Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: Let’s Talk About Food
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their struggles and successes with healthy eating. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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This month’s natural parenting carnival is about my second most favorite thing to talk about: food. As most of my readers know I am a vegetarian and I am raising my children vegetarian. I’ve been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 19 years. I’ve experimented with veganism, and while I admire other’s servitude to the cause I never felt I could call myself a vegan because I wasn’t able to do it 100%. And I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to things I highly value. For instance, I breastfed 100%. However, I could not avoid animal products 100%.Vegan? Fail. Vegetarianism, however, with its looser definition, I can do brilliantly. Vegetarian? A+
I always knew I was a good vegetarian.
I never solely relied upon soy meats and cheese for my protein. I’ve never tried to exist on Kraft Dinner, veggie dogs and carrot sticks. I love things like lentils, quinoa and leafy green vegetables and make use of them and their sources of protein, calcium, and iron and almost daily. I had the pleasure of living with some gifted roommates when I was a student who taught me the art of spice blending and introduced me to Indian, Thai and Japanese foods. Cooking was respite from the books for me. It was a social event, and contrary to my romantic relationships at the time, it always had a happy ending.
When I started blogging I knew I couldn’t just blog about breastfeeding and natural parenting. I needed an outlet for my love of food too. So I started posting a vegetarian recipe once a week and that evolved into my Vegetarian Foodie Fridays. Eventually, I decided to reach out beyond the natural parenting community that I am so familiar with and found a new community: the real food community… What a strange place to feel so excited about being a part of. Why? Because all of them, except one, who I have come across, eat meat. Now I don’t mind if other people eat meat. It isn’t going to affect my friendship with you whatsoever. But for me, to want to be a part of a community that bonds over eating meat is weird. However, it is the sort of thing I do. I mean I married my husband and he eats meat and smokes! That is so not me, but you fall in love with who you fall in love with right?
Let me tell you why I fell in love with the real food community.
They eat traditional whole foods. They’re smart and passionate. They know nutrition from its very roots and bones. They challenge me – my beliefs about food and my adventures in the kitchen. They may eat meat, and I may choose to disagree with them about the ethics of that decision, but so far I haven’t really been able to argue any of their personal reasons behind it. I mean it’s traditional food they’re talking about. I value birthing and mothering my children in a traditional manner (home birthing, midwives, co-sleeping, breastfeeding) so why would I eat differently?
Yes, if you want to eat meat you should eat grass fed meat. Yes, it should be ethically raised, on a small and local farm if possible. Yes, you should eat the organs. They are full of nutrition and throwing away parts of an animal you killed to eat anyway, is wasteful and disrespectful towards the animal. Yes, raw dairy should be made legal where it isn’t. Raw dairy should be an option for any family who chooses to drink unpasteurized milk. The health benefits of raw dairy are outstanding! Currently, I am in the process of trying to find a farm in my new city that does cow-sharing so I can get in on the raw dairy thing, since it is otherwise sadly illegal in my province. Here’s list of places you can find raw milk in the United States. Read this link if you want to examine your milk source. I already eat unpasteurized eggs. I get them fresh from the chicken’s bum from a farm down the road. I grew up on pastured eggs and they are the best eggs in the world when they are from grass fed, free range chickens. Those yellow yolks in your fridge and on your plate at Denny’s? They’re supposed to be orange! Of course the real food community also eats vegetables. They aren’t Atkins dieters these folks, no siree. They love their organic, garden fresh, farmer’s market veggies. The more colourful the better. And they merrily love their all natural, non-hydrongenated healthy fats and oils, like butter, olive oil and coconut oil. I’ve just tried coconut oil for the first time and I have to say I’m in love. (I’m even hosting a giveaway for some if you’re interested).
What do I feed my family?
Ninety percent of the time we eat whole vegetarian foods. Lots of vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes, whole grains and a bit of dairy on the side. I’m not even close to giving up grains, although I do find the reasons to go grain free fascinating and influential. Here’s an example of a weekly vegetarian family menu at my house.
What don’t we eat anymore since I started reading real food blogs?
1) Margarine. I only bought it rarely, now I never buy it. 2) Soy. Tofu was a staple in my house. Soy meats were bought to keep in the freezer for the days I was too tired to cook. Since reading Dangers of Soy, now I only use soy milk in my tea, because I don’t like cow (unless it’s raw), goat, rice, almond or oat milk; and tamari, and miso, fermented soy products which are the healthiest ways to eat soy. 3) Unsoaked grains: As much as I can remember I soak my breakfast and dinner grains now from at least an hour to overnight before I cook them. Read this post if you are wondering why. 4) Vegetable oils. Bye bye canola and safflower oil, even if you are organic.
What I would like to start eating more of because of real food blogs:
1) Fermented vegetables. 2)Fermented dairy like kefir, 3) Coconut flour, coconut cream. Hello my new friend Tropical Traditions.
How would I grade myself in real foods?
I’d give myself a B. I’m never going to fully embrace Weston A. Price‘s way of eating as long as it includes meat, but I have to say these real food bloggers do really know a thing or two about nutrition. I thought I knew a lot about food and nutrition because I soak my own kidney beans, make my own desserts, eat seaweed, eggplant and okra and know the difference between chard and kale and collards, but these real foodies could likely argue me under the table on a few things if they wanted to. Not that I want to pick a fight. (I hate arguing about food.) However, I am happy to be the one student in the virtual real food class who refuses to budge when it comes to eating meat. At the end of the day my values are my values. And while I respect others, I have to live with mine. So for that I will happily take my B, all the while maintaining my own personal sense of perfectionism.
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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated July 13 with all the carnival links.)
- Welcome to Two — All About Food —In case you hadn’t heard, there is a conspiracy afoot from the two year olds of the world. Shana at Tales of Minor Interest stumbled onto their newsletter!
- Four Seasons of Eating Locally —Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction has pointers for what fresh produce can be found year-round. (@MBJunction)
- Happy Families Can Have More Than One Diet —Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has figured out a way for her family to live happily as vegans and vegetarians with relatives who eat meat. (@DebChitwood)
- My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma —Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante prioritizes responsible consumer choices for her family.
- No Gluten — No Cry —Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned to cook balanced meals when her son’s food sensitivities prompted a diet overhaul. (@kitchenwitch)
- Try, Try Again —Stefanie at very very fine has become an enthusiastic consumer of locally grown food.
- CSA — Week 1 —Casey at What Love Is wants her children to know where their food comes from, so she joined a friendly CSA. (@CBerbs)
- Food: Parenting or Homemaking? —Michelle at The Parent Vortex sees food as part of a parent’s nurturing role. (@TheParentVortex)
- 5 Tips to Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits —If you struggle with healthy eating, helping your child develop healthy habits might be a challenge. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips that will help your kids learn to make good food choices. (@CodeNameMama)
- Family Food: Seeking Balance Between Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable —Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has a whole list of ideas for how she can improve her family’s eating, both now and into the future. (@sunfrog)
- Whole Foods in, Wholesome Feelings Out —Jessica at This is Worthwhile has turned her back on the processed, preservative-ridden food of her childhood. (@tisworthwhile)
- When to Splurge on Organic (and When It Is Okay to Skip It) —Becoming Mamas tell you what foods to prioritize when buying pricier organic food, and where you can find it cheaper. (@becomingmamas)
- A Locavore’s Family Meal —Acacia at Be Present Mama tells a story in pictures of her family taking a trip to the local organic farmers market and then preparing a summer meal together with their bounty.
- Eat Your Food, or Else —Why should we not bribe a child to eat? TwinToddlersDad from Littlestomaks (Science Driven Real Life Toddler Nutrition) explains. (@TwinToddlersDad)
- Food, Glorious Food! —Luschka at Diary of a First Child describes three easy ways her family has started eating healthier. (@diaryfirstchild)
- Celebrating Food —Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes in food as medicine and thinks it’s worth paying more to keep healthy. (@myzerowaste)
- Oil and Yogurt —What have you been motivated to do with the current oil spill crisis? midnightfeedings has started making her own yogurt. (@midnightfeeding)
- Growth-Spurt Soup (AKA “Beannut Stew”) —BeanMa has a special stew to help her baby through growth spurts that keep her up all night. (@thebeanma)
- Why I Love The Real Food Community —Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom)
- Feeding a Family of Six —Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children gives helpful tips for feeding a family of six.
- Starting Solids at 6 Months —Did your doctor recommend that you give your baby cereal? Sheryl at Little Snowflakes discusses how whole foods are so much healthier (and more delicious) than traditional cereal. (@sheryljesin)
- Am I What I Eat? —Andrea!!! at Ella-Bean & Co. has figured out a way to avoid grocery stores nearly altogether.
- Are We Setting Our Kids Up To Fail? —Megan at Purple Dancing Dahlias found that cutting out the junk also transformed her sons’ behavior problems.
- Changing your family’s way of eating —Lauren at Hobo Mama has techniques you can try to move your family gradually toward a healthier diet. (@Hobo_Mama)
- Real Food —What kinds of fake foods do you eat? And why?! Lisa C. at My World Edenwild talks about why she chooses real food.
- A Snackaholic’s Food Battle —Julie at Simple Life wants to stop snacking and get into the old ways of cooking from scratch and raising her own food. (@homemakerjulie)
- Food, Not Fight —Summer at Finding Summer doesn’t want her kids to grow up like her husband: hating everything green. (@summerm)
- How Do You Eat When You Are out of Town? —Cassie at There’s a Pickle In My Life wants some tips on how to eat healthy when you are out of town.
- Carnival of Natural Parenting: Food! —Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker hopes that by serving her children healthy, balanced meals, they will become accustomed to making good food choices. (@sybilryan)
- There’s No Food Like Home’s —NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing revels in the Bajan food of her upbringing. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
- This Mom’s Food Journey —Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment made a journey from not paying attention to food to growing her own.
- Who Knew Eating Was So Hard? —The challenges involved in changing to healthier eating habits take on a whole new dimension when you have a child who has difficulties eating. kadiera at Our Little Acorn shares her own experiences. (@kadiera)
- Loving Food —Starr at Earth Mama truly believes food is her family’s medicine and is willing to spend days preparing it the traditional way.
- Food Mindfulness —Danielle at born.in.japan details how her family spends money on each category of food. (@borninjp)
- Food for Little People —Zoey at Good Goog wants to bless her daughter with happy traditions built around good food. (@zoeyspeak)
- Eat Like a Baby —Have you been told that you should not equate food with love? Kate Wicker at Momopoly shows us why that’s not necessarily true. (@Momopoly)
- Food —Deb at Science@Home tries to teach her children three rules to help them eat a healthy diet. (@ScienceMum)
- Healthy Eating Lactose-Free — MamanADroit gives us tips on how to eat healthy if you are lactose intolerant (or just don’t want cow milk). (@MamanADroit)
Also linked up to Fight Back Fridays, Real Food Wednesdays and Two for Tuesday Blog Hop.
Related posts:
- Love – The Secret Ingredient For Healthy Self-Esteem
- The People Who Make My Baby Friendly Community
- Vegetarian Foodie Fridays Link Up
- Vegetarian Foodie Friday: 3 Bean Salad
- Vegetarian Foodie Fridays: Cabbage and Beans Au Gratin
Tags: real food
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
Hey Mel! What a lovely post! You know one thing I want to remind you of that will put your B rating back up to an A where it belongs. If you asked weston price about your ovo-lactovegetarian diet he would say it is one of the healthiest in the world related to producing healthy offspring with nice bone structure and few if any dental caries. Very few traditional cultures had meat “regularly” because their animals were far too valuable as producers of dairy and eggs. Only older animals were harvested after their production life had ended. Something to think about! Hugs and thanks for spreading the real food love on this two for tuesday recipe blog hop!
alex
alex@a moderate life´s last blog ..Two for Tuesday Recipe Blog Hop-Volume 5
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
This is very good to know. I suppose I should read his book, but for some reason I thought it would be meat heavy and pretty much exclude me. I guess I am just starting to come around to feeling like I deserve to be accepted by the real foodies. You are helping immensely though. I so appreciate all your kind words sweetie!
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
I thought we were doing okay in regards to food (ignoring the link to my latest post which is totally not organic or healthy in any way). I can see from your post that there’s a lot more to learn. I’ve often thought that if (when) I go back to school, I would like to study nutrition. Of course, I know I can study so much on my own as well.
Marilyn (A Lot of Loves)´s last blog ..Butterbeer Recipe Showdown- Which is Best
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I couldn’t believe how much more there was to learn until I found these blogs. Like I said in my post I really thought I was on par with great nutrition. Like you, I have often thought of studying nutrition. There are courses in holistic nutrition that have alwasy interested me.
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Great post, and great to be part of the Real Food Community. Glad I found your blog as I am still a breastfeeding mother (of my 2 and 8 month old) the best real food there is! Keep up the good work.
Karen´s last blog ..A Local Weekly Shop
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Thanks Karen! It’s great to meet other like-minded mamas!
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I have loved learning more about real foods, and I definitely feel like student within those crowds. But I’ve enjoyed the baby steps I’ve taken to eat more real foods and prepare them in a traditional way. It’s really fascinating to learn the old techniques, and I want to learn more, too — like fermenting, as you were mentioning.
Lauren @ Hobo Mama´s last blog ..July Carnival of Natural Parenting- Changing your familys way of eating
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I’ve come to beleive that we are ALL students in this area. Even the real food bloggers. There is just so much to learn. It’s like breastfeeding for me. Even though there is a lot I know, there is still always more to learn.
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
I also recently discovered coconut oil and love it. I’d love to see some more of your recipes with it – so far my favorite has been to use it in pancakes. Mmmmm!
Dionna @ Code Name: Mama´s last blog ..Breastfeeding State Law Cards
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I will work on some new ones for you Dionna!
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Jen Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 11:04 am
One of our favorite ways to use coconut oil is to pop organic popcorn in it… the real thing… on the stove, in a pan. Then put lots of pastured butter and sea salt on it. YUM!!!
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I really appreciate this post. I do think it’s possible to eat a traditional foods diet and be a vegetarian. Concentrating on healthy fats, raw dairy, and pastured eggs while avoiding soy really makes a difference.
The way I see it the real difference between traditional foods and non-traditional foods is the emphasis on fats. It is my personal opinion that vegetable oils and not eating enough fat overall is a larger problem than eating unsoaked grains. It is also my observation that the more good fats you eat, the less grains you eat. As a low-carber (due to poor metabolism) I have replaced carbs with fats more so than meats.
Shannon´s last blog ..Natural Remedies for A Stomach Ache
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Yes, I am realizing that I need a few more healthy fats in our diet. I don’t avoid them but I don’t consciously add them to my foods either. I’d like to start doing that a little more. Interesting observation about fats and grains. Thanks!
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Yes! We are moving towards vegetarian, and I get a lot of good info from the real food movement. BUT, I find too many that look down on me for agreeing that grass fed beef is better than factory farmed, and yet not eating the beef myself.
Summer´s last blog ..Food- Not Fight
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
I’ve had one person (maybe two) say something rude to me about my vegetarianism. And you know what? It wrecked the way I viewed the real foods community in a big way. I have realized that she or he was only one person with one point of view and that I can’t let it prevent me from feeling good about the way I choose to eat.
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
Wonderful blog post, Melodie! I’m really glad you wrote this. I agree with Alex. Move that B to an A!
Tiffany
Tiffany @ The Coconut Mama´s last blog ..FLOURLESS QUINOA PANCAKES
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Aww. Thanks! B+ maybe?
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What an awesome post, Melodie!! I can’t wait to follow some of the links and immerse myself in all this natural goodness!! Thanks so much for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week =)
girlichef´s last blog ..The Gift of Southern Cooking a cookbook review
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Just wanted to pass on the “A Blog With Substance” Award to you: http://mommynewsblog.com/we-wo.....nce-award/
Judy @MommyNews Blog´s last blog ..We Won A Blogging with Substance Award-
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Thanks Judy. You are so nice to think of me!
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Another vote for Alex’s comment – I was going to say the same thing
(And I err on the side of caution – if I can’t get organic, pastured meats, I’d rather not eat meat at all!)
Kim´s last blog ..She’s growing up so fast-
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Thanks!
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
I am also vegetarian raising a vegetarian child, but with a vegan husband. (All of us end of eating vegan most of the time
I’m not very familiar with the real foods movement and am very interested to learn more. Thanks for such an information-packed post! I see I have lots of research to do!
Shana´s last blog ..Welcome to Two – All About Food
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Wonderful to meet another vegetarian blogger. In my travels I have not met many of us. Do you ever post recipes? I’d love to see them sometime.
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Shana Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 1:11 am
Funny you should ask! When I first started blogging my plan was to be part parenting blog, part food blog. I had several ideas for posts, none of which ever got written. I got one recipe posted, but have ended up writing primarily about parenting, with an occasional random rant about something I heard on the news lol!
Shana´s last blog ..Welcome to Two – All About Food
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
This is a really excellent post! I have begun thinking more consciously about what we eat, but I’d probably still get a D+. We still eat a lot of canned foods (I love my canned beans and tomatoes….it’s really hard to give them up) and although we’ve switched to organic meats, it’s sometimes hard to justify the outrageous prices. Plus we still do things like eat at McDonald’s on occasion (horrors!) Anyway, I am saving this post in my reader, though, because the links are priceless. Thanks!
Elita @ Blacktating´s last blog ..Guest Post- How do you know when youll stop breastfeeding
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I eat canned beans and tomatoes once in awhile too. I need to learn to preserve my own tomatoes eventually but until we do those staples come in handy! Glad you’re excited about the links. I was planning this post for quite awhile before I heard about the carnival topic. The carnival just got my butt in gear to finish it. Enjoy!
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
What a wonderfully honest post. I think that whenever people of good will come together to learn from each other we all walk away so much better and richer. I am so excited you linked this to Two for Tuesdays – I can’t wait to go down through the links.
Oh and I agree – A!
Christy´s last blog ..Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Vol 5
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Thanks Christy!
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What a wonderful post!
I love your blog:-) so happy to have found you!
Blessings!
Earth Mama´s last blog ..loving food-
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Melodie Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
I love your blog too. I’m happy too connect with you!
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Fantastic post! Even though I’m a meat-eating member of the real foods community, I can clearly see that we share a lot of common ground. Thank you for sharing all of these great links and joining up with Two for Tuesdays.
Butterpoweredbike´s last blog ..Two for Tuesdays Blog Hop Volume 5
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This is fabulous! Even if it leaves me with another several hours of reading/studying to do.
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I like to think of myself as a student of whole, real foods too. We aren’t vegetarians but I try to limit our meat intake by almost never cooking meat at home – we generally only eat it when we go to family for dinner. I’ve started introducing more lentils, quinoa and leafy greens, as you mentioned in your post. We’ve got a long way to go…but we are getting there in baby steps!
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I had only heard rumblings about the Real Food Movement, but you have now completely peeked my interest! I too have lots to learn, and appreciate your links. I especially like your list of things you no longer eat – I knew about the dangers of soy, but did not know about vegetable oils. I too *heart* coconut oil, coconut milk and, my very favorite, coconut water!! Finally, just another HOORAH from one breastfeeding mama to another!!!
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Melodie Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Thanks Andrea. Coconut water is a new one for me. Is that just “skimmed” coconut milk?
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Andrea!!! Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 1:57 am
No, it’s literally the water inside of a green (young) coconut. The best I ever had was in Guatemala…straight out of a coconut that was hacked open with a machete! It is high in potassium and in my experience has helped whenever my milk supply dips.
Andrea!!!´s last blog ..Am I what I eat
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Wow! Good stuff here. Really enjoyed reading this post. I like to say I’m a work in progress with “real foods.” We are vegetarians, and I recently read about the dangers of soy and YIPE! We have cut back tremendously. Darn that soy milk. I’d really like to switch over to Almond or Rice milk. Here’s something for ya: We don’t eat cereal. I read an article (and I wish I had a link, but it was awhile ago) about the process and all the added chemicals…so it doesn’t get soggy. My hubby and I both waved bye bye to cereal after that, even the “organic” stuff. Supposedly the “healthy” cereal is worse due to the process. So we stick to homemade granola or puffed wheat, corn or rice (no coating).
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Melodie Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 1:25 am
Wowsers! I didn’t know that but I can’t say I’m surprised either. Fortunately my kids love oatmeal and I make a mean granola. My daughters do like their O’s though. Sigh.
I wish I could like Almond milk or rice milk. Especailly almond, but I just don’t. So I let myself have the soy knowing it only makes it into my tea twice a day. Two tablespoons a day won’t hurt too much – I don’t think. :/
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What a terrific post. As you know, I’m another vegetarian who travels the real-food blogosphere. And while it’s mostly a very welcoming and supportive place — and many people in that community read and comment on my blog — I’ve also been turned off by some of what I’ve read. And it’s not just about being vegetarian.
Some bloggers/commenters criticize people who don’t follow the Weston Price/Nourishing Traditions philosophy and practices to the letter. I got into it a bit with one commenter on my blog who insisted that any diet other than that proposed by Weston Price, et al, was not in fact real food, and thus did not deserve to be called “real food.” I disagree, obviously — I think “real food” can apply to a broad range of whole-foods and traditional-foods diets — but it’s a shame that the term has been co-opted like that (by some people, at least).
Overall, though, it is a great bunch with a lot of knowledge to share.
Again, really nice post. You said a lot of what I was thinking.
Chris
Spoonfed: Raising kids to think about the food they eat
Christina @ Spoonfed´s last blog ..Creating a better children’s menu- A chef speaks
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[...] Food!Melodie on Food, Glorious Food!try, try again « very, very fine on Food, Glorious Food!Why I Love The Real Food Community | Breastfeeding Moms Unite on Food, Glorious Food!My Own Omnivore’s Dilemma: no acceptable solution « The [...]
[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
I’m a lacto ovo vegetarian as well. My husband is a meat eater. And we decided that our daughter wouldn’t be vegetarian for a whole range of reasons (none of them related to health). But as I’m vegetarian, she probably only eats meat a couple of times a week (at most). So I’m really looking forward to going through this wealth of information you’ve put together.
Zoey @ Good Goog´s last blog ..40-365 Making Food Memories
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Fascinating post and so many brilliant links. I loved how you love your meat eating husband; as a vegetarian I love my meat eating hubby too and it seems to make some people aghast LOL!
I’m off to look at a sample menus now for inspiration – thank you!
Mrs Green @ littlegreenblog.com´s last blog ..My weekly indulgence
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Great post! I am a vegetarian as well and love eating real foods. Though I don’t always feel embraced by the real food community (WAPFers), I’ve recently fallen in love with sourdough baking and fermenting veggies as well as so many aspects of real food. I really have a passion for this kind of cooking, I’m still learning so much! Recently I’ve been reading a lot of Michael Pollen and it all seems to make sense to me. I’m the lacto-ovo vegetarian, the kids are pescetarians and the DH is a flexitarian. We make it work!Glad to know there are other families out there doing the same thing.
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We’re dairy free here currently, but oh how I miss kefir! Have you tried Coconut Bliss ice “cream”? Yum!
Going to read your links about grains. I too always suspect, and try to soak but I’m on the fence about it.
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What an edifying post! Although I’m no longer a strict vegetarian (my husband is very much a carnivore, so it just wasn’t going to work in our marriage), we still eat vegetarian meals several times a week. Your menu is great, and I can’t wait to check out the archives for your Vegetarian Foodie Fridays.
By the way, I can’t recall if I’ve ever commented on the overall look and organization of your site, but it’s so clean and appealing.
Blessings!
Kate Wicker @ Momopoly´s last blog ..Detachment Parenting
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Melodie Reply:
July 17th, 2010 at 12:31 am
Thanks Kate – It’s nice to receive such lovely positive feedback.
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[...] Why I Love The Real Food Community — Much like many people who follow AP/NP values, Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! takes the parts of the “real food” philosophy that work for her family and leaves the rest. (@bfmom) [...]
Okay I hope this isn’t a really silly question but I’ve been running into little snippets on blogs about the ‘Real Food Community’ but is there an official website to find all of the blogs? Thanks so much and I really enjoyed your post!
rosina´s last blog ..Kohlrabi Fries Recipe
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Melodie Reply:
July 18th, 2010 at 1:17 am
I don’t think there is an official website to find them (not that I know of anyway) but if you’re new to it I would start with Kitchen Stewardship, Kelly The Kitchen Kop, Food Renegade, A Moderate Life, and Nourishing Days. Or start with my links (I think they are all represented there) and go from there. If you hang out at Food Renegade on Fridays and Kelly The Kitchen Kop on Wednesdays you will find posts by other real food bloggers linking up to the carnivals on those days.
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So what do you fry things in? Butter? Or do you just not fry things?
I’m all for real foods, it’s the only kind I eat.
Betsy´s last blog ..Nursing is Normal
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Melodie Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
I fry in olive oil, butter and/or coconut oil. And sesame oil sometimes.
Melodie´s last blog ..The People Who Make My Baby Friendly Community
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Great post. To be honest, I’m not sure I could go vegetarian, but I’m often intrigued and fascinated with those that do. Perhaps having a few meals per week in this way would be a healthier way for my family to go. Thanks for opening my eyes!
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Reading this, and some of the comments you received, was really encouraging. I’ve always been about eating real, whole foods, as close to nature as possible, even as a vegan. Recently, I added organic dairy (mostly raw) and pastured eggs to my diet. It’s so hard to straddle both sides of the debate, one foot in the vegetarian pool, one in the real food pool, when the two sides seem to passionately and outspokenly hate each other. I think we’re in a lonely place- but finding someone else here is really comforting
Mama Em´s last blog ..I love sleeping babies
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