Written by Nicole, Contributing Writer
I couldn’t think of anything to write for Becky for this month. Nothing that I thought, “Oh wow, I’m sure her readers would love this!” So I decided I would do a little free writing. Kind of like what you do in high school in English class, where you would have to get out your journals and just write. I always hated that. I think it was because I knew I would be ‘graded’ on it. I now see the purpose of it. Hindsight’s 20/20 and all.
Anyway, I thought I would free write about living natural and just some simple things to do if you want to try to go that route and why I do it. Hope I don’t bore you…
Living natural…what does that even mean? Sometimes I don’t know. You can ask different ‘natural’ people and you will get different answers as to what to eat and not eat. So, how do you know what is the right thing? I tell you what…you need to read…A LOT. I think that is what a lot of ‘natural’ people have in common. We read a lot about the foods we are putting in our bodies.
When my oldest child was a toddler, we fed her soy hot dogs because we thought it was healthy. I now know, from further reading on the subject, that I was actually feeding her poison. Okay, not poison, but soy is really bad for you, especially little girls. I honestly don’t remember what it does without looking it up, but I know it has something to do with messing with the hormones in your body. (**Note from Becky: Correct, soy does have an effect on hormones, but it is also Genetically Modified unless you buy organic soy. For a really great post concerning soy, please read The Soy Decoy by Katie Fox from Simple Organic)
My point in telling you that, is that you can’t be afraid to make a mistake here and there. Just do your best to feed yourself and your family what you feel is right. And don’t try to tell me that you don’t think that those chips and hamburger are that bad for them. They are and you know it! Follow your heart and you will rarely make a mistake. (Note from Becky: We tend more towards practicing certain things in moderation and if you are going to have chips and a hamburger there are ways to improve the nutritional value of it by choosing grassfed beef, whole grain buns (or go without!), organic potato chips so they have not been sprayed numerous times with fungicides, etc. As Nicole has pointed out, learning to eat more naturally is a process. You won't always eat perfectly and that's ok! And for that matter, I can't always afford grassfed or organic. I just do the best I can and try not to stress about it. The Lord knows I'm trying and I'll trust Him for the outcome.)
You know it’s not good for them to have soda…so don’t let them have it. Will they be mad? Well, if they are used to having it, then yes, they probably will be. But, my goodness, is this really the only time your child has ever been mad at you? If so, please ask if you can write a blog post about how to always keep your kids happy. I want to read that one!
I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m just saying, your kids will be okay. They will be even better in the long run without all the junk. When I tell my kids "no" to candy or cookies or soda, or whatever, they are disappointed for a very short time period.
Sometimes they aren’t disappointed at all, because they are so used to it. I have also explained to them why I’m saying no. My kids know about high fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate (msg). They know that those things are horrible for you and understand that we won’t buy things with those things in it! (Becky's comment: I truly admire those that can or are able to be this disciplined. We are not to that point yet where I could say we do not consume anything with these additives in them. But, the more real food we buy, the less I have to worry about it.)
Kids are much smarter than we give them credit for. They get it! It’s the adults that need to be retrained to eat properly!
Anyway, I should have known that this is where my free writing would go… I do get frustrated when parents feel like they have to let their kids eat something just because their friend is eating it. I’m here to tell you it’s okay. Your kids will understand.
Okay, stepping off my soap box now and giving my poor typing fingers a rest and giving your eyes a rest too! If you made it to the end of this post, thank you. :)
She enjoys blogging about her family happenings, home school adventures, giveaways, and information on how to live more naturally.
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