Dental Health

I finished reading Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel a few days ago. It discusses the reasoning behind tooth decay and how mainstream dentistry has it wrong. Or is at least misguided.

His basic take on tooth decay is that it is caused by lack of nutrition in the body. Basic nutrients (like phosphorus, calcium and magnesium) are limited or unavailable from the diet so the body takes them from bones (teeth) or wherever it can. He rejects that tooth decay is solely due to bacteria in the mouth. Instead the teeth reflect the health of the rest of the body.

So with this thought the way to cure (or prevent!) tooth decay is with a proper diet. What does this include? Fresh organic vegetables, grass-fed meats, free-range eggs, whole raw dairy products and limited consumption of organic fruits and soaked/sprouted nuts, seeds, and grains. Very similar to a primal way of life.

This is a MUST read for everyone, particularly parents with young children, and especially parents with children already showing signs of tooth decay.

Additional information about Nagel and his book can be found here.

Resolutions

They can be fun. Back in 2006 and 2007 my New Year's resolutions were to try a new wine every month. I know I hit it in 2006...most likely 2007 was a success as well. I don't think I made one in 2008. Last year I resolved to cut out processed foods and am glad to report it has stuck.

This year I resolve to be more primal. Thanks to Mark Sisson and his website and book I have a lot of information and guidance to be successful.

In a nutshell I aim for these goals:

1. No grains/sugar/legumes
2. More long walks
3. Increase weight lifting and body weight workouts
4. Play more!

I love the last goal and Rooster will definitely appreciate that one :)

I will be posting primal recipes and other information at my other blog soon. See you there!

Vaccines

We know the importance of vaccinations, but my husband and I are also very hesitant to allow Rooster to have 6 shots at once with 8 different vaccines. So since birth we have been on a selective vaccine schedule that sorta follows Dr. Sears' guidelines.

This article I came across today is quite interesting although rather long.

But getting back to the safety issue, it is my contention that the science used to ‘prove’ MMR does not cause autism is simply inadequate. And I’m not the only person who thinks so: In my research yesterday I came across this video interview where you can see and hear Dr Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health in the USA, express her concern about the way in which a link between vaccination and autism has been so readily dismissed. She accuses the US Government health officials of deliberately not doing the scientific which would show, once and for all, whether vaccines can cause autism, and if so, what the extent of the risk is (so that parents can make an truly informed choice about whether to have their child vaccinated or not). And Dr Healy also suggests that the reason for why the US Government has not done the definitive scientific work is because it is afraid of what it might find when it looks. The interview concludes by Dr Healy stating that the question about whether vaccination can cause autism has still not been answered.

I have read that this vaccine debate is over - there is proof that there is no link. This is false, of course. There is no definitive proof either way. That makes it very, very curious as to why there aren't more studies out there looking into it. Perhaps because there aren't enough non-vaccinated children to study (a theory of Dr. Sears).

Don't forget saturated fat

Not only does calcium and Vitamin D protect against osteoporosis, but saturated fat will as well. In conjunction with Vit D, calcium is able to be deposited into bone. This article fails to mention it's role, as do most articles and information out there about prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The type of Vit D is also quite important. Ideally both D2 and D3 are in the diet together (whole milk, whole milk products, cod liver oil) and not supplemented separately. D2 alone has shown to actually increase sponginess of the bones instead of hardening them which is why most lower-fat milk is now supplemented with D3 instead (sited here and here). Unfortunately D2 is still used quite frequently in other food supplements, an example being soy milk.

I will be doing a blog series about saturated fats and their healthy benefits to the diet on my other blog, Real Food Mamas. When the first part is up I will link to it here.

I find it incredibly fascinating how little is published about the role of fats within the human body. By reading books and articles recently, I have learned so much about the necessity of saturated fat, the omega fats, and the way certain fats (poly-unsaturated, trans fats) can harm the body.

Real Dairy

I never thought I would regularly drink cow's milk again. I was wrong. Milk delivery service from Royal Crest Dairy began last week and I am so impressed! There is no after-taste, it doesn't taste scorched, and it has a texture to it that is absent from not-so-fresh milk.

I am hooked. Not only for the taste, but also the fact that it's packed with nutrition.

Now, my hunt for raw milk has been less successful. Here in Colorado I am unable to just walk into a store and purchase a 1/2 gallon and be done. There is a share program requirement. So, I got to thinking about our travel plans to Nebraska and Iowa this summer. Could I possibly try some there? My hunt continues...

Rooster has tried various new food items recently, one being yogurt. He's loving it! I bought Brown Cow plain yogurt with the cream still on top. Wow! Very yummy.

UPDATE:

I realized Rooster has access to unlimited raw milk on a daily basis, the lucky little guy!

Meat as food?

We love food in our household. Roscoe loves a salad for dinner every night (me too!). Little Rooster has always loved breastfeeding (with such frequency I sometimes wondered if I was producing enough milk - bad thought!) and now digs most foods I've introduced (avocado, banana, sweet potato and prunes are favorites of his).

I have been limiting my meat intake for 11 years now, eating tuna, salmon, and, every couple of years, some chicken. Don't worry, I'm not some hyper-vegetarian who is going to lecture you about the dangers of eating meat. I became a "vegetarian" because meat is rather yucky tasting and I couldn't stand the way most of it is raised. Roscoe does eat meat, just very little at home. It's not that I ban meat in our home (maybe pork...), we just don't buy it or desire to prepare it. Well, things will be changing as we both want Rooster to be a thriving little boy by eating meat.

So now I need to figure out the best way to introduce meat into our household. It's been years since I have cooked anything other than chicken and even then I had to check the Internet and call my mom to make sure I was doing it right. The first major question is should I begin to eat meat again to set a good example for my son? Probably. Others are what type of meats, how should I cook them, do I only buy organic, how often do we eat them, etc.

I happened across the book Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck at the library. Excellent timing! I think I glanced through her first book, Real Food, awhile back and liked the basic idea: purge processed foods from your diet* and stick to foods nature intended. We basically already do this with some exceptions (soy milk {or juice as she refers to it}, cereals, granola bars, popsicles).

The ideas I've gathered from her that we will implement is to drink cow milk not soy/almond/rice "juices" (I may even try raw milk -this freaks my husband out) and meats from animals fed according to their natural diets plus hormone-free and antibiotic-free. She mentions that organic doesn't necessarily mean any of the above and to read all labels closely. I learned that my aversion to the taste of meat may be because of the quality of meat I was consuming, so by sticking with "real" meat it should be quite tasty. Hmmm, sounds tempting especially combined with all the nutrition packed in meat that she discusses.

I have much more to learn, of course, but I have a good place to start. Updates to come. Until then I will be perusing my recipe box to see what I can make with meat.

*diet will always refer to overall normal food intake during the day, not to a calorie-restricted food intake like it is often referred to. I don't believe in "dieting" - eat right, eat in moderation, and exercise .