by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families
WHAT SHOULD WE BE FEEDING OUR 13-MONTH-OLD?
Q: I was hoping you might be able to guide me on what I should be giving Elle, who is now 13-months-old. I understand what is ideal, but since my husband and I are not eating “ideally” then I think we are going to need to compromise with some of Elle’s diet. She has always been the kind of baby who thinks she is an adult so she wants to have every single thing that we eat. I have been able to keep a lot of non-ideal foods from her.
Elle’s typical routine is she likes lots of water (w/stevia) through the day (she loves sweet things), most of her meals are still baby shakes ’cause she loves them so much (usually comprised of spinach, bananas, and avocado), a little fresh veggie juice, snacks on banana, and then dinner is usually eaten with us and concluded with some more shake. The heaviest things she has are raw puddings/shakes that have nuts and fruit in them (and sometime a little agave), white potatoes, and butter on cooked veggies.
To make this easy for you, I’m going to write down typical foods we have in our house in a list form and I was wondering if you do have time, maybe you could run through them and put yes or no next to them and help me decide what is okay to compromise with, and maybe some alternatives? All of these things are usually just accompanied by a lot of veggies (like sometimes I will chop up a corn tortilla or a piece of sprouted wheat bread and add it to a veggie-mixture to stuff squash with, or I will add one egg to millet pancake batter or to vegetable fritters, or boxed almond milk to my smoothies).
Organic butter Hormone-free cream cheese Hormone-free heavy cream Organic eggs Pastuerized sheep’s feta and pecorino romano (and other sheep cheeses) Jarred salsa Boxed almond milk Coconut butter Vinegars Millet puffs Millet flour/whole millet Quinoa Oats Brown/wild rice Buckwheat Sprouted wheat bread Corn tortillas Z bars Lara bars Beans Corn White potatoes Thank you for your help! I appreciate everything you do for us!
A: The diet as described is great! See our bold responses below for a few upgrades you can consider:
- Organic butter
- Hormone-free cream cheese
- Hormone-free heavy cream
- Organic eggs – Just make sure these are really high-quality, free-range, organic eggs. If you can find a local source that you trust, that is the best way to ensure you are getting the best eggs!
- Pasteurized sheep’s feta and pecorino romano (and other sheep cheeses) If you can find raw goat/sheep cheese, this would be a good upgrade. The pasteurized cheese isn’t horrible, it just lacks the enzymes that assist indigestion. These enzymes are killed in the pasteurization process so again, it’s not critical, but would be a good upgrade if you can find the raw version of goat/sheep cheese you like. We sell Natalia’s favorite brand, Alta Dena, raw cheddar style goat cheese throughout online store if you can’t find anything local!
- Jarred salsa – You could consider making your own fresh salsa!
- Boxed almond milk – Boxed almond milk is fine as long as it is a high-quality brand like “Pacific.” However, if you are feeling ambitious, you could make your own nut milk. This way, you can feel confident about all of the ingredients! Check out our “Homemade Nut Milk” recipe in the Recipe Section.
- Coconut butter – Just make sure it’s organic!
- Millet puffs
- Millet flour/whole millet
- Quinoa
- Oats
- Brown/wild rice
- Buckwheat
- Sprouted wheat bread
- Corn tortillas – These are fine but you can also try the sprouted grain tortillas.
- Z bars
- Lara bars
- Beans
- Corn
- White potatoes – White potatoes are good but an upgrade would be sweet potato – it is just a little higher up on the “alkalinity” scale than white potatoes although both are fine and biochemically superior to grains!
SHOULD I GET MY MERCURY FILLINGS REMOVED WHILE PREGNANT?
Q: Now that I am pregnant, should I worry about getting my mercury fillings removed?
A: It is not a good idea to have mercury fillings removed during pregnancy. It would be best to find a good holistic dentist to consult with regarding your options.
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by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families
FOR FAMILIES TESTIMONIALS
“Practicing Natalia’s suggested lifestyle is what enabled me to get pregnant in 2009, to have a smooth pregnancy, an amazing and quick home birth, and a very healthy toddler!”
– Bruna De Araujo
“I like the juice! It makes me have more energy and I can pay attention in school.”
– Kyle, Age 10
“My son is a year old and has been cared for largely by following Natalia’s superb advice in her audios (i.e., feeding on demand; co-sleeping, either on a cot in our room or in our bed; introducing solids, including juice, fruits, veggies, a little organic fish, eggs, pasteurized goat cheese, butter, etc.). He’s a happy, healthy, confident little boy, so we’re pleased with what we’ve done, even if it flies in the face of current “wisdom” about strict routines, controlled crying, etc. And I could make a long list all the positive results we can already see!”
– F. White
“I like to drink juice before my soccer games on Sunday so I can run faster!”
– Sydney, Age 7
“I have to tell you that since our last conversation, I committed myself to making sure my kids eat better. In particular, my 3-year-old. I realized I was too tired and lazy to argue, so I would give in to serving him crap. I made it my intention to serve him what I eat and that he would be open. Well, the next day we started making green juice together. I called it Shrek Juice and he drank it all up. The baby has loved green juice since she was 6 months, but now Max is loving it and asks for it everyday. Now he eats salads and goat cheese, and right now he’s eating coleslaw without mayo sprinkled with cheese. Unbelievable! He’s almost never whiny anymore and is just a pleasure to be around. It was my own resistance that kept me serving him what he asked for (such as pasta, etc.). Now it’s a whole different story. THANK YOU!! I know that if moms just gave it a little time, they would have the same experience.”
– M. Einbender
“When I found myself unexpectedly pregnant at the age of twenty, I realized that my previous years of pain weren’t just meant to encourage or help others, but were for my own strength too. When I had my first panic of “Oh my gosh, I have to go through labor at the end of this,” I quickly expelled that thought far from my mind, remembering the tribal women of Dr. Weston A. Price’s studies and their ability to give birth with ease. From that moment on, my focus was not only nutrition for my own body, but also building a healthy foundation for my baby and preparing my body for a natural birth.
Those nine months were magical! I increased my diet from around 70 percent raw to 95 percent raw. I felt so fantastic that I still laugh thinking about all the times people asked me “How are you feeling?” expecting me to have a list of complaints filled with swollen ankles, back pain, heartburn, and who knows what else the average American woman suffers from today during pregnancy. I was taken aback by the way our society looks at pregnancy as an illness, when in reality it should be the most empowering (not to mention healthy) time of our lives as women.
Through months of green smoothies, prenatal yoga, long walks, and daily confessions and visualizations of how quick and easy my labor experience would be, I was beyond ready to meet my baby when I went into labor (while I was coincidentally reading Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose) on the evening of September 23, 2009. After five hours of labor at home, I decided we were ready to meet the midwife at the hospital. We checked into the hospital room, and forty minutes later, my son Dimitri made his great entrance into the world.
I proudly became the exception to our society by giving birth all naturally (on my hands and knees), and choosing for my son to receive no shots, vaccines, or antibiotics. Birth should be a spiritual moment, not a hospitalized illness. Looking back on my quest for health, I now know that if I had never gone through the desperation and pain that I did in my teenage years, I would have been robbed not only of my health by the time I was forty, but also of an experience that I believe, quite frankly, all women are entitled to.
Our society brainwashes us with so many untruths. Stop believing the lie that you have to endure a miserable pregnancy, followed by horrific, painful labor. If I can transform from a junk-food junkie at age 16 into an all-natural mamma by age 22, you, too, can do anything for your health and your children’s health, and have the power to change any situation along the way.”
– E. Kalmukos
“Hope you’re wonderful! It has been a couple of years now since we’ve talked, but I have been thinking a lot about you. Colden is now three and a half. His eczema has been completely manageable in the last couple years—ironically—until the last two months. We are back to juicing and on a really good program and got him clear within a week.
We also have a new baby girl. She is five months old today. She had a patch here and there of eczema, but nothing like her brother. And since I have been back on juice and a more raw diet, she is clear now as well. Just wanted you to know that we do still think about you and are so grateful to all you taught us in our consultation and through your books.”
– C. Tobias
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by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families
ESSENTIALS FOR THE LIFE FORCE FAMILIES LIFESTYLE!
Produce/Vegetables
- Greens for juice and salad
- Celery
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
- Winter Squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti)
- Fresh herbs
- Ginger Root
- Garlic
- *Other seasonal vegetables you love
Produce/Fruit
- Lemon/Lime
- Apples
- Berries
- Bananas
- Avocado
- *Other seasonal fruit you love
Household
- Paper Towels
- Bath Paper
- Natural Dishwashing Soap
- Natural Laundry Detergent
- Natural Shampoo/Conditioner
- Natural Soap
- Natural Toothpaste
Packaged Goods
- Organic Marinara Sauce (no added sugar and minimal or no added oil)
- Spelt, Quinoa, Buckwheat, or Whole Wheat Pasta
- Organic Ketchup
- Organic Dijon Mustard
- Nama Shoyu Soy Sauce
- Stevia (NuNaturals)
- Organic Cocoa Powder
- Raw Honey
- Organic Agave Nectar
- Organic Maple Syrup
- Nut Milk (Pacific Brand)
- Nut Butter (Almond, cashew, or hazelnut and preferably raw)
- 70% or more Dark Chocolate
- Pure Fruit Spread *no added sugar
- Sprouted Grain Bread/Bagels/Tortillas/Hamburger Buns
- Herbal Tea
Dairy
- Organic Unsalted Butter (Horizon)
- Raw Cheddar Style Goat Cheese
- Goat Milk
- Yogurt
Transition/Misc
- Orga Organic Ketchup
- Organic Dijon Mustard
- Nama Shoyu Soy Sauce
- Stevia (NuNaturals)
- Nut Milk (Pacific Brand)
- Nut Butter (Almond)
- Jelly (St. Dalfour’s)
- Sprouted Grain Bread/B
- Hamburger Buns
- Raw Cheddar Style Goat
- Goat Yogurt
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by natalia | Jan 14, 2022 | Life Force Families
Feeding a family to generate health, beauty, and joyful wellness is first and foremost about choosing the right foods, and creating the right emotional environment within the home. Food preparation is a big part of this. Keeping your fruits and vegetables as the focus of each meal is easy when you have the right tools, and when this way of living becomes a habit.
HERE’S A LIST OF TIPS TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR MEAL-PREP TOOLBOX:
1. One of the most important steps you’ll take in this process is throwing away your microwave. Don’t pass it on to someone else, get rid of it! Even using your microwave to heat a cup of tea water fills the house with the worst kind of electromagnetic radiation, and no food eaten from a microwave will ever be a health generator.
2. Pots and pans should always be aluminum-free. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer’s, and many other diseases. It is especially dangerous for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Read more about aluminum poisoning here.
3. Never, never, never use a Teflon non-stick surface! A bit of water, some organic butter or coconut butter, and you’ll have no sticking issues anyway. Select instead pots and pans of stainless steel, cast iron, or copper. Be careful to read the fine print, many stainless steel and copper items have an aluminum core for even heat distribution.
4. Using cast iron cookware is a great way to increase iron in the diet of family members who are suffering from anemia (which will naturally decrease the further they get into this lifestyle). One of Natalia’s other trick for reducing anemia is to push an iron nail into a peach overnight, and then enjoy the peach the next day with its added benefits! Several recent studies have underlined this concept.
5. When cooking a dish that would require aluminum foil, use parchment paper or a small glass casserole dish with a lid to seal in the juices in the same way. If You Care Baking makes everything from parchment paper to muffin and cupcake liners with no bleach, chlorine, or quilon. It uses instead naturally occurring silicone for multiple uses.
6. For great glassware, Pyrex is the classic and still one of the best choices.
7. In general, silicone is manufactured synthetically and should be avoided. Recent trends towards baking sheets and muffin tins in silicone candy colors just can’t beat good old-fashioned cast iron bakeware!
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