The summer I graduated from college, I went to the dentist because I was having tooth pain and suspected I had my first real cavity. Turned out, I had to get 3 fillings and a few other areas were on their way to being cavities, too. I had them filled, but couldn't keep from wondering what had really caused them after years of perfect oral health. Those that know me well know I am of the camp that issues like that are not just coincidental, but that I believe your body's way of telling you something has changed or is "off." Fast forward to my teeth post-pregnancy Hormones and morning sickness had done their damage despite being exceptionally vigilant with flossing, rinsing and brushing. I was certain I had at LEAST 3 more cavities, all my teeth were even more sensitive than usual and I could even SEE holes in a couple teeth. Even though my teeth were hurting, I couldn't stand the thought of having to get more fillings. Something wasn't right and my teeth were just the vessel my body was showing me through. Not to mention that we simply didn't have the funds for more dental work.
So what did I do?
I started doing what I do best- research. I came across multiple posts about using the ancient method of oil pulling to clean and detoxify one's teeth. It sounded simple & cheap so I bought a jar of organic, unrefined coconut oil and started pulling for 20 minutes after I woke up every morning. There was a noticeable difference- my mouth felt cleaner and my breath smelled better and smelled better longer than with using regular toothpaste (sorry, if that's TMI).
But my teeth still hurt. What next?
More research led me to discover The Weston A. Price Foundation which holds the belief, based on studying secluded, native people groups who lack modern dentistry, that cavities are the result of nutritional deficiencies. Finally. An idea in the right direction. I followed that lead to multiple blog posts about individuals and children whose teeth had been healed simply through eating grass-fed butter and taking a cod liver oil supplement daily. There are far more facets to the nutritional beliefs of the WPF, but the common link I found was the butter & oil combo. More in depth knowledge can be found in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
I researched from the limited knowledge available on this natural healing method the particulars behind which butter and which cod liver oil were most successful. Then I had to take a step back because there was simply no way I could afford the "best." At the end of August, I purchased this cod liver oil after reading Dr. Mercola's post about balancing the vitamins A and D in the cod liver oil. I was leery about the amounts of these vitamins recommended by the WPF, but decided I would start out with the recommended dose on the bottle and go from there. I also purchased Kerrygold Irish butter about this time for the high amounts of vitamin K (Activator X) found in the butter from the animals being on rapidly growing, green grass. (I should also note that since January I had been dairy-free due to breast feeding and still currently do not consume milk).
Every morning I take just 1 tsp of cod liver oil and eat about 1 TBS of butter with my breakfast. It's important that the two are consumed together. At this time I also stopped using conventional toothpaste to brush my teeth because it contains glycerine which prevents your teeth from remineralizing. I switched to a small bit of baking soda and sometimes just water to clean off the teeth, but continued the oil pulling, too. (Again, I should note that I also read Nourishing Traditions at this time and started baking our own bread and eventually stopped eating bread for about a month mostly because I got lazy baking it. I doubt this affected my teeth much, but the belief is that unsoaked grains can have negative effects for the teeth. I also stopped consuming caffeinated beverages).
Today I can honestly tell you that my teeth that were hurting like they had cavities do NOT hurt in the least, my teeth which were naturally very sensitive before are no longer sensitive to hot or cold or certain foods, I even noticed that my gums which I felt were thin and receding in many areas feel thick and healthy now and even seem to have grown back inward to the teeth. A small hole that I've had in a back molar for years is growing closed and is almost completely gone! My bottom front tooth which was chipped during childhood and was too sensitive to run my tongue across has regrown where it had been chipped and no longer hurts! Last night I wore my retainers for the first time in at least 4 months because I had started teeth grinding again. I expected them not to fit well and to be extremely painful for the first day or two until my teeth moved back in to place to fit them- per usual. However that was not the case. My teeth ached minimally and nothing like I'd experienced in the past. My assumption is that this nutritional change has strengthened the periodontal tendons, too, keeping my teeth in their straighter position. It is also worth noting that both my teeth and my fingernails, which have always been longer and thick, feel thicker and stronger.
I'm no doctor and this is not medical advice. I can't explain this phenomenon in any other way than to say for ME the reason my oral health was becoming so poor was because of an extreme deficiency in vitamins A, D and K. Considering the changes in my eating habits through college it made sense to me. I ate well, but not compared to my childhood of grass-fed beef on the farm I grew up on. I am a firm believer. It leads me to wonder... What else could we heal through what we're eating?
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
5 Reasons Why Smoothies are More Awesome than you Thought
Smoothie-making is stupid popular right now. I'm not one that typically jumps on bandwagons & so I feel guilty for even giving smoothies the time of day to post about them here. But, y'all. Hear me out.
Five Reasons Why Smoothies are More Awesome than you Thought
#1 Utensils: Ain't Nobody Got Time for That
With a new baby in the house, smoothies have been a God-send. Even before baby, I put off lunch most days until I was desperate & would just throw together something quick like a PB&J. Mama cleans up this joint & don't wanna dirty the place cooking 3x a day. I wish I had tried smoothies sooner! You can't beat the amount of nutritive, high fiber foods packed into one small tote-able meal. With a new babe, I don't have time for flatware or utensils. Cup in hand, ready, set, drink.
#2 It's Fast (Real) Food, Y'all
I'm a big advocate for eating real foods. I think food propels (or inhibits) every aspect of our lives & plays a part in almost all our problems in some fashion. That said, unless I spend a day prepping pre-planned meals & stocking the fridge & freezer, I will voraciously eat whatever is at hand & easy (that's also why I won't buy junk food) in order to avoid cooking. Smoothies are awesome because they can sit pre-packaged in the freezer until you're ready to grab & go & it doesn't take much time or effort. I can literally get one ready, make it & clean it up in under 5 minutes... And it also takes about that long to eat which is great since I have better things to do- like baby snuggles.
#3 Budget
Smoothies are great if you are looking for healthy food that is also easy on the wallet. Frozen fruit & bulk bags of greens are the basics to any smoothie and both go a long way. For most smoothie recipes, you will just need a couple handfuls of both. Plus, you will stay full longer and crave less junk because your nutrition needs are being met instead of just your caloric needs or your cravings. Here's a good post about just how many smoothies you can get on a budget.
#4 They're Custom-Made
Who doesn't like custom-made? Custom-made clothes. Custom wall art. Custom food. Food is healthier for you when it is used correctly for your body's specific needs at that time. Everybody's different. Consider your physical goals & demands when you determine what to eat. It's much easier than it sounds. Long day ahead? Make sure you pack in some quick sugars from fruit to get you going & some protein to stabilize blood sugars & keep you full longer. Ate lots of crap food over the weekend? It's all good, just do a few detox smoothies with some ginger until you feel better. Pinterest is full of recipes for different goals & demands. Try a few until you find what works for you. (P.S. I'm no doctor so you should talk to yours before implementing any dietary changes)
#5 The Mason Jar Trick
I'll make this short & sweet. A regular Mason jar will fit onto your blender's blade attachment. Y'all. That can't get any easier. Put all your ingredients in the jar except your liquid, pop a lid on it & freeze as many as you want to grab & go when you're ready. You won't even have to clean your blender's pitcher because you can make the smoothie & eat the smoothie in the same dang jar. Y'all, come on. It's almost too easy.
So that's pretty much it. I was hesitant to get onboard, but I'm happily never looking back. & when I find something I like, I just have to share. What do y'all think? To smoothie, or not to smoothie? Have you tried any good recipes?
-BrittLeah
Five Reasons Why Smoothies are More Awesome than you Thought
#1 Utensils: Ain't Nobody Got Time for That
With a new baby in the house, smoothies have been a God-send. Even before baby, I put off lunch most days until I was desperate & would just throw together something quick like a PB&J. Mama cleans up this joint & don't wanna dirty the place cooking 3x a day. I wish I had tried smoothies sooner! You can't beat the amount of nutritive, high fiber foods packed into one small tote-able meal. With a new babe, I don't have time for flatware or utensils. Cup in hand, ready, set, drink.
#2 It's Fast (Real) Food, Y'all
I'm a big advocate for eating real foods. I think food propels (or inhibits) every aspect of our lives & plays a part in almost all our problems in some fashion. That said, unless I spend a day prepping pre-planned meals & stocking the fridge & freezer, I will voraciously eat whatever is at hand & easy (that's also why I won't buy junk food) in order to avoid cooking. Smoothies are awesome because they can sit pre-packaged in the freezer until you're ready to grab & go & it doesn't take much time or effort. I can literally get one ready, make it & clean it up in under 5 minutes... And it also takes about that long to eat which is great since I have better things to do- like baby snuggles.
#3 Budget
Smoothies are great if you are looking for healthy food that is also easy on the wallet. Frozen fruit & bulk bags of greens are the basics to any smoothie and both go a long way. For most smoothie recipes, you will just need a couple handfuls of both. Plus, you will stay full longer and crave less junk because your nutrition needs are being met instead of just your caloric needs or your cravings. Here's a good post about just how many smoothies you can get on a budget.
#4 They're Custom-Made
Who doesn't like custom-made? Custom-made clothes. Custom wall art. Custom food. Food is healthier for you when it is used correctly for your body's specific needs at that time. Everybody's different. Consider your physical goals & demands when you determine what to eat. It's much easier than it sounds. Long day ahead? Make sure you pack in some quick sugars from fruit to get you going & some protein to stabilize blood sugars & keep you full longer. Ate lots of crap food over the weekend? It's all good, just do a few detox smoothies with some ginger until you feel better. Pinterest is full of recipes for different goals & demands. Try a few until you find what works for you. (P.S. I'm no doctor so you should talk to yours before implementing any dietary changes)
#5 The Mason Jar Trick
I'll make this short & sweet. A regular Mason jar will fit onto your blender's blade attachment. Y'all. That can't get any easier. Put all your ingredients in the jar except your liquid, pop a lid on it & freeze as many as you want to grab & go when you're ready. You won't even have to clean your blender's pitcher because you can make the smoothie & eat the smoothie in the same dang jar. Y'all, come on. It's almost too easy.
So that's pretty much it. I was hesitant to get onboard, but I'm happily never looking back. & when I find something I like, I just have to share. What do y'all think? To smoothie, or not to smoothie? Have you tried any good recipes?
-BrittLeah
Friday, January 3, 2014
Because I'm Human
As I sit here on the morning of Day 13, I can consciously feel my cautious optimism shaken. I have openly shared our journey, both the ups and the downs, here in the NICU. I have withheld sharing my selfish feelings and have chosen to focus on my daughter.
I haven't told you how after scrubbing in for the 1,200th time that my hands are dry and cracking, or how my cuticle on one finger has been a constant sore. I haven't told you that my nail beds ache from having the dirt dug out from under them every few hours in a hopeful attempt to protect my daughter from even further distress. I haven't told you how pissed off it makes me when a visitor doesn't take this seriously and says, "I can't possibly be dirty, I just took a bath."
I haven't shared how it feels to be able to fill 100s of bottles with breast milk, but to only know the satisfaction of filling your baby's belly a handful of times... a satisfaction that is short-lived as you hear the dreaded BERNK made by the monitor as her oxygen saturation drops into the 70s and you frantically struggle to find a way to make them go back up again.
How it feels to finally have her eating well only to have to pull her off every 2 minutes when her saturation drops. How it feels to watch her give up, lay back down and close her eyes- more content with an empty belly than the struggle it takes to fill it. To want to do the same so desperately, but at your core holding on to the knowledge that you can't. You simply can't.
I haven't shared how my chest has been perpetually saturated since I was 14 weeks pregnant, or how even my iPad and my underwear have both been soaked by my body's natural abilities to produce this source of both nourishment and nightmare since our time here.
I haven't shared how, despite daily showers, I smell like what can only be described as a mixture of sour milk and jock strap. Maybe there is something to that advertisement about stress sweat smelling worse? I have never smelled worse in my life and I grew up on a farm. With goats.
I haven't shared how everyone here has told me how strong I am and how impressed they are with my daughter's abilities despite her gestational age. I haven't shared that there have been many days where I close the door and sob all day long. Sometimes crying makes you stronger.
I haven't told you that my optimism and my endurance have both been pushed to their absolute thresholds. I haven't said that I have been ready to give up more times than I care to admit. I haven't shared how completely petrified I am to take her home because the only outward symptom of her distress is a beeping monitor.
I haven't shared that I quit even putting on makeup on the occasional day because I am guaranteed to cry it all off if I do. I haven't shared how it feels to get stares from people in public when I go out for food who are considering my disheveled appearance and caring so little about their rude stares that they maintain eye contact with pursed lips as my eyes meet theirs. Can I scream at your face?
I can count on one hand the number of things I have desperately ached for so much so that I could physically feel the longing in my soul. I can say that I've never prayed for anything so honestly and earnestly as I have my girl. I long for the days when I am exhausted by the normalcy of first time motherhood; the 2AM feedings, the pile of dirty diapers, the crying baby who will not be comforted. These things are so precious.
I haven't admitted that in the last few days I have grown homesick for my old routines. I haven't shared how I so desperately want to wake up at 5AM and eat a bowl of cereal after making my Husband's lunch. How I want to wash a sinkful of two days worth of pots and pans and dishes. How I long to fold laundry and be late on starting dinner. How I wish I could sweep the floors only to have Klaus roll in my pile of dirt before I can get the vacuum out to suction it up. I haven't told anyone how much I want to eat my lunch on my couch with "House Hunters" on the TV while I tell our two cats how much I hate that show, like I did every day. I haven't admitted that I feel like she is my home now, or that I just couldn't leave even if I could. No matter how ill this place makes me.
I haven't told you that if I hear so much as a phone's dial tone buzzing after this experience I am likely to literally lose my mind, or punch the nearest person in the face. You've been warned.
Especially, I haven't told anyone how God put it on my heart very early in this pregnancy that something wasn't going to go as planned. I prayed desperately and earnestly early in my pregnancy that I wouldn't lose this baby because of medical complications brought on by an unGodly youth. We pay for our sins in consequence. I haven't shared that I got truly baptized on November 3rd, 27 weeks pregnant with Lucy. I haven't shared enough how faithful and merciful our God has been to us. I haven't thanked our friends and family enough for their prayers and assistance through this time.
Is this one of those weird pregnancy dreams? Is the constant buzzing I hear only my alarm clock? Can I wake up yet? ...
I haven't told you how after scrubbing in for the 1,200th time that my hands are dry and cracking, or how my cuticle on one finger has been a constant sore. I haven't told you that my nail beds ache from having the dirt dug out from under them every few hours in a hopeful attempt to protect my daughter from even further distress. I haven't told you how pissed off it makes me when a visitor doesn't take this seriously and says, "I can't possibly be dirty, I just took a bath."
I haven't shared how it feels to be able to fill 100s of bottles with breast milk, but to only know the satisfaction of filling your baby's belly a handful of times... a satisfaction that is short-lived as you hear the dreaded BERNK made by the monitor as her oxygen saturation drops into the 70s and you frantically struggle to find a way to make them go back up again.
How it feels to finally have her eating well only to have to pull her off every 2 minutes when her saturation drops. How it feels to watch her give up, lay back down and close her eyes- more content with an empty belly than the struggle it takes to fill it. To want to do the same so desperately, but at your core holding on to the knowledge that you can't. You simply can't.
I haven't shared how my chest has been perpetually saturated since I was 14 weeks pregnant, or how even my iPad and my underwear have both been soaked by my body's natural abilities to produce this source of both nourishment and nightmare since our time here.
I haven't shared how, despite daily showers, I smell like what can only be described as a mixture of sour milk and jock strap. Maybe there is something to that advertisement about stress sweat smelling worse? I have never smelled worse in my life and I grew up on a farm. With goats.
I haven't shared how everyone here has told me how strong I am and how impressed they are with my daughter's abilities despite her gestational age. I haven't shared that there have been many days where I close the door and sob all day long. Sometimes crying makes you stronger.
I haven't told you that my optimism and my endurance have both been pushed to their absolute thresholds. I haven't said that I have been ready to give up more times than I care to admit. I haven't shared how completely petrified I am to take her home because the only outward symptom of her distress is a beeping monitor.
I haven't shared that I quit even putting on makeup on the occasional day because I am guaranteed to cry it all off if I do. I haven't shared how it feels to get stares from people in public when I go out for food who are considering my disheveled appearance and caring so little about their rude stares that they maintain eye contact with pursed lips as my eyes meet theirs. Can I scream at your face?
I can count on one hand the number of things I have desperately ached for so much so that I could physically feel the longing in my soul. I can say that I've never prayed for anything so honestly and earnestly as I have my girl. I long for the days when I am exhausted by the normalcy of first time motherhood; the 2AM feedings, the pile of dirty diapers, the crying baby who will not be comforted. These things are so precious.
I haven't admitted that in the last few days I have grown homesick for my old routines. I haven't shared how I so desperately want to wake up at 5AM and eat a bowl of cereal after making my Husband's lunch. How I want to wash a sinkful of two days worth of pots and pans and dishes. How I long to fold laundry and be late on starting dinner. How I wish I could sweep the floors only to have Klaus roll in my pile of dirt before I can get the vacuum out to suction it up. I haven't told anyone how much I want to eat my lunch on my couch with "House Hunters" on the TV while I tell our two cats how much I hate that show, like I did every day. I haven't admitted that I feel like she is my home now, or that I just couldn't leave even if I could. No matter how ill this place makes me.
I haven't told you that if I hear so much as a phone's dial tone buzzing after this experience I am likely to literally lose my mind, or punch the nearest person in the face. You've been warned.
Especially, I haven't told anyone how God put it on my heart very early in this pregnancy that something wasn't going to go as planned. I prayed desperately and earnestly early in my pregnancy that I wouldn't lose this baby because of medical complications brought on by an unGodly youth. We pay for our sins in consequence. I haven't shared that I got truly baptized on November 3rd, 27 weeks pregnant with Lucy. I haven't shared enough how faithful and merciful our God has been to us. I haven't thanked our friends and family enough for their prayers and assistance through this time.
Is this one of those weird pregnancy dreams? Is the constant buzzing I hear only my alarm clock? Can I wake up yet? ...
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