Healthy Babies!

My baby girl was born 4 years ago in a critical state. She came from an extremely unhealthy environment (in utero) and was on oxygen for the first few days of her life. You can find her adoption story here. Around 6 months old, she broke out in a terrible bout of eczema and showed signs of Gut Dyspiosis as well as an overgrowth of yeast called, Candida. You know how you will do anything for your kids? I was determined to get her healthy and blessed to have a sister and close family friend who are experts in nutrition, who helped guide our journey to getting our little girl healthy. For those of you who know our Selah, she is a freaking miracle baby. Healthy, sweet, smart (genius really) and so full of energy.  I attribute this miracle to God's grace and provision as He obviously has big plans for this girl. I am also certain that the nutrient dense diet that we raised her on since birth, has contributed to her incredible health.

We started Selah on a homemade raw milk baby formula at birth until she was 18 months old-if breastfeeding is not an option for you, YOU MUST READ THIS POST!

A nutrient dense diet is essential for allowing proper development, maximizing learning capacities and preventing sickness and disease.  At NO other time in life is nutrition so important than the first 5 year of childhood, but wait a second, aren't we told to start our babies on rice cereal? What?! Grains are the most difficult food for babies under 1 year to digest as the enzyme needed to digest carbohydrates, called  amylase, has not kicked into gear yet. Babies only produce functional enzymes (pepsin and proteolytic enzymes) and digestive juices that work on proteins and fats. This makes sense as a healthy mothers milk has 50-60 percent of its energy as fat. A babies digestive system is best equipped to supply enzymes for digestion of fats and proteins and not for carbohydrates, animal foods/fats should be their first food. So what are the best foods/supplements to start your baby on?

We chose to begin feeding our babies at 6 months as their hunger
increased and babies begin to deplete their natural stores of two important minerals; iron and zinc as well as the nutrient choline (part of the B vitamin family that is essential for proper development). Breast milk does not supply sufficient amounts of these nutrients past 4-6 months.

Fermented Cod Liver Oil: At 6 months is a good time to start offering fermented cod liver oil, which is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (also important for brain development) as well as vitamins A and D. 1/2 teaspoon per day is the dose for infants.

Pastured Egg Yolks: Both of our babies started with a pastured egg yolk and unrefined sea salt. We poached the egg and mixed with a bit of breast milk or the homemade formula for texture. It is important not to include the white until 1 year of age, as the white can be more difficult to digest and most babies who show intolerance to eggs are not intolerant to the yolk, but the white instead. Pastured egg yolks are rich in choline and cholesterol which is necessary for brain
development, healthy hormones and much more. They are although a great source of iron and zinc.  A healthy mothers milk is 90% cholesterol-cholesterol in the form of animal fats is good for baby and mama!  The sea salt is important to introduce in the beginning to help with mineral absorption, hydration and healthy heart function.


Grass-fed Liver: Next we introduced grass fed liver. We used both beef and chicken liver which are a super food!  Liver is basically full of every vitamin and nutrient that contribute to brain health, digestive health, and even skin and eye health! According to the Weston A. Price Foundation:

Quite simply, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. In summary, liver provides:

• An excellent source of high-quality protein
• Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A
• All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
• One of our best sources of folic acid
• A highly usable form of iron
• Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
• An unidentified anti-fatigue factor
• CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
• A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA.

To prepare the liver, we started by offering it raw and frozen, (doing this destroys any pathogens)grating it onto their poached egg. Then we began sautéing the liver in some butter and puréeing it in the food processor.

Meat stock: Chicken stock is another incredibly important food to introduce to babies at 6 months of age. Stock is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids, like proline and glycine. These amino acids along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue are particularly beneficial in healing and strengthening connective tissue. These nutrients are pulled out of the meat and connective tissue during the first several hours of cooking meaty fish, poultry, beef and lamb. Gelatin also assists in the proper digestion of proteins ensuring optimal growth in infants and children.

Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken

2‐4 chicken feet, optional
4 or more quarts of purified water
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
1‐2 medium yellow onions
2‐4 carrots
3‐4 celery stalks
1 head of garlic
You can add fresh spices and herbs such as bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, sage etc. If you choose to add these fresh herbs, tie them together using cooking twine.
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt (to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking)
1 head of Parsley (to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking)

*Rinse chicken and feet in purified water. Cut whole chicken in half down the middle
lengthwise. Place these in the pot. Add remaining ingredients (I do not cut or even peel the vegetables) Fill pot with purified water.
*Allow to stand for 30 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones.
*Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 hours. Add parsley and salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken and other large parts. Debone and reserve the meat for eating. It will be delicious. Strain the stock and store in glass mason jars. Stock will stay good in the fridge for over two weeks and can be frozen for up to 6 months or longer.


The next few foods we introduced were:
*Avocado, mashed and served with sea salt
*Fermented sweet potato
*Steamed beets, carrots and zucchini served with a lot of grass-fed butter or organic coconut oil
*Homemade cultured yogurt made with raw milk

Aside from small amounts of banana mixed with coconut oil, fruit was one of the last things we introduced to them as babies. This is due to the fact that fruit is a high glycemic food. This means that the baby's pancreas has to work overtime to release the insulin needed to digest the fructose (fruit sugar). While they are still so little and their bodies are still so immature I do not think it is healthful to put that much pressure on their digestion. After a year when we could combine nut butters and cheese with fruit, we incorporated more. Adding the fat with fruit slows down the absorption of fructose into the bloodstream taking some pressure off of the pancreas.

Foods NOT to feed our babies:
Nuts and Seeds (until 1 years old)
Honey (until 1 years old)
Grains (until 2 years old-and then only if they are properly prepared by soaking and sprouting)
Sugar
Soy
Pasteurized dairy
Cereals (even organic)
Baby Foods that come in a jar

A helpful tip prior to introducing a new food to baby is to check to make sure they are not intolerant or allergic to the food: prior to putting them in their bed, mash up the food and tab some on the inside of their wrist. Rub it in well and put them to bed. When they wake, if the area where the food was, is red and irritated, they could be intolerant to it and I would wait to introduce. If there is not redness or irradiation, then proceed with introducing that food.

Cheers to happy healthy babies and giving them the best possible start!

Announcing Real Food Dessert Menu!

25 GRAIN FREE and SUGAR FREE REAL FOOD DESSERTS!

*DF= Dairy Free, NF= Nut Free, EF=Egg Free

1. Blueberry Macaroons DF, NF

2. Homemade Chocolate Chip Chunks, DF, NF, EF

3. Cinnamon Rolls, DF

4. Chocolate Cake W/ Maple Butter Cream Frosting

5. Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream, DF, NF

6. Pumpkin Pie w/ Sweet Pecan Crust, DF

7. Chocolate Chip Maple Cookies, DF, EF

8. Stuffed Baked Apples, DF, EF

9. Almond Shortbread with Caramel Frosting, EF

10. Peach Cobbler w/ Homemade Whip Cream, EF

11. Vanilla cupcakes w/ Chocolate Frosting, DF, NF

12. Peanut Butter Cookies, DF

13. Homemade Coconut Marshmallows, DF, NF, EF

14. Lemon Bars, DF

15. Banana Walnut Cookies, DF

16. Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies, DF

17. Walnut Fudge w/ Marshmallow Fluff, NF option

18. Chocolate Orange Truffles, DF, EF

19. Gingerbread Cookies w/ Royal Icing, DF

20. Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites, DF, EF, NF option

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR REAL

FOOD DESSERT MENU!

EAT YOUR SUNSCREEN!

Okay so please don’t open your bottle of Banana Boat and start sucking it down! In this post we are going to discuss the dangers of sunscreen, the importance of sun and the best ways to protect your skin from a burn. If you know me, you know I have one brown skinned child and one very pale fair skinned child. I follow the same rule for both-NO SUNSCREEN. Why? Well I am a Vitamin D connoisseur, I love Vitamin D and the best and most economical way to get it is from the sun.

First let me explain that our skin absorbs every toxin we put on it, and not only does it absorb it but it goes directly into our blood stream.  In fact, our body absorbs toxins through our skin, quicker than we ingest toxins through our food/beverages. Most sunscreens on the market are extremely toxic and far from protective. Did you know that UVA rays are what cause cancer and 95% of sunscreens don’t filter UVA!? UVB is what allows our bodies to make Vitamin D, and ironically the over the counter sunscreens do filter UVB.  Wearing any sunscreen blocks the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D, which is vital for hundreds of reactions in the body including the protection against cancer.

So here is the deal, sunburn is a type of inflammation, and diet has a tremendous impact on inflammation in the body. As such, addressing diet is much more important that just slathering on the sunscreen, plus dietary improvements can improve other areas of health as well.  So what can you eat to prevent sunburn?  A large part of natural sun protection is eating an anti-inflammatory diet. This type of diet will also be beneficial for many other health conditions, and if you’ve read my blog before, you know the drill!

Lets look 2 types of foods to prevent sunburn:

#1: Omega 3 Fatty Acids: grass fed meat, wild caught fish, free range chicken, organic pastured eggs. Omega 3 fats prevent inflammation which can cause sunburn. Omega 3 fatty acids also help with redness from sunburn as well as the aging effects of sun. When we are going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time, we double up on our dose of fermented cod liver oil as an anti-inflammatory boost!

#2 Phyto-Nutrients which are antioxidants: most any type of brightly colored fruits and veggies. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, mangoes, beets, red peppers, kale, tomatoes, sweet potatoes. Lets look at the top 3 phyto nutrients…

Lutein, a phyto-nutrient found in deep green and orange fruits and vegetables, protects skin from UV (sun) damage, and also boosts hydration, skin elasticity, and superficial lipids. Kale, spinach, chard, carrots, orange peppers, pumpkin, and other squashes are all good examples of places to find lutein.

Beta-carotene, along with other carotenoids, accumulate in the skin and provide 24-hour protection against sun damage. These carotenoids are also important for vision, immune function, and bone health. They are found in yellow and orange fruits, and dark, leafy greens: squash, sweet potato, carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, spinach, kale, etc.

Lycopenes enhance the use of stored vitamin D and protect the skin from sun damage. Lycopenes are found in red fruits, such as tomatoes, papayas, and watermelon.

The best news is that all of these wonderful foods are immune-boosters, filled with important anti-oxidants and much-needed fiber, and just plain good for you. And, of course, they’re delicious, so you can’t go wrong by including a few servings in your diet every day.

Lets look at 2 types of foods which lead to inflammation, increasing your risk of sunburn:

 

Excess glucose leads to inflammation. What is glucose you ask? Carbohydrates and sugar turn into glucose in our system. Now don't get me wrong, glucose is very necessary for good health, but not in the quantities that the 'Standard American Diet' promotes.  We should get the majority of our glucose from fresh vegetables and fruits and some properly prepared grains. Grains and sugar are the leading culprits to excess glucose. Look at the above pictures-these are the most commonly consumed meals for most American's-in fact the recommended breakfast by our American Dietetics association is cereal, toast and orange juice. Other than the very small piece of butter on the toast, that breakfast IS ALL GLUCOSE aka SUGAR which=INFLAMATION.

We don't wear sunscreen and we don't get sunburns, but that is because first and foremost we follow a very anti-inflammatory diet devoid of excess glucose. However, unless you choose to 'Eat your Sunscreen' you will likely continue to experience sunburns. So rather than taking a dangerous 'band aid' approach, be preventive, change your diet and soak up that vitamin D!

Now, if you still feel the need to have sunscreen on hand, here are a few rules to live by: the best sunscreen is a hat and shirt. Cotton clothing provides SPF 15 protection. Use titanium dioxide or zinc oxide which are very natural minerals that just create a physical barrier between your skin and sun. A few brands of sunscreen that I recommend are :

COCONUT OIL http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/COCONUT-OIL-EXTRA-VIRGIN-ORGANIC-CENTRIFUGE-EXTRACTED/healthy-fats-oils coconut oil can be used as light protection as it is naturally about an SPF 5.

BADGER Sunblockhttp://www.vitacost.com/badger-spf-30-plus-sunscreen-tube-unscented

CALIFORNIA BABY Sunblock http://www.vitacost.com/california-baby-spf-30-plus-sunscreen-no-fragrance-2-9-fl-oz

ALL TERRAIN KIDS Sunblock http://www.pharmaca.com/Childrens-Sunblocks-and-Sunscreens/All-Terrain-Kids-Sunscreen-Sport-SPF-30-3oz/525599/5009-5031/Product

What to avoid in a sunscreen:

 

Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate): The sunscreen industry uses vitamin A in its formulations because it is an anti-oxidant that is thought to slow skin aging. However, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study found that a form of vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, when used in sunscreen and therefore exposed to sunlight may actually speed the development of skin lesions and tumors.

Oxybenzone: Sixty-five percent of non mineral sunscreens on the U.S. market contain oxybenzone. This chemical penetrates your skin in large amounts, potentially triggering allergic reactions. Oxybenzone is also a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical that can cause hormone disruption and cell damage.

Happy 'pinking,' soak up that vitamin D baby!

For more information please check out Dr. Mercola’s site.

Healthy Graham Crackers-Grain Free, Dairy Free and Sugar Free!

I have always liked LOVED graham crackers, especially with cream cheese on them. Oh my! I don't love that most store bought graham crackers have high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils and enriched flour, amongst many other less than healthful ingredients. We had our first bonfire of the season last night and enjoyed these tasty treats with some homemade marshmallows and organic, sugar free, soy free chocolate! My kids thought it was their birthday-no seriously my 2 year old kept asking "mommy is today Kicker's birthday again?" I was the favorite...for the moment...and then Joshman resumed his roll as favorite as soon as they woke up the next morning :) After a year or so of playing around with a few recipes I finally perfected the yummiest, grain free, dairy free and sugar free graham cracker! BOY are they good!

*Preheat oven to 350F
Combine the following ingredients in a bowl:
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup organic coconut flour
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
2 TBL organic cinnamon
In a food processor or stand up mixer, combine the following ingredients:
3/4 cup room temp grass fed butter or organic coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey (it is best to get your raw honey from local farmers markets)
1 TBL alcohol free vanilla extract (I get mine from Trader Joe's)
3 organic pastured eggs
*Combine both wet and dry ingredients and form into two dough balls
*Place each dough ball on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
*Put waxed paper on top, roll the dough out thinly, and remove the waxed paper
*Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned
*Remove from heat and let the dough cool for about 15-20 minutes (the crackers will harden as they cool)
*Once they have completely cooled, use a pizza cutter and cut into even squares.

 

Butter Makes Babies!

=

Infertility is a heartbreaking disease.  According to the Western Journal of Medicine, a minimum of 20% of couples cannot conceive naturally.  Many are told that there is no hope other than the expensive option of Artificial Reproductive Technology. Although this reproductive technology has blessed many parents with babies; it is like sweeping the sand under the rug. It does not address the underlying issues of the reason why a couple can’t have a baby. The underlying issue is that they are not healthy enough to conceive naturally.  Let’s look at this epidemic a bit differently. If we were created to be able to conceive children and we have a staggering, growing number of couples who cannot-I have to say that there is something very wrong with our health. I see more and more young couples in my practice who just want to have a baby and on the outside look like perfectly healthy individuals. Once we begin looking at their health from a holistic standpoint, we quickly realize where they need support and what we need to accomplish together to help them start a family. 

There are many contributing factors to infertility; escalating toxins that accumulate in our adipose tissue, increasing age that we are deciding to have kids, increased exposure to EMFs (electro magnet frequencies/radiation), gross generational nutritional deficiencies stemming from processed and devitalized nutrition, and never before have we experienced such chronic levels of stress.

This post is going to focus specifically on one nutritional deficiency; cholesterol. Did you know that sex hormones are made from cholesterol? We have been told for over the last decade that cholesterol is bad, so we have traded our breakfast of eggs and bacon in for cereal and bagels with a tall glass of orange juice (cereal=sugar; bagel=sugar; orange juice =sugar). Did you know that excess glucose (sugar) kills sperm?  Worse is that cholesterol lowering medications (Statins) are the number one sold drug in America.  In fact, shortly after Statins came on the market, more and more men began complaining of erectile dysfunction. We now see men that are 30 years old with erectile dysfunction-WHAT? Cholesterol is the precursor to all of the sex hormones in women and men. A healthy balance of sex hormones produces fertility and libido in both women and men. The low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diets of vegans, vegetarians, or chronic ‘dieters,’ severely depresses sex hormones. Pregnancy most likely cannot occur or sadly may result in a miscarriage in the early months.

So what exactly is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy substance that circulates in the blood with a protein called lipoprotein. Cholesterol is an amazing essential dietary nutrient that is vital to achieving optimal health in women, men, and offspring. It is a critical component of cell membranes, the precursor to all steroid hormones, a precursor to vitamin D, and an essential part of brain function, allowing us to learn and have memory. Another important function of cholesterol is to patch damage done to our internal organs, our arteries, vessels, etc. When inflammation, toxins or other factors cause damage to our internal system, cholesterol is sent to the site to patch up the damage done. Once the patchwork has been completed, cholesterol then leaves the site and gets ready to come to the rescue again when needed.  

It is a bit more complicated that just simply eating more cholesterol rich foods. It is important that our body is able to digest and absorb these nutrients. Let’s look at infertility from a holistic standpoint. Did you know that one of the thyroids major jobs is to metabolize fat and cholesterol-and 40% of the population have a poor functioning thyroid? Our liver is where the cholesterol is synthesized and our gallbladder is the organ in charge of turning the cholesterol/fat into usable form for our body.  If our thyroid isn’t healthy, our liver is congested with too many toxins and our gallbladder has become lazy due to a poor diet of low fat foods, then how in the world can we make the sex hormones to conceive a baby?

It is crucial to understand that this is not just for the woman-this is for her partner as well. The women’s DNA is 50% of the child and the male’s DNA is 50% of the child. Both parents health is crucial to a healthy pregnancy and baby.  Unfortunately, many practitioners still just focus on the women, but it has been proven over and over that the male’s health has just as much to do with healthy conception as the female.  DNA fragmentation in the sperm is what determines a healthy pregnancy. Sperm are more vulnerable than eggs because they are much smaller than eggs (1/200^th the size of an egg). Sperm are on the outside of the body and therefore are much more vulnerable to damage by heat, radiation and toxins. (Eggs mature inside the body and go through the maturation process right before conception).  The integrity and health of that sperm is going to mirror the integrity and health of the carrier. There are numerous adverse outcomes that are directly related to the health of the father and his sperm. For example, clinical research has shown that men who smoke cigarettes prior to conception present an even greater risk to the fetus than a mother who smokes during pregnancy. When I work with women who have a goal of getting pregnant, I make sure that their partner follows the same food plan, even taking some of the same therapeutic supplementation in some cases. 

A healthy couple produces a healthy baby. An unhealthy couple produces an unhealthy baby. This is a multi-generational issue.  My goal as a Nutritional Therapist is to help my clients who are prospective parents, achieve the best health as possible so that they are not only fertile but that they have a healthy, internal nurturing environment that is going to provide the support for a healthy baby.  Nutrition is the basic and essential component of preconception health. I truly believe that we can address the underlying problems of infertility with a holistic approach, addressing all the foundations of health through nutrition. 

Here is a list of some very healthful foods that can help prepare your body to carry a healthy baby.

•       Cod Liver Oil to supply 20,000 IU vitamin A and 2000 IU vitamin D per day.

•       1 quart (or 32 ounces) RAW whole milk daily

•       4 tablespoons organic butter daily, preferably from pasture-fed cows.

•       2 or more pastured, organic eggs daily, additional egg yolks daily, added to smoothies, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, etc.

•       3-4 ounces organic grass fed fresh liver, once or twice per week.

•       Fresh wild seafood, 2-4 times per week, particularly wild salmon, shellfish and fish eggs

•       Fresh beef or lamb daily, always consumed with the fat

•       Oily fish or lard daily, for vitamin D

•       2 tablespoons organic cold pressed coconut oil daily, used in cooking or smoothies, etc.

•       Lacto-fermented condiments and beverages

•       Bone broths used in soups, stews and sauces

•       Soaked & Sprouted whole grains

•       Fresh vegetables and fruits

•       Sea salt

Here is a list of foods/substances to AVOID to help prepare your body to carry a healthy baby.

• Trans fatty acids (i.e., hydrogenated oils, margarine)

• Junk Foods (bars, chips, pastries, packages foods)

• Commercial fried foods (all fast food as well)

• Sugar

• White flour

• Sodas/Energy Drinks

• Caffeine

• Alcohol

• Cigarettes

• Drugs (even prescription drugs)

 

      IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

High cholesterol levels can be dangerous and need to be taken seriously. The truth is, however, that there is no direct connection between the amount of cholesterol you eat and the concentration of cholesterol in your blood. In most people, eating cholesterol has little or no effect on this amount. High cholesterol is a symptom of a bigger issue going on in the body-usually having to do with inflammation. What does this mean, you ask? God designed our bodies to produce cholesterol naturally. When we are eating more cholesterol in our diet, our body produces less. When we are eating less cholesterol in our diet, our body produces more.  

For a much more thorough explanation of cholesterol, check out the following sites:

Chris Kresser, LAc

Chris Masterjohn, PhD

Put Your Heart In Your Mouth, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride

 

LOOKING FOR A HEALTHY PRE-CONCEPTION MEAL PLAN THAT FOLLOWS THE ABOVE NUTRITION GUIDELINES?

Check out my 30 Day Real Food Menu Plans HERE

 

Raw Milk Baby Formula

Today, commercial baby formulas are none other than toxic. The first five years of a childs life are the most important to the future of their health.

To begin a child's life with this: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Milk Protein Isolate, High Oleic Safflower Oil, Soy Oil, Coconut Oil, Galactooligosaccharides. Less than 2% of the Following: C. Cohnii Oil, M. Alpina Oil, Beta-Carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Magnesium Chloride, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Choline Bitartrate, Taurine, m-Inositol, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherols, L-Carnitine, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Cupric Sulfate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Sodium Selenate, Vitamin D3, Cyanocobalamin, Potassium Hydroxide, and Nucleotides (Adenosine 5’-Monophosphate, Cytidine 5’-Monophosphate, Disodium Guanosine 5’-Monophosphate, Disodium Uridine 5’-Monophosphate).

What the HELL are those words? Funny you ask-those are the ingredients of Similac Sensitive Powdered Formula for infants. Similac is the number one formula brand used in US hospitals. This absolutley sickens me. I don't get fired up about too many things, but the health of an infant/toddler-ohhhh! Just picture a kung-fu-fighter on crack that is having the munchies and just found out someone stole his doritos! That is ME when it comes to the health of babies.

When we found out we were adopting my sweet baby girl, I didn't know too much about the importance of nutrition and health at that point. I was blessed with a sister and a mentor/friend who educated me on the dietary needs of a devleoping brain and body. My daughter was born with compromised health-you can find more on her story here.
As any parent would-I wanted to do whatever it took to ensure that my baby girl was healthy, strong and vibrant. Despite what my doctors told me and unpopular among every other parent I knew at the time, I put her on a homemade, raw milk formula. Doctors were absolutley blown away at her health and develpmental progress at her 6 week appointment. By her 6 month appointment, her pediatrician (who delivered her) said "Season, her health is nothing but a miracle." Today she is a very healthy, vibrant and intellegent 3.5 year old. In fact, she hasn't been to the doctor since her 6 month well baby check. She has had a few fevers and illness's in her short life, but has fought all of them on her own-without even tylenol or any form of fever suppresent or medication. Selah's health is truly a miracle and her life is a blessing that we give God the glory for. We are so greatful to have been able to feed our baby this incrdible homemade formula from her fourth day of life until she was 20 months old.

This milk-based formula takes account of the fact that human milk is richer in whey, lactose, vitamin C, niacin, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to cow's milk but leaner in casein (milk protein). The addition of gelatin to cow's milk formula will make it more digestible for the infant. Use only truly expeller-expressed oils in the formula recipes, otherwise they may lack vitamin E.

The ideal milk for baby, if he/she cannot be breastfed, is clean, whole raw milk from old-fashioned cows, certified free of disease, that feed on green pasture. For sources of good quality milk, visit this site or contact a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

If the only choice available to you is commercial milk, choose whole milk, preferably organic and unhomogenized, and culture it with a piima or kefir culture to restore enzymes (available from G.E.M. Cultures).


Ingredients
*2 cups whole raw cow's milk, preferably from pasture-fed cows
*1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (see below for recipe) Note: Do NOT use powdered whey or whey from making cheese (which will cause the formula to curdle). Use only homemade whey made from yoghurt, kefir or separated raw milk.
*4 tablespoons lactose
*1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis
*2 or more tablespoons of raw cream, more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
*1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil
*1 teaspoon organic expeller-expressed sunflower oil
*1 teaspoon organic extra virgin olive oil
*2 teaspoons organic extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil
*2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
*2 teaspoons grassfed beef gelatin
*1-7/8 cups filtered water
*1/4 teaspoon acerola powder

*You can order the entire kit (with exception of milk, cream, and whey) through Radiant Life Company

Whey Recipe:
2 32oz cartons of organic whole milk plain yogurt
Cheese Cloth
Strainer
Large Stock Pot with lid
*Line the strainer with cheese cloth, and place over a large stock pot. Pour all contents of both yogurt containers into the strainer that is setting over the pot. Cover strainer/pot and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Once it has sat for 24 hours and strained, pour the whey into a glass jar and keep in the fridge sealed tightly in a glass jar/container. The whey should keep for up to 6 months. (this recipe should make enough for 2 months worth of whey depending on how much your baby is eating)

Instructions-(makes 36 ounces)
*Pour 2 cups filtered water into a pyrex measuring pitcher and remove 2 tablespoons (that will give you 1-7/8 cups water).

*Pour about half of the water into a pan and place over a medium flame.

*Add the gelatin, lactose and coconut oil to the pan and let dissolve, stirring occasionally.

*When the gelatin, lactose and coconut oil are dissolved, remove from heat and add the remaining water to cool the mixture.

*Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients into a blender (no particular order is necessary).

*Add the water mixture and blend about ten seconds or until throughouly combined.

*Place in glass bottles or a glass jar and refrigerate.

*Before giving to baby, warm bottles by placing in hot water or a bottle warmer. NEVER warm bottles in a microwave oven.

A batch of homemade formula will last for abour 3-4 days in the fridge.

Helpful Hints:
~When I buy raw cream, I will measure out 2 tablespoons of it and pour into individual baby food containers and freeze. This will allow the cream to last much longer and you will just pull out a frozen serving each day you make a new batch. This will save you money and ensure that the cream doesn't expire before you have the chance to use it all!
~You can freeze this formula for up to 6 months-just thaw out in the refigerator and heat up in a bottle warmer or on the stove top. Once defrosted, the formula will be more of a chunky consistency until heated, not to worry, this is because of the cream and oils binding together during the freezing process.



Click here for more information on REAL (RAW) MILK!
Click here to learn why to avoid Soy Milk based formulas!
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