubber band.

And the fermentation process begins! I have to let it set for 30 days.  Technically this stage is activating the scoby.  After this I will be able to actually make my first batch of kombucha and I will be able to drink it anywhere from the 7th day up until the 30th day.

The taste of kombucha is an acquired taste but they tell me once you get used to it you actually start to crave it.  I’m not too sure if I’ll reach that stage. I have to get past the initial taste first.

Have you ever heard of Kombucha?

Please don’t click away from this article because you think you’re not interested.  My faithful young commenters Anna & Zoe – this is for you, too.  This topic effects everyone that eats anything at any time in any place.  Would that refer to any of my readers?   It is by no means comprehensive but maybe it’s enough to challenge us all to dig deeper into the nutrition that our family gets and the foods we eat.

Naughty, naughty, naughty!  You were going to click away weren’t you?  But really, this post might take you 2 minutes to read but it could change your life.  How’s that for a bargain – 2 minutes of your time for your life?

Let me get right to it then since I only have 2 minutes!

I have been reading/skimming a book called Nutritional and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, D.D.S.  I say skimming because there are 526 pages and it can be pretty wordy and intense… but it’s absolutely fascinating as well.

Dr. Price and his wife went around the world visiting many different cultures, studying their diet and nutrition. Here’s an excerpt that Wikipedia had to say about him.

In the book, which you can purchase from Amazon, Dr. Price has over 100 photos, which show you exactly what he’s trying to tell you throughout the book.

Now that you have had that mini introduction to Dr. Price, let me attempt to relate to you a small portion of what I learned.

What White Man’s Food Will Do To You

In cultures where the modern white man’s diet had been introduced, the people and the offspring were affected.  The dental arch would narrow, making for teeth that had no place to go.  Dental caries were prevalent with teeth that were rotting, broken, missing.

There are so many photos you can see that show this and how your facial features are affected when the dental arch is not as it should be.

Not only did the people’s teeth become affected, but sometimes it would cause club feet and cleft palate, as well as other troubles.

The cultures that had not been touched by white man’s food were also very careful to eat foods, before they had conceived and during their pregnancy, that were beneficial to ftheir uture babies.  Dr. Price found that these people were able to have children easily compared to those living with modern white man’s food.   I almost forgot to mention that back in Dr. Price’s day there was a physician that noticed that with the introduction of white flour, when the vitamin B and another one which I cannot remember was removed, there was a noticeable increase in infertility.

He talks about the problem in his day of womans pelvis’ narrowing, making it difficult for children to be born – especially male babies since they tend to have larger heads.

I can only briefly touch upon what I learned in this post – I would definitely recommend the book.

Pay heed mothers and young ladies to this next point. I read this part to my daughter because I think it is so important.

Young Ladies, if You Read Nothing Else, Read This…

When you are growing, your bones are soft – as they lengthen.  During this critical time you must give them all the vitamins and minerals that they need.  If you don’t, they will get it – but at the cost of your other bones.  They borrow from them.  There is one study in the book, showing a young lady that ended with curvature of the spine due to this.

Do not be dieting during this important time, depriving yourselves of the very things that will strengthen and nourish you.  If anything, remove all sugars from your diet.  This will regulate your weight and improve your health.

With all the denatured food that has been touched by man in a million different ways, we can never have a superb diet but we don’t have to take the attitude “What does it matter, since we’re all going to die anyways?”  Remember, there’s all that time between now and then that you have to live,.

Put into your bodies that which sustains and builds.

In a future post, I want to share some resources that may help you and some suggestions on what you should eliminate in your diet.

Thanks to Kelly the Kitchen Cop for posting this.

Then, just like every other fruit and vegetable grown, I saw what they do to the strawberry plant to try and make it produce more and to eradicate any type of pests that would damage their crop.

Both of those things (producing more and eliminating pests) are fine but when the solution is as bad as what commercial growers have chosen to do – that’s not fine with me!

Strawberries have wonderful nutritional qualities which you can read about more fully in Part I of Strawberries – Harmful or Beneficial to Your Health?

To do a quick recap…

• they are loaded with Vitamin C – beating out raspberries and blackberries

• they are ranked #4 in fruits for their high antioxidant levels

• they have anti-inflammatory properties

• they are finding evidence that blood sugar levels may be regulated eating 1 cup of strawberries 3 times/week

Here we have a beautiful fruit designed by God that will meet nutritional and health needs in our body, but what does man do to it?  Let’s find out.

The EWG’s 2011 Shoppers Guide lists what is called the “Dirty Dozen”.  These dozen fruits/vegetables have all been found to have the most pesticide residues compared to all other fruits/vegetables.

Strawberries is #3!

Just what chemicals are we ingesting every time we bite into a Strawberry?  Let’s find out.  I know this isn’t complete but this is what I’ve found.

Methyl Bromide

-this is a fumigant that is injected into the soil to a depth of 12-24″ before a crop is planted.  The soil is then covered with tarps to keep the fumigant contained.  After 24-72 hours, workers remove the tarps.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Methyl Bromide is a toxic compound.  It is not only harmful to the pests that it targets, but it quickly enters into the atmosphere. 

If humans are exposed to a high level of this chemical results can be nervous system and respiratory system failure, as well as specific and severe harmful effects on the lungs, eyes, and skin.

Methyl Bromide was phased out through the years 1999-2005 because of its reportedly damaging effects to the ozone.

A replacement for Methyl Bromide was needed and finally found in…

Methyl Iodide

Methyl Iodide was approved under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010 despite many physicians and chemists coming forward with their valid concerns.

This is a known carcinogen which can cause birth defects, late term miscarriage and neurological disorders.  According to Pesticide Action Network, the concern over using this pesticide that’s sprayed into the ground, is not for the consumer, it is for the workers and those who live nearby. 

Methyl Iodide is injected into the ground before the strawberry grows and then dissipates into the air as well as moving into the groundwater.  This of course means that drinking water would be affected.

Captan

a fungicide used to improve the outward appearance, making them brighter and healthier-looking.  It was first listed as a possible carcinogen but according to the EPA it’s “not likely” to be a human carcinogen at exposure levels associated with agricultural use. 

Get this…

It affects all the other animals but not humans?  I don’t believe that for one second!http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr/qa.html

I also found it astounding that they had human volunteers that ate Captan for the study.  These people are crazy!

There are 54 different pesticide residues found on strawberries when they go to market.  To see the list go to What’s on My Food?

It is highly suggested that you buy organic, if possible or maybe you should have a few plants of your own?

Strawberries grow well in strawberry pots, containers, as a hanging plant and of course in your garden.



Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_iodide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captan

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captangen.pdf

http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=ST

 Joining up with Kelly the Kitchen Cop for Real Food Wednesday.

***************************************

Sorry about the formatting.  I couldn’t get it to change.

I hope you read this article to the end, (It’s not that long!) and come away with a new appreciation for the strawberry God created. 

Health Benefits of Eating Strawberries

First let me remind you of the good things Strawberries offer.  Some you may know already, but there were some facts that were new to me. 

Strawberries…

In 1/2 cup of strawberries you will receive (based upon a 2,000 calorie diet):

• 80% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C
• 7% of the RDA for dietary fiber
• 2% of the RDA for Iron
• 2% of the RDA for Calcium

1/2 cup of strawberries = 25 calories

*When researchers ranked the 50 best antioxidant sources for the most commonly consumed foods, strawberries placed 27th in the U.S.  When compared only to fruits, strawberries ranked 4th (blackberries, cranberries and raspberries were ahead).

*Strawberries not only are a great source for antioxidants but they also have anti-inflammatory properties.  During research they found that patients who consumed 1 cup of strawberries 3-4 times per week had reduced levels of C-Reactive Protein.

For those of you who do not know what C-Reactive Protein is, (which I also was unfamiliar with until researching strawberries), it is something produced by the Liver and your levels rise when there is inflammation in the body.  Some examples of inflammation would be vasculitis, lupus or rhumatoid arthritis.

*Scientists have discovered a connection between strawberries, table sugar and blood sugar levels.  When eating 5-6 teaspoons of sugar, blood sugar levels will start to spike but when 1 cup of strawberries was consumed at the same time, these levels were reduced! 

Researchers have speculated that the polyphenols in strawberries may actually help regulate blood sugar responses.  I did not find anything regarding Type I diabetes, but for those with Type II it can be a great boon since you can actually benefit from the consumption of this fruit.  Read this article for more information.

Note:  Really you already probably realize this but a strawberry is best when eaten raw, not baked, stewed or coated with sugar.  Raw strawberries are fantastic on their own, why kill all the antioxidants, enzymes and vitamins by cooking them?

****************************************************

Ways to Use Fresh Strawberries

Strawberry Yogurt

Vanilla Yogurt w/ Strawberries

Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Milk

Strawberries in Lemonade

Strawberry Daiquiri (non-alcoholic, of course)

Stawberries used in a Fruit Parfait

Strawberries in Salad

****************************************************

Now for the bad!

What’s Harmful About a Strawberry?

Part II to come soon.

****************************************************

Main Sources for this article were:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/351095-can-diabetics-eat-strawberries/

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/berries.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=372

White Flour vs Whole Wheat Flour: White vs Wheat, Bleached vs Unbleached Differences

All my pancakes, muffins, biscuits and cakes are made using 100% whole wheat pastry flour.  Don’t mistake that with the stuff you buy at the grocery store – stoneground whole wheat flour.  Whole wheat pastry flour is lighter than the regular whole wheat flour and is good for quickbreads.  It would not be for yeasted breads since it is low in gluten.  High gluten flour is used for making sandwich breads.

I would also recommend buying your wheat at a health food store where the flour has not been sitting on the shelves for weeks going rancid.  Azure Standard is a natural food co-op where you can buy in bulk.  What’s also really nice about them is that many items can be purchased in small quantities.  It would be a great source to buy your already ground wheat or to obtain wheat berries that you will need to grind yourself for flour.

You can substitute white flour with whole wheat pastry flour in any coffee cakes, biscuits, pancakes and muffins.  If you find the taste to be too different for your family, start by using 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour and gradually get to the point where its all whole wheat.

Remember these two things:

1. you want to use whole wheat pastry flour 
2. purchase the freshest flour you can find. 

These two tips are key.

Do you cook with whole wheat or does it scare you?  Please comment.  I’d love to hear from you.

I went to Dinanne’s class called The Biology of Learning and Behavior not realizing just how much information I would glean.  The name wasn’t too intriguing but I had received so much information from her in the previous classes that I knew it would be worth my while.  And it was.

We learned that many times if a child’s “gut” is upset they may suffer from the following:

canker sores

stomachaches

leg pains

sugar cravings

food allergies (especially diary)

enuresis (bed wetting)

nervousness/anxiety

difficulty falling asleep

constipation

repeated ear infections

thrush, athlete’s foot, etc.

rashes, eczema

Some behavioral characteristics are:

mood swings

spaciness

anger/irritability/aggression

inconsistent performance (knows it one day, then forgets it)

inattention

memory problems (math facts, spelling)

inappropriate behavior (talking loudly, etc.)

depression (more negative than positive)

How does the gut become imbalanced?  Inside our intestines we have yeast and bacteria.  However, when we are given antibiotics or eat mainly carbohydrates and sweets we have a yeast overgrowth.  The yeast starts to kill the good bacteria and then manifests itself in some of the ways listed above.

Dianne used the example of a small boy who was in kindergarten.  He went home for Christmas break but when he came back after the holidays, he was pushing the kids and generally being a bully.  Since the boy had been fine before the holidays, Dianne knew something else was at play.  She found out that this child had had an ear infection while out of school and had been on antibiotics.  His gut needed to be brought back into balance.

Yeast feeds on sugar.  Have you ever proofed your yeast when making bread?  If you haven’t, it’s a very interesting experiment you could do with your kids while you explain what I’m getting ready to tell you.  In my experiments I used, brown sugar, honey, pure maple syrup and rapadura sugar (which is unprocessed).  Every one of these “sugars” produced a foaming action with the yeast.

Dianne explained that the same thing happens in your body with the yeast.  When you eat something with sugar, it feeds the yeast.  Good bacteria is killed and the bad bacteria grows.

Not only does antibiotics cause a problem in the gut but it also causes a decreased amount of Serotonin to be produced.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that relaxes the mind, instills a sense of well-being, helps handle stress, keeps mind focused, promotes good sleep, and helps your perceptions of life to be more positive than negative.

After hearing her talk I realized our own family has some of the symptoms she mentioned.  I have had a skin condition that starts as little bumps and show up on my hands.  It usually starts with one finger.  It’s very itchy and starts to spread in patches on my hand (nowhere else, just my hand).  I usually scratch until I’m bleeding.

My daughter has been showing similar symptoms but on her stomach and a bit on her arms.  She informed me, after hearing me talk about what I had heard, that these bumps had only showed up after she had been given an antibiotic to kill infection in a tooth that she was getting a root canal on.

What to do about this? Dianne gives the following recommendations.

Some Solutions to Rebalance “Gut” Ecology

Acidophilus (the good bacteria in the gut), given 3 times a day (always use a refrigerated brand – like Primadophilus by Nature’s Way)….. not chewable or liquid. Taking acidophilus one time a day won’t yield much change.  Continue for 3 months.

Grapefruitseed Extract Nutri-Biotics) tablets 3 times a day (if over age 6).  Give the acidophilus and grapefruitseed extract together, after the first week.  Continue for 3 months.  Increase water intake. Do not use the liquid or capsule form.

Reduce sugar and carbohydrates by increasing fruit, vegetables and protein.  Change snacks and breakfast food.  Boxed cereals, pancakes (even whole wheat) aren’t helpful.

A good book is Superimmunity for Kids by Leo Galland, M.D.

If your child has had multiple ear infections (more than 3), do a dairy free trial.  For 6 weeks, replace dairy products.  Dairy allergy is the most common reason for repeated ear infections.  In her books, No More Ritalin and No More Amoxicillin, Dr. Mary Ann Block gives more info.  Dairy allergy can cause a real focusing issue.

*Always check with your health professional before starting any vitamin or exercise program

You can also read this article by Dianne about The Biology of Learning and Behavior.

If you need clarification on anything I’ve written, please leave a comment.

I’m referring to Phase 2 of the exercise program I have been following outlined in Never Say Diet (which I reviewed here). On Friday I finished the first phase which was exercising 5 days a week consecutively for 4 weeks. Today I will be starting on the exercise ball twice a week, 20 minutes at a time, as well as my regular 30 minute exercise.

I’m also supposed to choose a food weakness I have and to stay away from it for the whole month. I chose chocolate. Cheer me on ladies – this is going to be hard. I never used to care for chocolate that much but as I’ve gotten older, oh my… Let me just say I’ve learned to enjoy it! But if I can exercise like I have the last 4 weeks, I know I can do this chocolate thing. The only part of it I wonder about is if I might inadvertently eat it and then it’ll be an “uh-oh” moment!

I am so inspired by this book and the fact that I’ve been faithful all these many weeks. Folks, I have never, ever exercised for more than 2 days straight in the past. Besides this book motivating me to get moving, I’ve also thought about my heart. They say your heart is a muscle. Of course it’s the only one we’ll ever have and it’s what keeps us going each day. Now, if my outward muscles are any indication of what my heart looks like – it most assuredly needs my attention.

Let me encourage you to start exercising, whether it be today, this week or next week. Just pick a date that you’re going to begin and then stick with it. Chantel (the author of Never Say Diet) has you exercise 5 days a week. She found that if you said you would exercise 2-3 times per week sometimes things might come up and then you would put it off till the next day and before you knew it the week was over and you hadn’t exercised. Exercising 5 days a week makes you stay on top of it.

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” by Samuel Johnson

“We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration.” by Frank Tibolt