Over the years, I have seen different chain restaurants come and go in popularity. When I was a kid, McDonalds and Burger King were extremely popular, follows by KFC, Wendy's and Pizza Hut. Looking at the fast foods that are popular today, people are trying to be more health conscious in the decisions of where to pick up a quick bite to eat. Three restaurants that come to mind are Chipotle, Panera, and Chic Fil A. In fact most people, in my local area, think of Chic Fil A as the healthy choice for fast food, with the added benefit of a fast drive through. They primarily serve chicken sandwiches and salads. When I talk to my clients about why they choose Chic Fil A, it is because their picky eater children will eat it AND they have grilled chicken nuggets, sandwiches, and salads. Of course, we have always learned that grilled chicken is so much healthier than fried chicken. But is Chic fil a grilled chicken ACTUALLY grilled chicken? Lets take a closer look:

• Yeast extract=MSG - Depression, irritability, mood changes, mutagenic teratogenic subacute and reproductive affects
• Modified cornstarch – chemically modified starch for thickening and jelling. Could cause digestive issues in babies due to their low resistance to chemicals. Propylene oxide, succinic anhydride, 1-octenyl succinic anhydride, aluminum sulfate and sodium hydroxide. FDA ordered to reevaluate safety in 1980, still waiting….
• Palm oil – not environmentally friendly
• Corn maltodextrin – sugar from hydrolysis of starch. Used as a tenderizer and flavor enhancer.
• Natural flavor – distillation and solvent extraction, or enzyme action to obtain materials from plants and animals. Process can change the chemical structure of the components.
• 5 more types of sugar: sugar, dextrose, cane molasses, orange juice concentrate, grape juice concentrate
• Xanthan gum – gum made from pure culture fermentation of carbs with Xanthomonas campestris. Also called corn sugar gum. Used as thickener, suspend, emulsify, stabilize water-based foods (Dairy and salad dressings). Used as a pseudo plasticizer in salad dressing to help them pour. Used in animal feed as stabilizer, thickener, suspending additives.

Wow! So grilled chicken at Chic Fil A is definitely not what it's cracked up to be. It is important to keep in mind that convenience and price don't always match up to or are better than quality. Personally, I would much rather have to walk into a restaurant and wait a few extra minutes for food than eat fake grilled chicken! Even better, prepping ahead of time and using a cooler for long days out and about would be ideal.

Resources:
Chic Fil A
Winter, R. (2009). A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, 7th Edition: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods (Revised, Updated edition). New York: Harmony.​

 

​

This year I am so honored to be hosting our first ever local hearts release as a part of Still Birth Day's global impact Hearts Release, organized by Heidi Faith, founder of Still Birth Day. I will be hosting with Staci Campbell, the Statesville Doula who is a bereaved mother and certified Stillbirth and Bereavement Doula. We will honor our beloved babies by writing their names onto teeny, recyclable paper hearts that are embedded with floral seeds and releasing them. 
​
It is an honor to hold your babies’ names.

Please join us for the FREE Statesville, NC Still Birth Day Hearts Release™. The event takes place October 20, 2018 at 5:00 pm and the exact location will be announced as we get closer to the event. We will also be lighting candles to remember our babies as we release our hearts ♥

You can take part by either attending the event or joining in online.

Please click the link to add your child's name. We will personally hand write it onto a heart for release.

To learn more about this global event, please check out Heart Release where you can, again, add your child's name for the global release!

​Certain chemicals applied to your skin or in the air can be absorbed by your body and may cause harm to your cells and organ systems. They can cause inflammation and increase the body’s production of free radicals, thus increasing your likelihood of developing chronic health problems.

​Food

• Shift your food purchases and consumption to organic when possible. It is most important to use organic dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.). Free-range meats and eggs are desirable to purchase as organic. Minimize the use of large fish (swordfish, tuna, etc.) as they are higher in mercury.
• Purchase organic strawberries and apple, and refer to the Environmental Working Group or Consumer Reports websites to stay current about which fruits and veggies are most important to eat organic.

​Products

• Purchase the most natural cleaning and other household products you can find.
• Avoid spraying pesticides or herbicides in your home or your property.
• For hair products (including shampoo and colors) look for products without alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, paraben, phthalate or other petrochemicals. Check your local yellow pages and magazines to see if there is an environmentally oriented hair salon in your area.
• Avoid using hair sprays.
• Avoid perfumes or other skin or hair care products that use synthetic fragrances. 

​Skin Care and Makeup

• Use low-toxin makeup and skin creams (avoid products with: phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol, alcohols and fragrances). In general, skin care products from health food stores without the above ingredients are a safer bet.
• Consider using antioxidant creams on your skin: low solvent products with CoQ10, Vitamin C possibly DMAE and botanical squalene

Water

• Water can have many toxins and thus regular consumption of unfiltered water can significantly contribute to the toxic load of your body.
• Water quality will vary from city to city but in general it is better to filter tap water with a multi-stage carbon filter or reverse osmosis filter.
• Try to avoid bottled water all together, as the plastics often leach into the water. Minimize the use of plastic water bottles that have been in a hot car.  Tap water is better than water in plastic bottles.
• Minimize the use of camel-back type plastic water containers. Use glass, ceramic or stainless steel when possible.
• Mineral waters in glass bottles are generally safe unless there is a question of the quality of the source.
• Filter shower water in order to limit your exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons.

 

​Plastics

• Plastics can disrupt hormones in your body.

• Avoid plastic bottles and containers with the numbers 3, 6 and 7 on the bottom. These are most likely to leach plastics into the food, juice or water that they contain.
• Buy juices and water in glass containers when possible.
• Avoid PVCs.
• Do not microwave in plastic containers.
• Minimize washing plastic containers in the dishwasher under high heat.
• Minimize the use of cling wraps; try to use paper wraps.

​Dental Care

• Avoid mercury amalgam fillings.
• Get second opinions on root canals.
• Avoid if possible having two different metals in adjacent teeth.
• Pick a dentist who is aware of healthy choices for the mouth—perhaps a more holistic or biologically oriented dentist who does not place new mercury fillings.

​Home or Office Remodel

• Use a low- or no-VOC paint and carpet or rug.
• Minimize carpet and choose hardwoods but not laminates (avoid Pergo, for example).
• Take off shoes at the door to decrease indoor chemicals and pesticides.
• Avoid urea formaldehyde in building products.
• Change the filter on your furnace every 3 months, using the best allergy furnace filter you can find.

 

Electromagnetic Fields
For patients with headaches or regional pain, decrease exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields:

• Minimize cell phone use.
• Minimize your use of portable phones at home and shift to corded phones.
• Take the clock radio away from the head of your bed.
• Get the fields measured in a potential new car before you buy it.

This is a lot of information that can be very overwhelming. Just pick one or two changes at a time to incorporate into your lifestyle. To help you out with a first step, I am including my very simple and basic recipe for an all-purpose cleaner I have been using in my house for years.

Ingredients:
16 ounce amber glass spray bottle​ (I ordered mine form Amazon)
8 ounces of distilled and/or filtered water
5 ounces of white vinegar
1-2 tablespoons of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (found in any health food store and many conventional grocery stores)
20-30 drops of Lemon Essential Oil (I like to purchase my essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs) or Thieves Oil by Young Living

Now what:
- Pour all of the ingredients into the glass amber spray bottle and shake.
- Full Disclosure: I usually don't measure the ingredients so these are all estimations. You can experiment with your amounts. For example, try a bit more vinegar or essential oil, or even try adding some other essential oil singles or blends.

 
Nutrition

1. Get 500 more calories per day than your usual amount
2. Stay hydrated. Only water, herbal tea, clear soup broths, and coconut water hydrate you properly.
3. Limit your caffeine and alcohol
4. Take an omega 3 supplement
5. If infant is colicky, try omitting
   1. Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, brussel sprouts)
   2. Chocolate
   3. Cow’s milk
   4. Onions

 
Herbs that support lactation (Galactagogues, Lactagogues)

1. marshmallow
2. dill
3. shatavari
4. borage
5. caraway
6. cinnamon
7. blessed thistle
8. fennel
9. goat’s rue
10. anise
11. comfrey
12. dandelion root
13.  fenugreek
14. nettles
15. chaste tree berry
16. vervain

 
Nipple Care
It is common to get sore, cracked nipples when you first start nursing your new baby. Natural, organic, herbal nibble balms can help relieve discomfort and aide in the healing process.
If you decide to use a nipple balm, it is important to remember:

1. The taste of the balm might turn your baby off from nursing.
2. Minimize direct intake of the balm by the baby
3. Minimize essential oil and comfrey intake by the infant
4. For these reasons, you can apply the balm after a nursing session. Before the next feeding, wipe any remaining balm off your nipple(s).

 
Ideal Herbs for Sore and Cracked Nipples

1. calendula- heals cracks
2. marshmallow – moisturizes
3. chamomile – anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial
4. myrrh – antimicrobial, help with oral thrush in infants (baby safe)
5. St. John’s Wart – anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, heals cracks
6. Green tea

 
Breast Engorgement

1. Cabbage leaf compresses
2. Cold compress
3. Proteolytic enzymes – Bromelain from pineapple

 
Mastitis

1. Chamomile tea applies onto the breast
2. Potato poultice – grate a raw potato and apply to breast for 20 minutes or until potato warms up. Repeat 3 times per day.
3. For flu like symptoms such as muscle aches and fever
   1. Yarrow
   2. Chamomile
   3. Boneset
   4. Elder
   5. Catnip
4. To promote sleep
   1. Chamomile
   2. Passion Flower
   3. Hops
5. If mastitis is reoccurring, there could be a possible iron, vitamin C, zinc, or protein deficiency.

 
What to Avoid while Lactating
Caffeine containing beverages such as cola, coffees, teas (Green, Black, yerba mate) and herbs (Guarana)
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Borage
Comfrey
Petasites
Coltsfoot
Aristolochic Acid – Wild Ginger
Alcohol – 2 or more drinks per day can inhibit milk production
Anthraquinone Laxatives – can stimulate bowel movements in infant
            Senna
            Cascara Sagarda
            Aloe Leaf/Latex
            Rhubarb Root
Cayenne
Garlic
Phytoestrogens
 
Herbs to avoid because of their ability to inhibit milk production
Arnica
Mahuang

Barberry
Oregon Grape

Black Cohosh
Pasque Flower

Blue Cohosh
Pennyroyal

Bugleweed
Pokeroot

Chaparral
Sage

Elecampane
Tansy

Goldenseal
Thuja

Greater Celandine
Willow Bark

Guggul
Wormwood

Jamaican Dogwood
 

 
           
 

I am happy to announce Mindful Family Wellness now offers gift certificates! This is a great way to gift doula services, placenta processing, or even nutrition counseling to a loved one!

At the bottom of each service page, as well as at the bottom of this post, you will find a link to purchase gift certificates. Gift certificates can be redeemed for any of my services, including nutrition counseling, doula services, and placenta processing services. For more information, email me!