Food is fuel!

 

  I have recently been overloading my Pinterest boards with new gluten free recipes as well as list and ways to cope with Adhd. I've heard mixed reviews and so many opinions: "maybe he should go to a special school", "maybe he's just to hyper", "he's spoiled", "he just knows you baby him", "maybe nothing is wrong with him, you shouldn't speak that over his life". I know most of these are just a lack of knowledge. But it doesn't make the hurtful opinions or comments hurt any less. Lately I have been trying to just learn as much as possible. what does he love? How can I help him help himself? I am always saying I am raising tiny humans. These lil guys and girls will one day be adults and I want them to be the best adults they can be. I want him to be prepared to handle tough situations and opinions. But I also want to make sure what I read I apply. Lately I have heard and read that gluten can really affect him in a negative way. So we cut that out all that out gluten free, organic and non-gmo! Grocery shopping for yogurt was definitely a challenge also rather annoying. Every cute label or kid friendly box wasn't good for him at all, sugar filled junk! After reading labels trying not to have a mini melt down we found some that he could have. After being in the dentist and not feeling so great he was even willing to look for healthy choices.

  Finding snacks that are reasonable price yet healthy for them and taste great. If I don't like the way something taste how can I expect my kids to eat. I've always been the weirdo who would taste their baby food or medicine before I gave it to them. I always want to know how it taste because if they gag and I am yelling at them to drink it without tasting it isn't that kind of wrong. But if I taste it and the medicine or food makes me want to vomit how can I expect them not to want to do the same thing. So I have been hunting for great food. Thank God for this amazing movement of healthy foods in most grocery stores. I've managed to find my lil guy M&M's which all the kids love, crackers which we all love and just amazing good for you food.

  I highly believe what we eat does affect us. I recently told the kids to think of our bodies like cars we can either put watered down fuel in our engines and our cars will run poorly or we can put clean good fuel and our cars will last a lot longer and run so much better. Same with our bodies! If we are always eating greasy fast food cheese burgers can you really be surprised when you have high cholesterol? When you eat better you feel better. Plus home cooked food taste a zillion times better than anything you can get at a fast food restaurant. I almost feel cheated like when I was a kid never did I hear about how food was fuel it was all about taco bell and whatever new fast food joint was near buy. It was all about getting food fast and cheap. Because of that I have noticed that the older generation has this almost mocked reaction to wanting to change to be healthier. I've found in my family they treat it almost as a trend, giggle or judge. Taking care of your body should be something that is normal not a trend. Hopefully that will change!

  So today we are sitting on the couch ready for family movie night when this lil guy who has struggled with letter recognition all year and sound decides to spell. The other day he surprised us on the way to Target he was spelling target missed few letters but never has he done that. I of course handled it the only way I knew how.........tears of joy! Today was different he had this confidence spelling one word than smiled and asked me to give him a newer word. I did and he would spell that one as well. The simple things I've taken for granted with my older two simple words like Mom or Dad its only 3 letters but I have never heard my lil guy spell them and today he did. He didn't get frustrated and give up like before he kept going word after word and getting them right. I was utterly amazed. My lil guy ended school year with last test taken several weeks ago only knew a hand full of letters was spelling word after word and he knew each letter. He has not taken one ounce of medication. He has not been to one therapy session or had any drastic change but his diet. How can that not make you a believer? He was so proud of himself, we all were! I looked at the end of the couch and caught Andre with those big eyes of his filling up with tears, I asked what was wrong he simply answered "I'm proud of him". If I have to search ads, drive to multiple grocery stores or spend hours in the kitchen perfecting recipes for these tiny humans I will do whatever it takes to make sure they soar like he did today. Brain foods matter!! These are the only bodies we get and these lil people are only tiny humans once. Preparing them to take care of themselves the best way possible is so important to teach them now.