Our Journey With Milk

Where to begin?

I was raised on pasteurized milk.  Never thought anything of it.  Until we had our first child.
Go figure... kids changing the way we think about stuff!  LOL

Our first child was born in 1996 and was vax inj in 1997.  Instead of going with meds we wanted to do things using diet to control his ADHD type of symptoms (we have come to find out that he is a mis Dx ASD child).  We started using the Few Foods in combination with Feingold diet plans in 2001 after our 2nd child, a girl, came along.  We eliminated dairy along with a host of other possible allergens and started on a whole foods journey.  Instead of regular pasteurized cows milk we turned first to soy milk then alternated between soy and rice.  I thought then that soy was such a great thing.  Come to find out 2 years later that all that I had read was erroneous.  Soy Milk is NOT natural and I will Never suggest it to anyone ever again.  Soy should be consumed in small fermented amounts not like we, as Americans, consume pasteurized dairy.  In hindsight I could see a huge hormonal problem with our daughter while I was consuming soy milk and she was a nursing baby of 6 mos old - strange mood swings and other things that I didn't put with together with my consumption of soy milk until later.  Not to mention the problems that developing boys experience.  I sometimes wonder if my consumption of soy milk while pregnant with our 3rd (genetic mitochondrial disorder) child contributed to his disorder... we will never know.

In 2001 the internet was just becoming a great source of information.  By 2003 when our 3rd was born there was so much more information out there and the information was now conflicting with my belief system on the benefits of soy.(note: some time between 01 and 03 the medical community stopped suggesting soy hormone therapy for menopausal women as the connection between it and breast cancer was overwhelming)  I scrapped it all... I had to start all over again.  No pasteurized milk, no soy.

We moved to MO to have our own little mushroom farm in 2004.  That was also a very scary year for us as our 3rd child was totally 'failure to thrive'.  He wasn't gaining weight, couldn't roll over, sit up - all the things that a wee one was supposed to be doing - he did none - a deflated little football.  :(
We went from one Dr to another... "what can we do?" "how can we help him?"  We were at a loss as to what to do next.  Ten months into it with the same Dr. telling us to wait and see... he says "feeding tube".  I about hit the floor... I would have had my husband not been standing directly behind me!  I became determined on the long drive home that I would NOT allow that type of invasive medical treatment to be done on our wee son.  I had been begging this Dr to send us to a feeding clinic for months to which he would reply "they don't work".  I had heard the same thing before when taking our 1st son into the Dr when we wanted to try diet to manage his symptoms.  I guess I just don't give up that easily on my children and how food can heal!

Upon arriving at home that Tuesday May 4, 2005 - yes, you don't ever forget those types of dates! - I hit the net for information again and again for information - answers that the pediatric neurologist couldn't or wouldn't give me... I was really at the wouldn't point by this time, but that would take us totally off topic.  I was searching for anything - even alternative therapies that my mom would find totally loony!  I didn't care anymore... the medical institution had given up on our son and I wasn't about to.

On Friday I called a hypnotherapist friend of ours and asked him if he could do anything to help - he said no, but he reminded my of my schooling in psychology (yes, I have a degree in psychology with concentrated studies on child development and psy of women - so what do I have to 'remember'?) - "Pavlov's Dog... you have to retrain him to eat - you can't let him nurse - you have to make him realize that he HAS to get nourishment from another source." he said.  "But he won't eat anything but me?"...  I had to be strong.  I had to cut him off... I had to get him to become interested in food and quit having such a gag reflex on my own with out the support of a feeding clinic.  This was the hardest part for me - not nursing him.

I also called around to a massage therapist that worked on babies as well as called on a friend whose niece is a chiropractor.  I got in with both the following week.  Monday we went to the massage therapist and started the Rain Drop therapy on him and Wednesday we went to the chiroprator who before her treatment told me that he will either be WIDE awake and wanting to move about or will go right to sleep... my little boy fell right to sleep after both.

Back up a few days... after talking to my hypnotherapist friend I had become determined to try things his way - Pavlov's way - and cut Jacob off after his first feeding of the day on Saturday morning.  It was a long hard day that ended in victory!  He ate out of my hand at 4 in the afternoon... on Sunday he was eating baby food!  He still wouldn't drink from a cup - even a sippie or a straw.

A friend loaned me a book to see if it might help out.  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  I was completely engrossed in the book for several weeks - actually months!   I was reading how raw milk could help... not just the milk itself but creating whey from the milk.  I was also reading about how gelatin could help him... I was going on the fact that he needed to bulk up and gain weight.  I kept thinking that body builders use a whey protein supplement to bulk up and stay fit and that should work for him.  I couldn't find a raw milk supplier and wouldn't make my own without it.  I didn't give up and put the word out that I was looking for raw milk.  Until I found someone I picked up a liquid (NOT DRY) whey protein supplement with gelatin and added it to his baby food.  The stuff was really thick and yucky brown looking.  'ewe' is the best way to describe it.  But it helped!  In that first month our wee babe went from a deflated football that would just lay there without expression to looking around a bit and puffing up!

At the beginning of June I got the call I had been waiting for... a phone number for someone that I MIGHT be able to get raw milk from.  The laws in our state dictated that 1) I had to contact her 2) I had to go to her place 3) I couldn't tell anyone... lol

When I got home I had everyone try the milk to see what they thought.  Everyone enjoyed the cool milk and immediately requested more.  So, on to Sally Fallons method for turning a quart of milk into curds and whey... the curds being cream cheese and the whey being a clear yellow green liquid filled with lactic acid that was going to help my son better digest his foods and get much needed nutrition out of it as his little system couldn't get it out on its own.  See my goal was to find high quality, nutrient dense food as he needed to eat 5 times as much food as we did to get the same amount of it... crazy eh?  Well, it was hard enough for me to get the little bit into him that I was - his tummy was so small and he had such an immense gag reflex - so I had to go even further to help him out.  I also started to make our own gelatin from chicken as Sally discusses in her book... amazing stuff that gelatin!  Amazing Healing Stuff! both the whey and gelatin are!

By the end of the summer our little guy was doing stuff... starting to roll over... kicking and playing with toys with his feet.  He had missed out on so much that when he did start to wake up he developed from his feet to his head instead of his head to his feet.

I made all sorts of things with our new found food source, Raw Organic Grass Fed Milk!
Whey, cheese, cultured butter, yogurt, ... and then I discovered KEFIR!  Pretty awesome stuff!  We could actually feel it entering our system and adding much needed probiotics - essentially healing us from the inside out.  And here we thought we were doing pretty good... whole foods etc... well, you have to get the lactic acid working along with the beneficial bacteria colonizing the gut and we obviously were lacking.  The result... better immune systems - we rarely got sick anymore and when we did it didn't last as long - Jacob included!
Jacob continues to make great strides in his growth and development.  His body size was greatly effected... he is more than a year behind even touching the charts on weight for his age and his height... on the lower side of average.  But he continues to improve... ever so painfully slowly, but improve he does.

FF a few years.  We are pregnant!  WOW!  We had given that up... I was 39 - going to be 40 by the time our wee one was born.  I was Dx with gestational diabetes - shock - horror - I could no longer eat my kefir!  NO MORE SMOOTHIES!  UGH!  Just when you NEED to be eating a boat load of probios to keep up with the stress that a new baby growing inside brings on.  Now what?  hit the grocery store and the net - again...  I find Almond milk... nice smooth creamy almond milk... yum!  I still couldn't consume what I needed to though... I wanted KEFIR!  Through our food coop I saw that some people were ordering yogurt and wondered if I could get kefir too... SCORE!  I find coconut kefir through our food buying club.  What is so special about that?  Coconut helps to heal the gut!  ok... and.... It is Lower in carb points!   Perfect solution for a person with diabetes... even gestational diabetes.  What does all that mean?  Well, with coconut kefir I was able to have my smoothies again!  Yippee!  And I didn't have the effects of too many carbs at one time like I did when consuming milk.  I  could eat coconut kefir... then I found coconut milk and started reading more and more about the many benefits of coconut... the Amazing Coconut!  book recommendation:  Coconut Cures by Bruce Fife.

Move on to a year later and we are pregnant again!  Oh My Goodness!  And here we had thought that we were done.... lol - it had taken so long to get pregnant with the 4th that we had given up completely and figured we were just getting too old... and then to have TWO!   When our 5th was born I was 42.  I had experienced gestational diabetes again... knew the symptoms this time and pre-emptive stiked it.  Long before my dr had suggested doing the test I was eating like I was Dx with it.  This helped me out a lot... no symptoms like the first time with it and baby was the perfect weight!

In the last five months we have also delved into hemp milk again.  I say again because back when we were doing the diet with our first we had tried it and enjoyed it every now and then... alternating our alternative milk sources from soy to rice to hemp.  Now, we alternate between rice, hemp, and almond... RAW is always on the menu for the children unless they request something else or we are out of it.  Bob and I do not drink a lot of milk per se... we do eat it in its fermented form often, but as older adults we find that milk isn't something that we crave or need for our bodies.  I make cultured butter.  I cook with ev coconut oil and then add the butter after cooking.

Some people question milk in general - saying we are the only species that drinks the milk of another mammal.  In my experience that isn't completely factual.  Since I have a bit of background with critters I can tell you that I've seen dogs nursing kittens as well as squirrels.  Cows nursing deer, llama, alpaca, and more... many good mama critters will 'share' their milk and help out a baby - it is amazing to watch!  Number two we must remember that people have been drinking raw milk all through the ages... "The land of Milk and Honey" anyone...
People would fill their goat or sheep stomach 'flasks' with milk and hang it over their shoulder... these nomadic tribesmen would carry about the load all day long in the summer heat and it would ferment in there... creating kefir!  And they would drink it and then refill the flask the next day for another days journey.  They milked goats, sheep, cows, horses and other equine.  Equine?  Sheep?  yes!  I have read several things on what milk is closest to human milk... in this order this is what I have found:  equine, sheep, goat, Jersey cow, Short Horn cow, and down the line ending with the Holstein at the bottom of the list of milking cows!  WOW!  Holstein, the most common milk cow - at the bottom?  Yep, not as rich in milk fats... you will find that a dairyman will actually rent or own several Jersey milk cows to supplement his tank in milk fat.  They get paid on how much milk fat is in the milk when it is tested.  While the Holstein has a LOT of milk to give (it is a BIG cow) it isn't nearly as good for you, is harder to digest, and in the case of our factory mil production - lacks essential vitamins and nutrients, enzymes, and milk fats that help people digest the milk.  Another thing to note is that one should NEVER drink 2% milk... we, as a species need to have the milk fats in order to digest the milk properly and not end up with a belly ache or signs of lactose intolerance.   Ohhhh so many things to think about.....

Yes, I'm a WAPF er - and proud of it since it saved our son's life!  And continues to help us in so many ways from allergies, to immune system enhancing... there are so many things that organically raised - hormone free - antibiotic free - grass fed milk gives us!  So many things - and truthfully... this post would be endless if I put it all here.  I encourage you to do a search here- on our blog, on the internet, check out books at the library, look up studies about raw milk - take control of your health... Heal you gut and enjoy a glass of strawberry smoothie using raw milk Kefir... To Your Health!

Now it is your turn...
What is your milk story?

Part 1: ADHD/ADD/ASD & more ~ Feingold diet - food lists & more

The Feingold diet isn't just beneficial for those with ADHD/ADD it also assists those with ASD/Autism disorders, Tourettes, Retardation, Down's Syndrom, Enureis (bed wetting), Fluid in the ear (re-occuring ear infections), Nystagmus/Strabismus (disorders involving eye muscles) 

Two groups of foods to be eliminated:

Group 1)  foods that contain artificial colors, flavors, BHT, BHA, and other funky sounding preservative (vit E tocopherol is your friend = good one) Keep this in mind... if it takes a special degree in science to read it and know what the heck it is or where it came from.... leave it on the stores shelf.  Vanillin (artificial vanilla flav), Caramel (color or flavor), Malt flavoring need to be eliminated.  BHA/BHT even in packaging - eliminate as they leach into the food.  Foods fortified/enriched with vitamins  such as A,D,E should be avoided as the vits are often preserved with BHT/BHA (hidden ingredients).  Same thing with Annatto and beta-carotene... often used in butter and margarin to help with color.  Also used in cheese... pretty much ALL Yellow Cheese contains Annatto.

Group 2)  A number of Fruits and Veggies that contain Salicylates (naturally occuring in them - salicylate act as a natural insect deterent for them)Almonds, Apples (cider, juice, cider vinegar, etc), Apricots, ALL Berries, Cherries, Cloves, Coffee, Cucumbers/pickles, Currants, Grapes and raisins (wine, grape juice, wine vinegar, etc), Green peppers (also chilies), nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums/prunes, tangerines, all teas, tomatoes, Oil of wintergreen.Watch carefully:

• Watch all supplements and meds for artificial colors and flavors.
• BHT/BHA may be hidden/not disclosed in a  fortified cereal as it is contained in the vitamin added to it.
• Most otc meds contain aspirin (which is a salycilate) as well as colors and flavors.
• ALL conventional toothpastes - there are many available at hf stores that are Flouride Free that you can find now -  Since Flouride Free is becoming more and more popular. 
• All conventional Mouthwashes, cough drops, and lozenges.
• Perfumes, sprays, deoderizers, disinfectants, and insecticides. (we have loads of ideas and lists in our docs for home made cleaners etc that are not only easy to make, but will save you a lot of money!)
• Chewing gum (contain BHT, flavors, colors, etc.)
• Finger Paints, Play Dough, etc

"Eliminating entirely both Group I and Group II from the diet at the very beginning of the program offers the greatest assurance of a successful response.

Keep a precise diet diary of all foods, beverages, and medications, which can be checked in the event of an accidental error.  Also note behavioral changes.

A successful response depends upon 100 percent compliance.  The slightest infraction may lead to failure; a single bite or a single drink can cause an undesired response that may persist for seventy -two hours or more.  An infraction on Sunday and then again on Wednesday can keep a child in a persistent state of disturbed behavior throughout the week.

There are no tests to determine wheather a child will show an unfavorable behavioral response to any item in either group I or group II.  Allergy skin tests are not applicable to this problem.

Occasionally a child will show an intolerance to an item not on the list.  When this is suspected, the food should be eliminated.

We see the greatest success when teh entire family adheres to the diet.  A child cannot be expected to stay strictly on a diet when tempted by forbidden items around the house, in the cupboards, and in the refrigerator.  This program should present no special hardship to the other family members, since the elimination of the nonessential additives is frequently beneficial both to children and to adults of all ages.  In addition, the all-out effort by all family members serves as an added incentive for the child."  The Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children and others with problems associated with food additives adn salicylates, Dr Ben F. Feingold and Helene S. Feingold.

After 4-6 weeks, if a good response has been seen, you may try to add back in salicylate foods.  Add them back one at a time to test it to see if there is a reaction.  You can do something like this:  on Sunday feed an apple.  If no reaction add apples throughout the week.  Watch for a salicylate build up response.  Sometimes one can tolerate a bite here or there, but after a week of eating it they start having symptoms.  In babies and small children you may see a response in about 36 hours.  Aged 2-5 maybe 3-5 days.  Ages 6-12 ~ 10-14 days.  And 12 to adults up to 30 days.  Doing this type of elimination diet does require patience.Other foods/items not included in the two groups above that can also effect behavior and concentration.  For various reasons I highly recommend eliminating them as well.

• MSG
• Sodium nitrite/nitrate
• Calcium propionate
• sodium benzoate
• chocolate 
• Pasteurized dairy (milk, cheese, butter, cream cheese, anything that contains  whey - commercially most whey containing products were derived from pasteurized milk ~ you may find that your hf store carries a variety of products that you can use... such as raw milk cheese, and kefir or yogurt made from non-pasteurized milk.  Seek out someone that has a goat or jersey cow that they milk to get your milk from when you re-introduce dairy.  For us, we have found that while we had a terrible time with pasteurized milk, Raw milk not only saw NO adverse behavior changes, it helped HEAL our guts.)
• Pork (is the hardest for us to digest... sits, rots in the gut.  I didn't believe we would see a reaction to this so continued to use it for a year after we started on the plan.  I was amazed when I finally gave it up completely to see the benefits in ALL of us.  We were no longer bogged down, depressed, sluggish, etc and the one we had started the plan for in the first place was no longer constipated.  I figure the guy that told me to stop eating pork actually didknow what he was talking about afterall!  LOL)
• Wheat, corn, soy... not only are they major sources of food allergies (mostly un-Dx as the "allergy" or sensitivity shows itself as a mood/behavioral issue instead of the hives or other accepted allergy response) but they are also the crops that are highly GMO
• GMO ~ avoid like the plague!  Buy heirloom seeds to plant your gardens with.  Avoid hybrids too.  I have had several friends report to me about people that they know almost dying due to GMO corn, soy, etc...  extended hospital stays, auto immune disorders coming about because of eating GMO... this is a serious epidemic.  To avoid GMO... buy organic as organic can not use GMO.  NO Corn Chips unless they are NON-GMO.  Be very mindful of this protocol.
• eggs... avoid factory farmed - get from free range or tractored chicken... you can find these directly from the farmer at farmers markets or even at one of the multitudes of owner/operator healthy foods stores popping up all over the US these days, Health food stores will often buy from local farmers to resell in the store.  It is becomming a lot easier to find good eggs.
• bye bye Corn syrup, HFCS, white sugar, artificial sweeteners - ie Splenda and aspertame.  If you need to use 'sugar' try to go with alternative forms first.  Depending on what it is you have a lot to choose from:  Stevia, xylitol (prefer birch derived, but non-gmo corn derived is ok) - also has many other benefits I have listed in another document, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and then if you absolutely have to have it... dehydrated cane juice - this is raw, natural sugar that has not undergone all the processing - it is brown/tan as it has not yet been bleached.
• no more Iodonized salt ~ instead choose Celtic sea salt and Redmond's Real Salt.  These have not been bleached and contain vital nutrients and minerals that benefit everyone.  Even those that are told to restrict salt intake for various reasons.
• eliminatewhite rice - use lg brown instead
• bye white fluffy bread - find a gluten free bread or make wraps or gf bread on your own.  Our fav transitional bread was cornstarch bread made with organic corn starch.  I now make mainly wraps, but also make coconut flour bread.  Sorguhm flour works great!
• white potatoes - you don't have to eliminate completely, just reduce and watch for a reaction.  Alternate between using potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat groats and other organic and non-glutenous grains.  This is a list of gf grains/flours ~  http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php

Now that we've covered the things to be eliminated we can discuss the things that you CAN eat! :Dfruits/juices:  passion fruit, kiwi, paw paw, fig, cherries, rhubarb, guava, papaya, cantaloupe, mango, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, banana, grapefruit, pear...  (Dates are on the no-no list, however, we have never seen a reaction with them... I say let them be one of the things you try to add back in... whole madjool dates were one of the great finds when we needed something sweet early on.  We continue to buy them today... now getting 10-15 pounds at a time through our food coop.  DO NOT buy chopped dates... there is all kinds of stuff on them that you don't want in you.)

veggies:  sweet potato, carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, leek, lentil, lettuces, cabbage (green and red), celery, asparagus, onion, FRESH mushrooms (not canned), pumpkin, olives, beets, heirloom corn on the cob,  brussels sprouts, dried beans and peas.  Let potatoes in... just keep them limited because they convert over to sugars readily... if you grow your own potatoes this is not so much an issue... as the starches have not  had the time to convert to sugars.  This happens during storage and shipping.  When we have grown our own potatoes we note a HUGE difference in the flavor, starchiness, etc of our home grown just dug potatoes.  They are the BEST!  Don't have to limit them to avoid the hypoglycemic response.  That bell curve can get you every time!

nuts/seeds:  cashews, pecans, natural peanut butter, peanuts, poppy seeds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, brazil nut,

other:  Garlic, parsley, chives, vinegar (not cider or wine), fermented soy sauce, saffron, fennel, carob, cocoa, chamomile tea, instant coffee.  

Hypoglycemia~  the often misdiagnosed problem

A lot of times we think that a child is hyperactive and we Dx ADHD... what could really be going on is Hypoglycemia.  This happens when we eat something that converts to sugars readily such as a starchy potato, white rice, and of course sugar.  Our bodies then register this sugar rush and the reaction occures as we are on the uphill of the bell curve.  As we come down we may become drowsy or even wish to take a nap... in the case of a child s/he may fall asleep at their desk during school or in the high chair during/after a meal.  You may note this type of response after eating pasta and bread, ice cream, even oatmeal and especially breakfast cereals that combine the worst of the worst... pasteurized milk, sugar, and wheat/corn or other grain along with colors, sugars, dyes, flavors, etc.I will continue to add to this document or create others using the principles set forth by Dr. Block... she is amazing!  Until then I encourage you to check out a  few links and add these books to your home library.

websites:  http://www.feingold.org/programdetails.html

http://www.blockcenter.com/

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/

http://www.westonaprice.org/

Books:  The Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactie Childen by Dr Feingold

No More Ritalin - Treating ADHD without drugs - protect your child against ritalin abuse with the safe alternative therapy that works!  by Dr. Mary Ann Block

No More ADHD - 10 steps to help improve your child's attention adn behavior without drugs! by Dr. Block

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

The next topic:  Supplements ~ things to get that will help with concentration and normalize behavior.