Babysteps to health and wellness

I changed the title to Babysteps to health and wellness. I'm not sure exactly how far I will go with the GAPS diet and it may be a combination of several things since Paleo, SCD and GAPS overlap a lot. Pursuit of health encompasses more than just preparation for GAPS.

I am feeling great with just the small changes we have made. I've dealt with IBS for as long as I can remember. I swing between two extremes although most of the time it stays in the mild to moderate range. This week, I came very close to normal. Can't remember when I have been normal. Have I ever been normal? Exciting!

Babystep #1 Add kefir daily or at least several times a week. Still at it! Target has four flavors so I got Strawberry, Raspberry and Blueberry for this week.

Babystep #2 One batch of broth and subsequently soup a week. Took the turkey neck and tried to make broth out of that. Turned out too weak and not really something I could drink straight up. I took the white meat and legs from the turkey for a meal and a couple leftover meals. I left most dark meat on the turkey carcass and divided it into two bags and stuck it in the freezer. I used the weak turkey broth, half a turkey carcass, ten carrots, one onion, three sweet potatoes, celtic sea salt and pepper to make a soup. It was a very orange soup! But my toddler who has a wierd aversion to anything red or green, eats up orange. Whatever works! Don't forget to pick out the bones before serving or better yet, before adding the veggies. 

Babystep #3 Introduce fermented veggies. Still eating sauerkraut with my soup.

Babystep #4 Streamline kitchen - Work in progress!

Babystep #5 Add detox baths - Got some epsom salts since I had run out. Pinned several recipes on Pinterest. Epsom salts add minerals and draws out toxins. Baking soda purifies the water. Looking at trying some essential oils like lavender and lemon. 

Babystep #6 Add omega 3 supplements - Done!

Babystep #7 Purchase some more local raw honey. Done! Funny story here.....I decided to add honey to my coffee one day. I normally drink 2-3 cups of coffee daily. This is weak coffee. I do use Dark Roast to get a good flavor but I only use 2 Tablespoons when the recommended amount is 10 Tablespoons. Caffeine relaxes me and helps me focus. I drink coffee or drink colas late in the evenings with no problem. I once drank a Red Bull. The only time I've gotten jittery was with a sample of caffeine accelerator that came with a Plexus Slim sample. But with honey instead of sugar in my coffee, my hands were shaking and I felt jittery. I wondered what in the world was going on. I'm guessing it is proof that honey is definitely absorbed faster than sugar. Makes me wonder what effect metabolism plays in ADHD and treatments. 

This week's babysteps

Babystep #8 Ginger tea - Ginger is a great help for digestion and immune support. I had some ginger tea bags that we have used a few times this past week. I need to get ginger root to have on hand. David and James drank the ginger tea but it was a bit strong even watered down for the little ones. Saturday evening, I was feeling the effects of the Halloween sweets and a busy couple days with All Saint's Day celebrations and Taekwondo tournament. We had a light supper and I drank some broth and ginger tea. I felt much less bloated and blah the next morning. I feel empowered because let's face it, nobody's perfect and even with the best of intentions, plans get derailed. We need tricks to help us back on track so we aren't tempted to just give up on living healthier.

Babystep #9 Magnesium supplements - Magnesium was one of the supplements mentioned at the autism support meeting. I had researched it after David had not done well on two ADHD medicines and we needed something to help him stay focused on the task in front of him. This was about the time that I was pregnant with Joseph and I didn't give it to him long enough to see if it would make a difference. I added it back to my supplements about a week and a half ago. I noticed a big difference in how well I could focus on what I needed to accomplish. I also haven't needed my inhaler at all the past 10 days or so. Turns out that asthma along with ADHD and epilepsy  is on the list of disorders that may be linked to chronic magnesium deficiency. So for myself and the two older boys (David for ADHD and James for asthma), this will be supplemented for a while.

Babystep #10 Sourdough starter - I borrowed Southern Living's Christmas Idea book for 2014 from the library. It definitely put me in the holiday mood. I want to have some delicious food for my family. I want to try some of the GAPS-legal fudges and such but we aren't following GAPS fully until after the holidays. Sourdough has worked well for us in the past. The fermenting process breaks down the gluten and makes it much easier to digest. It also make some of the most fabulous bread, cinnamon rolls, beignets and pizza crust. I let my starter die with the busyness of a new baby. I've been wanting to start one back for months so I started one a couple days ago. It will be ready to start in a couple days. I'm going to start another today so that I can have one available every day or two. With this family and with all the yummy ways of using sourdough, every three days just isn't enough. I use this recipe from Living on a Dime and use rice baby cereal instead of potato flakes.

Babystep #11 Drink water first thing in the morning. I usually start the children off with milk and I start with coffee or tea. A quick google search will uncover a myriad of reasons why to start with water and most recommend adding lemon to your water. I will add lemon to our grocery list but the purpose of this babystep is to establish the habit.

Babystep #12 Work on creating a natural bath set for the children - Last year, we got character labeled body wash and bubbles for fun stocking stuffers. This year I want to find bottles and jars that are in their colors (blue for David, green for James, pink for Katie Rose, red for John Micah and light blue for Joseph) or can be colored with a lid or maybe a label. I bought some mild castille soap at Target. I'm researching how to use my essential oils and mild soap for an effective body wash. I want to switch to using coconut oil as a moisturizer instead of lotion. As we run out of storebought cleaners and health/beauty supplies, I want to try to replace them with a homemade version.

We know that some cleaners have caused rashes for David and Katie Rose. Scrubbing Bubbles is especially troublesome which is disappointing since it does clean so well. Joseph has had two allergic skin hives/rashes so far. Doctors don't know what he is reacting to and experience tells me that we will probably never know. He is just a sensitive guy like his older brother and sister and we'll have to be as mild as possible with everything we use.