Good Eats

While the doctor (our amazing naturopath, Farra Swan) did give us the food list, and while this follow-the-rules-guidelines-are-our-friends mama did have every intention of following said list to the letter, Dia had plans of her own.


Could this be a life-lesson for said mama? I do believe so.

I am learning and re-learning constantly that Dia is her OWN person. She is under my care and my charge, but she is not ME. She is SHE. And oh how I love she!

So while I started out obsessively following our food list (it's a great list, actually, based on the mineral content of food for optimal digestion), Dia liked what was on our plates. And when I say, liked, I mean had to have it NOW. And since food, as you know, has always been a research in action thing for us, I was a little perplexed.

"But, Dia, see I read these books and talked with the doctor. Black beans and tortillas aren't on the list for another ten months. Your tummy really would much rather have the brown rice and banana slices. No, Dia. No, no, you see, the BOOK SAYS......Well, okay. Here, try the beans.

Oh, you like them? You really like them, don't you? You want more? More?! But the BOOK SAYS.......!!!!"

And clearly my angel baby recognized the logic in my argument and the black beans and tortilla you see her eating the picture are merely photo-shopped in. Right!

One thing I was raised with and have always recognized as healthy for us is that food should NEVER EVER be connected with deprivation. Limitations and regulations with food can often confuse us (children and adults) and confuse our God-given hunger cues and curiosity*. Food exists (was perfectly created by a perfect Creator) to nourish us. The key to this thinking and lifetstyle, however, is to keep on hand only the best quality stuff.

So here's what we're eating now (and no, it's not on any list, thank you very much):

The afore-mentioned black, beans, corn tortilla, avocado, tomotoes, etc.
Basically the Dia version of black bean tacos.

Strawberries! MMM! Fruit of all kind always scores with D.

She has my love for apple butter (and rice cakes, mmm!)!
I like unsweetened, pure apple butter and
Sprouts sells a great variety that I, and now Dia, love!

Green smoothies! Got Greens? :)

As I am discovering is true with just about every area of parenting, the eating thing has a lot more to do with I put in my mouth, than what I tell Dia to eat. My example before her is SO MUCH more powerful than anything I try to tell her to do, because she is first and foremost my shadow. She wants to eat, do and be everything I do and am. So the responsiblity for wisdom, really, falls on my shoulders. And I did read that in a book.

*If you're wondering how this thinking can possibly coexist with a raw vegan lifestyle which seems to be extremely restrictive, you might be confusing educated choices with regulations. We relate it a lot to Biblical living. It seems that living by such extreme regulations as put forth by the Bible would be so restrictive, but as one who has personally experienced this, I can tell you that the opposite is true! Such wise choices as putting others first, not lying, not swearing, etc. actually frees us. The same can be said with wise eating habits.