Bless This Food to Our Bodies

I am not an expert by any means in the world of nutrition. I am simply a mom who, overtime, has come to appreciate and live by practices that aid in the well-being of my household. Every family dynamic is different. While what a share works for our family, I would strongly encourage you to do your own research and trial new methods or products that work best for you. 

Brett and I both have strong personalities, and together we produced four very spirited children. Our household is very lively. Our children are definitely bent toward hyperactivity. From a very early start, I noticed these tendencies in our children, and started to notice their sensitivity toward certain good groups, or lack thereof. Prayerfully with the Lord, I felt a strong conviction toward investing in the right foods, or omitting certain foods or dyes that would leave our children hyperactive and on an emotional rollercoaster. When formulating our monthly budget, I communicated with my husband that sourcing the right food to feed our family was something I really wanted to invest in. How does this relate to a maverick lifestyle, you may ask? Because recognizing the needs or sensitivities among your household is critical to fostering an environment of growth. So whether it is changing up your laundry detergent for a child with sensitive skin, or omitting red dyes from your diet, choose to be in tune with your family’s needs, and treat them as important as your own.

I would say I’m strict on most days with our family’s diet, with allowances made for seasonal celebrations, birthdays, and an occasional craving here and there. As a mom, I am trying to teach my family a healthy perspective on food, that its intended purpose is to nurture and fuel our bodies for work, play, and learning. We are so blessed to have no autoimmune conditions or food intolerance in our home, but my approach to food is all about prevention.

How, by executing it in our everyday lives, can I reinforce to my children healthy patterns of eating? It never fails to make me so proud when my three and four year old ask if there is red dye in a treat they are considering to eat, or praise me for making the broccoli so well for dinner. These little glimpses of them personalizing their relationship to food give me hope that, while I will fail, I’m doing something right.

Let me first start by saying that God will always provide what we need, He knows the desires of our hearts, and He will protect our food, whether it be organic, non-GMO, or processed, and have a shelf life of three years. Yes, there’s a Bible verse for His divine protection over the food we put into our bodies. 

For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer

1 Timothy 4:4-5

With that being said, you first have to decide what your desire is when feeding your family. As a mom, I have chosen to forego a lot of personal luxuries to stay on budget and provide organic, whole foods daily for our family. I do not make quick meals, but rather I choose to cook three meals a day. Occasionally, I will throw a frozen pizza in the oven or make a box of mac and cheese, but even those I try to source with healthy ingredients. Knowing that healthy eating directly affects the health of my family, it’s very important that my children and husband experience the benefits of a balanced diet.

I like to source my food as local as possible. I purchase milk, eggs, honey, and maple syrup from local farmers. This year, we invested in a beef cow and are hoping to do the same with a pig in the future. When I cannot source locally, I buy organic. It definitely leaves a bigger dent in our grocery bill, but knowing I am eliminating exposure to several toxins makes me feel that I am taking charge of what I have the means to control. All of my grocery shopping is done online. I rarely shop outside of ALDIs; I find their prices to beat competitors most of the time, and they have a great selection of organic whole foods and snacks for the kids. In a single income home, combined with the goal to buy organic/healthy snack alternatives, online shopping helps me stay on task and buy only what we can afford for that week. I have found pre-packaged snacks to be the most expensive items, so if you’re on a tight budget, try to limit those and stick to whole foods as much as possible. If your children are picky and live on snacks, don’t make a big deal out of the changes; eventually their palates will adjust to the diet changes, and you will see small victories in them preferring healthier options. We have enjoyed using Thrive and Daily Harvest subscriptions for the purpose of finding products that our kids take a liking too, but are also healthy and packed with nutrients that they would otherwise not get. Thrive has a survey component when subscribing to target what you or your family may like based on your personal needs or dietary restrictions. Daily Harvest is great for a quick meal prep option if you’re not one to enjoy cooking, and my kids love their smoothies!

I do enjoy, seasonally, following a modified autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet. You can search AIP diets on the internet and find great lists of whole ingredients and products for recipe ideas. One of my favorite AIP cookbooks with simple but incredibly satisfying meals is the E.A.T. Cookbook by Bri DiGesare. I find that this anti-inflammatory diet is wonderful for our bodies and acts as a good reset and detox from foods that are good for us, but can also cause inflammation overtime in our guts. When we are not following an AIP diet, I do my best to substitute ingredients for healthier options. For example, sweet treats are made using maple syrup or cane sugar, chips are replaced with sweet potato chips or kale chips (yes, my kids love kale chips, but this evolved over time!), yogurt is substituted on occasion with coconut yogurt, and homemade popsicles are made together throughout the summer instead of purchasing fruit popsicles. You get the idea. For a sweet treat and motivation at times, I purchase YumEarth products for healthy lollipops, gummies, and candy canes during the holidays. While they do have their own website, you can check department stores such as Marshals for steeply discounted prices in their snack aisle. Lovely Candy Co. has great alternatives as well. Simple swaps can make a huge difference. 

Speaking of gut health, I also keep the household on a daily multivitamin and pre/probiotic. Vita Flora is an excellent brand of probiotics for women, and Smartypants, True Grace and Hiya are great products for our children. I once learned that children need three essential things in their diets, and often it is not achieved. That’s why a supplement is warranted. They are the following: Vitamin D, Omega 3s/Fatty Acids, and a pre/prebiotic. All of these work to promote good gut health and keep the nervous system in good function. 

Friends, when we talk about what it means to live a maverick life, we envision it being a compilation of small acts done with great conviction. It is all about choosing the road less traveled, not resting in excuses, and striving for the things that mean the most to us. If you’re reading this, and find what I say to be unrealistic for your situation, then I am afraid you are missing my point. Please read this prayerfully and evaluate for yourself in what ways you can make changes. Maybe, it’s more so personal behavior changes and mindsets than it is your budget. Maybe less scrolling on social media, and more reading on the body and nutrition, and the adverse effects of all the dyes, chemicals, and preservatives that are being pumped into our food. Here at Maverick Life, Brett and I are passionate about seeing families thrive. What we put into our bodies absolutely impacts everything else we do. We may not always get it right, but together we can support one another in making small improvements that will lead to long-term impacts on our children’s lives.