Nourishing Traditions for Babies and Children

Several years ago, I came across Sally Fallon's classic book, Nourishing Traditions:  The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.  Since then, I have been forever grateful to have found that book.  I suppose I had believed what industrial food companies and some dietitians and doctors maintained:  Stay away from fat!  Avoid cholesterol!  Raw milk is dangerous! etc., etc.  Published in 1999, the book promotes healthful practices, such as eating fermented food, that have now thankfully become trendy.  Even though my family and I lean toward a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, I continue to find Fallon's book indispensable.  

So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw that Fallon had teamed up with Dr. Thomas Cowan to write The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care.  I pre-ordered it, and it just arrived a few days ago.  Since then, I sneak any moment I can to read through a page or two at random.  

The book covers a lot of ground with topics such as pre-pregnancy nutrition, newborn interventions, vaccinations, nourishing the growing child, and coping with childhood illness.  Much of the book appears to be written with two influential thinkers in mind:  Rudolph Steiner and Weston A. Price.  And I am so happy to see a book on infant and child health talk about things like electromagnetic fields, organic bedding, and the importance of rhythm to the developing child.  While I encourage everyone to take a look at this great book, like any book on child care, you can disregard what doesn't work for you:  For example, I have found Sally Fallon's advice to feed baby a soft-boiled egg yolk extremely beneficial, but I don't think I'll have my baby try her "Brains for Baby" recipe anytime soon! 

At UrthChild, our Superfoods department has some Fallon-approved food, such as coconut butter, sprouted nut butters and sprouted nut snacks, organic probiotics, and more.  Enjoy!

home health kit, part 2

We recently returned from the most wonderful trip to Maine.  We spent the better part of a week visiting our friends (you can follow their adventures on the lovely Crafting Mama Librarian Blog), who graciously took us to The Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine.  The Fair is sponsored by and a benefit for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and is truly a fair like no other.  If you haven't been before, be sure to keep the Fair on your radar screen for the future.

One of the vendors at the Fair was a company called Avena Botanicals.  They are the first Demeter-certified biodynamic* farm in Maine, and offer a vast selection of hand-crafted herbal remedies.  The majority of the plants used in their remedies are grown on their beautiful 32-acre farm.  I purchased a few of their remedies to add to my home health kit, including the Be Well and Herbal Zinger herbal compounds to help with cold and flu season.   I also bought the Immune Soup for overall immune health and support; I am looking forward to brewing it up this weekend!

And finally, the favorite in our home (as voted by my five-year-old daughter), the Flower Fairy Cream.  Who could resist that?!  I am seriously thinking about asking Avena if I could bring some of their amazing remedies to UrthChild, but in the meantime, visit their online store.  And share with us the remedies you have in your home health kit and tips for staying healthy this fall and winter!

*  The principles of biodynamic agriculture were first outlined in a series of lectures by Rudolph Steiner, who also founded the Waldorf education system.  According to Avena Botanicals, while biodynamic farming adheres to the same practices as organic farming, a fundamental element of biodynamic agriculture is "to help heal the earth by using specially made preparations that are applied to the soil, leaves, and compost pile following the natural rhythms of the day, the seasons, and the moon and planets.  Steiner taught that the regular use of the biodynamic preparations would help garden soils be more open and receptive to receiving the spiritual impulses radiating from the cosmic forces. He also believed that the vitality of the food and herbs we ingest, revitalized by the use of the biodynamic preparations, would help humans be more fully conscious, more spiritually awake, more aware of the divine energy present in all of life."  (Source:  http://www.avenabotanicals.com/about-avena/biodynamics/)

recent book and movies

I am a huge Downton Abbey fan, and when I saw a review on NPR that billed The Uninvited Guests as the perfect read for Downton fans, I ran to the library to snag a copy.  I found it to be so strange, eerie, and grotesque -- like a modern fairy tale.  I stayed with it until the end, but I felt kind of icky as I was reading it.  Aside from Smudge (whose Great Undertaking was brilliant), the characters were not the kindest lot in the world.  Still, it was a good read, and like a good fairy tale, there was a happily ever after.

Another NPR recommendation was Pure.  I read this and then quickly developed mastitis.  I don't know if the two were related, but I think they were:  The book just depressed me.  To the author's credit, his writing is so vivid and his descriptions of pre-revolutionary France so precise, it was hard to remember I was actually in 2012 Connecticut USA.  The grim subject matter, the filth and foulness, all of it...Pure  became a bad feeling I couldn't shake off.  I understand why this book is critically acclaimed (and I believe it deserves the credit it has received), but it was simply not my cup of tea.

Thank goodness for the next book:  Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister.  I absolutely adore this book, as I do most books on farming.  But this one is different.  First, Timmermeister is so self-deprecating, so funny, I laughed out loud at the same farming mis-adventures I've read about in other books a dozen times before.  Second, I loved how he sees farming through the lens of business.  He had owned restaurants before he ventured into farming, so cash flow and balance sheets were wisely a part of his farming approach.  Even if you don't love farming or business, give this book a try.

 

Finally, a guilty pleasure.  When I was recovering from mastitis (the worst bout I've ever had!), I was browsing through Netflix.  I wanted something fun and not at all serious.  I settled on Strictly Ballroom, and don't regret the time I spent watching it for one second.  I had heard of the film before, but other than name recognition, I knew nothing about it.  What fun!  Outrageous costumes and make-up, ridiculous dancing sound effects that had me laughing out loud, and a sweet love story.  I loved how the movie pokes fun at the world of ballroom dancing, but at the same time, conveys the beauty and emotion of dancing.