I have been wanting to write about some of the very same topics that Monique has recently been sharing with us. As you have already read, the subject of nutrients that help the brain function has been very thoroughly covered! This is a very important topic for me since sorting through all the mess out there in regards to what parents should or shouldn’t do for their children who suffer from ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, and all the other “D’s” that fall into this category!

In the alternative therapies that are offered, many of the dietary suggestions are related to supplements only. Beyond avoiding chemical additives, the most discussed dietary change is a gluten/casein free diet. Then the list of what various individual vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients have been shown to benefit these disorders begins to grow.

One of the most prominent minerals discussed is zinc. As Monique already shared, studies have shown a connection between ADHD and zinc deficiency. So, what is recommended? Of course, to buy a zinc supplement and give that along with the mix of various other supplements and/or drugs that the pharmaceutical companies are profiting from!

My point here is: Why supplement when you can get the nutrients in their whole, natural form from fresh living foods?

There is something much deeper than a zinc deficiency (or any other you choose based on the latest nutrient singled out in research) going on for these children. I believe in a “whole body” treatment and along with that a “whole living foods diet” to help the body heal itself. Our bodies are amazing machines designed to repair themselves, if given the best available fuel. We shouldn’t single out any one nutrient and artificially supplement it with the hopes of that being the key to all our physical and mental problems.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that a raw diet is the golden ticket to all the problems here. In line with the “whole body” treatment, along with diet comes various other and equally important interventions such as speech therapy, sensory integration, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and social interventions. Not every therapy will be needed by every child. We are all unique and children will respond better to some therapies than others. Some are not needed depending on what problem within the spectrum is being addressed.

The key is that these are all ‘spectrum’ disorders and the therapies are only used when needed. What I believe is most important is to get the body and brain functioning on its optimum level to allow the other available therapies to work.

I have decided to do my own series on this very topic. In the coming weeks, I will examine each of the dietary or ‚biomedical’ interventions recommended for autism spectrum disorders and discuss how raw and living foods meets or beats the standard.

Whether or not you have a child within the spectrum, it will be filled with great information that anyone can use!

The word that resonates with me today is “more”. It is the one way I can describe life with my son. Just about any word would fit in behind the word more: more energy, more movement, more emotion, more anger, more love, more sadness, more fear, more frustration, more talking, more silliness, more imagination, more creativity, more talent, more intellect, more persistence, more sensitivity, more repetition, more will, more… You get my point!

It is exhausting to think about it sometimes, much less to keep up! I also find that word applies to my job as a mom and what it means to raise him: more discipline, more boundaries, more frustration, more patience, more time, more energy, more preparation, more giving, more love.

Just like he can laugh and cry within the same breath, I am amazed at how I can have such extreme opposite emotions in one minute. Kids like him are so hard to love yet so easy to love. There is a constant need to focus on the positive, to find the good in every situation. Even in the difficult times, I look for what we have learned from the experience.

Yet another way “more” applies to me is that I must have more support and more time off to recharge (which I don’t really do!!). I realize this all applies to every mom of every child, yet for a mom raising a child with autism spectrum disorders, it applies even more!

One thing I definitely need more of is energy, which is why I am thankful for having discovered the benefits of raw and living foods. It has not only helped him overcome some major problems, but it has given me the energy, mental clarity, and emotional stability to cope with daily life.

I think today has been an especially full-on day. Not a bad day by any means, but today was in all ways…well, more! So I am ready for more relaxation, more rest, and more sleep! So, with that, I will say good night!

In honor of Mother’s Day today, I wanted to share a little story that came to me through an email. I really don’t like getting lots of junk email and forwards, especially since I find myself reading them before I delete them! But, sometimes there is a gem amid the junk.

All moms go through moments where they feel like they aren’t doing something “worthy” or feel inadequate in some way or another. You might have read this before. Whether or not you have a job away from home, I hope you enjoy this story, and feel proud for who you are and why you do it!

A MOTHER’S JOB DESCRIPTION (author unknown)

A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation. “Do you know what you and I are?” she demanded. Before I could answer - and I didn’t really have one handy - she blurted out the reason for her question.

It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her “occupation,” Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. “What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “Do you have a job, or are you just a ……?” “Of course I have a job,” snapped Emily. “I’m a mother.” “We don’t list “mother” as an occupation… “housewife” covers it,” said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title, like “Official Interrogator” or “Town Registrar.” “And what is your occupation?” she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. “I’m….a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.” The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in mid-air, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “just what you do in your field?” Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I’m working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money.”

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants—age 13, 7, and 3. And upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model (six months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat on bureaucracy. And I had gone down on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than “just another……”

My hope for you on this day, and all days, is that you remember how valuable you are, how precious your little (or big!) ones are, and how important your job is…more important than any other! No matter what we call it, I truly believe there is no greater privilege than to be a mother.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing ladies!!

Have you ever experienced something where you think, “Will I ever learn my lesson?!?” Unfortunately, I seem to repeat those words a little too often!

It has taken me several attempts to go and stay raw, even with a supportive husband and kids young enough to have an easier transition. Each time I went off raw before, I was somehow happier with the ease of falling back into old comfortable habits and routine, but at the same time, so very unhappy about knowing and feeling the difference. The change was that there was a definite pull toward eating healthy raw foods that I never experienced before. Once you feel the difference raw makes, it is impossible to fully enjoy a cooked food diet knowing it makes you feel terrible, both physically and mentally.

Sometimes, the memory of just how bad I did feel on standard food faded away and it was easier to entertain the thought of eating what I said I wouldn’t. It wasn’t until I was ‘off the wagon’ and back in the old ways that I remembered how amazing raw food is and what it does for our bodies and minds.

In the same way, since taking the plunge this year to be consistent with our children’s diets, I knew the changes we have experienced in our son’s behavior, attention, and other symptoms have improved in a way I never imagined possible. It has been 5 months now since they have been eating a high raw, gluten-free, vegan diet. The vegan part was not new to them and in the past they have had varying degrees of ‘rawness.’ The amount of raw in their diet before was anywhere from 50 to a full 100% when we have been raw.

It wasn’t too long ago that I was saying our family would never, ever go back to another form of eating because of what it does for my son and his issues with milder autism spectrum disorders. As the memory faded about just how extreme his ‘bad days’ really were, the thoughts of allowing a little something special occasionally entered my mind. We finally let go one time and allowed a cooked meal that did not fit our diet standards.

After just one single meal, we noticed within 3 hours that something was up. Then, for a full 5 days, we dealt with anxiousness, aggression, hyperactivity, anger, frustration, sensitivity, obsession, and more from our son. The reappearance of these symptoms was sudden and it was obvious that he was not the same child that he recently has been. It was not as extreme as before the diet change, but then it was only a small amount to affect him.

I don’t know what upsets me more, the fact that we gave in to the temptations or that he was the one suffering for the regression. We are, after all, the parents. It was our choice to allow it. On the other hand, we told him before allowing it that we knew this was something we eliminated from his diet and we could choose to test it or to keep it out. He wanted to try it, and now he knows as well as us that the efforts we are all making are worth it. He did not like the way he was feeling any better than we liked being on the receiving end of it all!

As my son gets older, he will have more freedom to make his own choices about his food. I think he will carry this experience with him to hold himself accountable. One of his traits is obsession over issues he believes are important. There is no middle ground, only very black and white boundaries, and definitely no giving in. He is very adamant about healthy food and even though he wants the other stuff, he never sneaks ‘off-limit’ foods because it isn’t right in his opinion. (Besides, we would know the second he did!
In the end, it was a lesson well learned for all of us. Any previous thoughts creeping in as to the real effectiveness of this diet change are gone. The benefits are clear and fresh in our minds, and this experience will only make us stronger!

It amazes me how there are times that I seem to get a million things done in no time and feel like Supermom. At the same time, it disappoints me that there are times that I seem to get nothing done in a whole lot of time, and feel like a failure! Things have been a bit ‘off’ for me lately. I have let stuff around me get out of balance. I don’t need to be Supermom, but I do need to regroup and up the game a little.

I have been at a crossroad in several things and have felt a little stuck. Not knowing the right direction to take sometimes sends me into a panic. I am a planner and an organizer and I have this inner drive to always know my game plan. So, what do I do when I don’t know what to do? Well, this time, instead of taking charge and getting through my ‘stuff,’ I have procrastinated and avoided.

It has been long enough and somehow I don’t think it will all magically go away! What made me realize this is that I am at the end of a great novel. I love to read and when the book is really good, it is hard to put it down. Not only is it the end of a great book, but it is the last (as of yet) in a series of five! I have (once again) read through them consecutively. This last one in particular has gone by in a flash.

There is no better distraction from something you are putting off, than to get into a fantasy world and pretending your world doesn’t exist. Don’t get me wrong…I haven’t been reading night and day and forgetting all my responsibilities and such, but when I could be spending a few minutes looking for a new recipe to get me out of the food boredom rut, instead of just wishing I had some new ideas, it would be time better spent. I could definitely turn out the light and get more sleep instead of getting involved in the plot of a book and waking up tired, wondering why I didn’t go to bed earlier!

So, I have decided to take some action. I planned out all my “To-Do’s” on my list in order of priority and I am no longer going to procrastinate and avoid!! One by one, I will catch up and keep up and (try to) not let myself get overwhelmed with my never-ending tasks. Enough pressure to get the job done, but not so much to send me into a panic about not being able to do it!

Of course, this doesn’t mean an end to my reading! It just means that it will be my reward for a job well done instead of a way out. That way, I get to enjoy it instead of feeling guilty about it and thinking I should be doing something else. We moms work too hard not to get a little down time, too!