Re: family support lacking

Sorry I'm not a mom or a dad. But I know everything about lacking (family) support. Also like you I fell in love with the Nourishing Traditions book - possibly the best health/food book ever?

If/when I have a family, basically I intend the household to be free of processed food (as much as is humanly possible). For me a big part of life is healthy living/eating and I would not marry someone who wasn't as passionate about this as me.

I believe that when I grew up I was lacking any kind of nutrition and nourishment. I have teeth problems because of underdeveloped jaw bones (classic sign of malnutrition - see work of Weston Price). Also I haven't been as strong psychologically as I would have liked - again I know that diet is a big factor. How can we raise heros when we feed them the food of degenerates? Pretty much my whole family has health problems - all of them diet related one way or another.

As for your husband. What price health? Like you health problems have affected me big time. It is only natural that we seek to protect those we love from having to go through the same thing. I put it to you that it is not you who is mad but them. All you are trying to do is to eat the same healthy way that our ancestors have done for thousands of years. They are being peculiar, not you.

What your children eat should be up to you and your husband, not outside agents. They do have a point though that you can't force someone to eat healthy. They must want to do it. So I would concentrate on educating your children and guiding them. If all they want is the occassional treat I wouldn't worry about it. As long as 90% of the food they eat is healthy, the other 10% shouldn't matter too much. The important thing is to not make them feel that they are deprived in any way. If they do feel deprived they may feel resentful towards you and rebel later in life.

If you educate them about the dangers of sugar, msg etc. you will be doing them the greatest service any mother could do. After all if there was some other danger awaiting your children would you not warn them?

What you have to do is to make sure that when they are grown up, when no-one is looking, that at that moment in time they *choose* to make healthy food choices. The only way they can do this is if you empower and educate them.

You also have to look at the power of advertising - especially to children. In effect we are fighting a losing battle - especially if you have a tv in the house. Every few minutes your kids are being hypnotised with "Mmmm we're lovin' it" and other insidious slogans/images. As an adult I even find this onslaught difficult to deal with - to the extent that I invent my own anti-slogans "Yuck - I'm hatin' it!" is what I say to myself to counteract this mass hypnosis.

Eating healthy (and living healthy) is a challenge. It is a challenge that we must rise to for the sake of our children. Education and empowerment (to cook and make our own food) are the way forward. Dependency and despondency are roads to nowhere. Rise to the challenge and make it fun!