Nourishing Traditions

This Christmas I received a book from my Mama that I have been wanting for several years, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Why I just didn't buy it myself, I have no idea, but I now have it n my possession! I've been reading it for the last few days and soaking up all the information and trust me, there is a wealth of it in this baby.

A couple of things that I immediately read about were issues that I've been struggling to change in our family for some time now- breakfast cereals and pasteurized milk. The cereal is just plain convenient. To make myself feel better, because I knew processed cereal was a terrible way to start out the day, I did buy the best one I could find with the least amount of ingredients in it, but I still felt I had to get my children off the stuff. When I read, "Boxed breakfast cereals are made by the extrusion process, in which little shapes and flakes are formed at high temperatures and pressures. extrusion processing destroys many valuable nutrients in grains, causes fragile oils to become rancid and renders certain proteins toxic. For a new generation of hardy children, we must return to the breakfast cereals of our ancestors- soaked gruel and porridges." I knew I was ready to make that change once and for all. Off to the market we went to get some oats, raw milk (more on that in a minute) and yogurt for our breakfast porridge. I soaked the oats, as instructed, overnight in warm water and 2 tablespoons of yogurt. This morning we enjoyed our "cereal free" breakfast and Shane and I thought it was delicious! Max and Alex were not as thrilled but we'll eventually find them something they like.

Raw milk is a change I've been trying to make for several years. The main reason I haven't made the switch is because of the cost. I usually buy a gallon of milk a week. The cost of a gallon of raw milk is at least four times the cost of pasteurized. Yesterday I was reflecting on how I could make it work. I realized that we only use milk for cereal,coffee and the occasional baked good. Well, we're eliminating the cereal, so I think I can finally start buying the raw. It is far superior to pasteurized milk on so many levels. In fact Dr. Mercola says, "I do not recommend drinking pasteurized milk of any kind – ever." If this controversial topic at all interests you, check out http://www.realmilk.com/ which explains things much better than I could ever hope to.

I'm so excited to start practicing this way of eating. I know it will take extra effort and planning but that's alright with me. The book promotes a 50% raw- 50% whole foods diet, which I think is a good balance. I love my raw food staples, namely green smoothies. I believe it is my duty as Mother to feed my children wholesome food that will nourish their bodies and minds. I think with this book I will be much more successful at making that goal a reality.

♥ anne