I can't be the first person....

[Elle Du Bois]

I really need support and solutions. I have the sweetest 11 year old boy. He is intellectually gifted and does well in sports. He is kind and thoughtful and he is also 142 pounds. His doctor is very concerned about him. I am about 75% raw, but my little sweetheart never wants anything to do with my raw food because he prefers white flour and sugar instead. I have not pushed and only offered my raw food but now, it has become urgent that we help his little body lighten it's load. His resting heart rate is 110! I took mine and it was in the 80's. The doctor did a full blood panel to check cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. I am planning on mandating green smoothies, salads, Vitamineral green capsuls, and walks with Mom when I get home from work every day. I am prepared that this is going to be tough as my little one hates veggies. I am wishing upon a star to find a medical professional that has experience with childhood obesity and has a history of treating successfully with a mostly raw food diet. I have been all over the internet and can find nothing:(Just traditional nutritionists who want to put him on a diet. Can anyone at the Hab point me in the right direction? I cannot be the first person that wants to treat childhood obesity with raw food....

[Elle Du Bois]

Dear Charmaine,

Would you believe that your gift of the brilliant Hippocrates Institute idea has already begun to manifest? I found something similar to Hippocrates called True North. I spoke with a doctor there today. Their philosiphy is very similar to Hippocreates. Their rates are very reasonable and within my price range. I can even get partial reimbursement from my insurance carrier. I have no doubt that this synchronistic circumstance is a direct result of your contact with me and the seeds you planted. Wow! Like when we see flowers grown in fast forward on TV! The garden you helped plant is already producing little buds of miracles that will be fruit soon. Thank you, Sweet Friend. I'm sure you are an Angel you flies like a butterfly and lightly lands in people's lives as a blessing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[Elle Du Bois]

OMG! I love these ideas, Alice! Thank you so much! I just put my wish list out to the universe for that same smoothie cup! Now I will recognize it when I see it. Thanks, girlfriend! I love the idea about the cards. That is a keeper. Totally going to try this. Thanks for taking the time, Sweetness! Your the best!

[Alice]

I found a bright red glass with a lid with room for a straw for smoothies, so no one knows what color my concoction is, maybe that would work for him.  Making him part of menu planning is important as well as giving him choice, you just have to make the choices healthy ones. 

 

How about trying some new active games, a scavenger hunt while you're on your walk, flying a kite at the park, frisbee, frozen tag with friends.  Another fun workout "game" is taking a deck of cards and assigning a workout activity to each suit, hearts-jumping jacks, clubs-sqauts, diamonds-push ups, spades-whatever you want, they can be easier activites that change was he progresses.  Then you pull a card out of the deck and the number tells you how many jumping jacks or whatever you have to do.  You can come up with something for the face cards  and you can take turns so you don't wear him out, or you can do that just during commercials when you're watching television.

 

I think making things fun is the way to go, no one wants to feel like they're being tortured into getting healthier.  Maybe setting up a weekly chart that he can check off his daily progress and have a small non-food related prize at the end of each week for doing an activity every day. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Elle Du Bois]

Thank you, Janet. Yes, he likes it better if the green smoothie is actually purple or blue thanks to the many berries that I have been using. Good one! Also, thank you again for the reminder to keep the exercise fun. I have had a past for being so hard on myself and forgetting that things can be fun AND good for you. My mantra of late is that I can have it all! Mantra: "I am leaving the kindgom of OR for the kingdom of AND." As in eating delicious food or healthy food. How about that it can be delicious AND healthy! I will use this with the exercise! Thank you, Sweet Friend.

 

[Janet Carol Ryan]

Elle - I just want to chime in and cheer you on in your quest to support your son and find healthy solutions for your family. You are a hero! I know that you will find your answers and when he feels better he'll want to reach for the 'good stuff'. My only suggestion would be to find ways to include him in the preparation of smoothies if you can - are there any whole foods that he does enjoy - can you make a luscious smoothie with bananas and blueberries for instance (doesn't look so green ;-)  AND to encourage him and you to PLAY with the walking and exercise - not from obligation or this will be good for you.. but to turn it into play.  Cheering you on!!

[Elle Du Bois]

Oh, by the way, I am still looking for an MD that treats childhood obesity using a mostly raw foods protocol. I called Dr. Fuhrman's office in NY, but the first consultatation is $435 and follow up consults are $260. And no insurance accepted. Ouch! Okay, so I am on the hunt for doctor's that follow the concepts of Dr. Fuhrman. Please let me know if you know of any in the Los Angeles or Orange County area in California. Thank you all!

[Elle Du Bois]

Thank you all so much for your replies. This is my first blog post to the Hab and I can already feel the community support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to comment. I am taking everying down. I appreciate the comments about not just raw, but vegan as well. I tend to be extreme and that is what has had me fall off of the raw food lifestyle so many times. Perhaps my little darling is really a messanger from God to teach me balance, so both of us can stay on a healthy diet for life.

I like the education idea. I watch all of the food documentaries (Average Joe on the Raw, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Forks Over Knives, etc.) and since we have only one television, Cole usually ends up watching them with me. When I was discussing high fructose corn syrups and MSG, he actually chimed in with his recollections from the documentaries. It was a proud moment for me. I didn't realize he was picking up so much. I heard on Cher Till's show (God Rest her beautiful soul) a wonderful woman by the name of Jackie Hildebrand Ryan who created a whole homeschool curriculum on raw foods for her children. I have been trying to get my hot little hands on it ever since. I have tried her FB page, but no response yet. I'll let you know if I get lucky in case you would like a copy as well.

We have decided that Cole should eat his vegan (mostly raw) diet during the week but during the weekend, he can indulge in any special treats with the family at amusement parks, the movies, etc. I can tell you that in theory this sounded great, but I did come home and find that because I didn't throw out everything from before, he did scarf a Trader Joes tamale for dinner instead of the salad and Dr. Fuhrman soup that I was planning to serve. Oh well, it's just our first week, and as your good advice did say, I will not be replacing the tempations. Yesterday, my little honey confessed he was really craving Taco Bell and I told him that he was feeling the withdrawls of the high fructose corn syrup, MSG, sugar, etc that he was used to from his (terribly unhealthy) school lunches and other indulgences. I told him it was normal just like someone giving up cigarettes, drugs, alcohal, etc. The substances in our food supply are just as addicting and our bodies will let us know. I told him I was proud of him and he was doing a great job!

This whole week was home packed lunches because it is summer and Cole is at the YMCA. He did say he was embarrased because one of the kids with a handburger and chips made fun of his salad with mango and black bean dressing. He said they were making fun of the way it smelled:( I just told him that kids don't know what real food smells like anymore and again, that I was so proud of him. He stuck it out the rest of this week with his fragerant alive food.

So, here's the update: We got the results back from from all of the labs and everything is fine. It is just the weight for now. Good news! We can get started on all of the great ideas you have all shared with me:)

[Alessandra]

well..........only give him healthy food options to eat...raw or nonraw....vegan is best...he will feel better and lose weight.  Don't have anything in the house he can overeat on....throw out the breakfast cereals...replace them with fruit salads and sprouted grain toast.  Whole wheat bread is not much better than white bread.  Sprouted grain (ezekiel) breads are nutritious and delicious.  To make it easier, allow him one day a week where he can eat foods that he is wanting (in moderation) but otherwise see if you can't get him to eat a vegan diet...raw and cooked.   There are many delicious things out there (I would stay away from the processed vegan fake dairy products...) and if you involve him in the cooking and chosing of recipes and food...he might like that.  I agree with djd....give him some nutritional education.   Encourage him to be an active participant....do a summer project with you...a summer challenge....and get that white flour and sugar out of his reach!

[Maria]

He hates greens - well in my opinion taste is acquired. If you get him to like one thing like green smoothies he can start transitioning towards more greens and fruit from there. We like what we are used to. If we start eating differently eventually we'll start liking those flavors. See if you can hook him on one tasty fruit like mango and if you make really tasty dressings, like vinigrettes, I bet he'll eat salad too! Victora Butenko has written children's books on green foods. I don't know if he's to old for them, check them out, I'm not sure of the age range.

[djd]

One's diet is what one eats.  He's already is on a diet, it's just not providing the nutrients a body needs.  At 11 years old, I think one can start to learn about nutrition.  I still remember things we learned in this area in 3rd grade.  What you eat becomes your body's building materials.  You can tell him that and let him work it out gradually.  There must be a way to make the vegetables attractive.  I wasn't so much into raw food when my boys were at home although we did have some and the best way to get them to eat a vegetable was to steam it and serve it with cheese sauce.  :-))  Now that I think about it, a favorite was carrot raisin salad although that is made with mayonnaise, still it would be better than white flour, etc.  How about the colour theory for one's plate?  The more colours, the better.  That might appeal.  Don't forget about fruit--it is food also.