I haven’t been posting a lot on my blog lately, because I feel it is just all too simple. Yet still, people will see or taste what I eat, and have no clue how to prepare it, or wouldn’t have been able to think of it – so I feel it is important to share, even if it is simple.

Simple is what is satiating for me. Like the purity of a bowl of cereal from your childhood (or as a young adult.. or maybe you still dive into the occasional bowl of cereal with the same enthusiasm that I am describing from my youth). It’s the grilled cheese sandwich, mom’s potato soup, spaghetti and meat balls – it’s the simplicity.

One of my favourite movies, “Ratatouille”, features a scene where the very best food critic in Paris comes to a restaurant to taste the food from a new and highly acclaimed chef. The chew knew of the critic’s past, and so decided to make him ‘peasant food’ – which was the ratatouille dish which titled the movie. The memory of the simple farm dish touched him so deeply, the emotions from eating the food overwhelmed him, making the dish a great success. If familiarity were a flavour, it would be our favourite. We yearn for what we know, and often resist new flavours, at least initially. Similarly for simple dishes, we often turn to these because they are comforting and uncomplicated – perfect for our stressed out and chaotic lives. This may be the reason so many people like ‘macaroni and cheese’ right out of the box, or in my case – right out of grandma’s oven.

This dish may look complicated, but it was so incredible easy to make. I don’t even think I could come up with a recipe to include in this post if I could. Underneath, sadly not captured by the camera, was a bed of brown rice. Nothing added, just water and rice cooked in my favourite little ceramic pot.

Next, I steamed some red cabbage in a little water with black pepper and a bit of chopped up garlic. At the last minute I included some chopped kale. Kale typically only needs a moment of steaming to cook. The water level was just about an inch, enough to somewhat boil the cabbage, but steam the kale.

In a cast-iron enamel fry-pan, I heated up some butter and added chopped leeks, cumin seeds and garlic. Once the onions got a bit clear, I added chopped tempeh and a bit of mushroom.

While these items cooked, a dressing was made to pour overtop of the tempeh. This was made up of brown rice vinegar, miso paste, sesame seeds, garlic and flax oil. It was poured on just as it was finished so as to avoid heating the oil.

Everything was piled into a bowl, and then a dollop of my favourite vegan mayonnaise was plunked on top to give the cabbage a bit of moisture – et voila! Simple.

The thing is, the ingredients of this dish were chosen based on what was in my fridge, and it could have been any combination of vegetables. Chopped squash, zucchini, carrot, etc would work. I could have easily scrambled in an egg to the fried leeks, and added that to the bowl instead of tempeh as well.

This is why I hesitate to use recipes. Cooking should be conceptual and very flexible, which you’ll see from more of my other blog posts. Sometimes though, a good recipe just can’t be beat. But otherwise, simple cooked foods can make preparing food so easy, and comforting to the soul.

Let me know if you try to make something like this and post it in the comments! Would love to hear!

On Facebook, I see a lot of these informational images like this one with generic information. It says to include the herbs for our ‘natural detoxification process’, but what exactly do they do? Is taking yarrow simply good enough to detoxify the lungs? Taking yarrow long term is never a good idea, so it shouldn’t even be on this list as it’s misleading for people who don’t know how to use herbs.

Herbs do so many different things, it’s unfair to say that they’re all ‘detoxifying’ (especially when quite a few of these AREN’T), and especially for their associated organs in this chart. Cayenne and ginseng do very different things for the brain/mind, but they also do things for the other organs too – sometimes it ways that aren’t good. Cayenne is not a good herb for everyone, but there making it seem like a general panacea for the brain. It is not!

Licorice, for example, is moistening, harmonizing and building (typical of the sweet flavour), and definitely affects the stomach/pancreas in this way. However, it is also building for the lungs, is adaptogenic, can soothe an irratic liver or quell liver wind (tremors, dizziness, etc), stabilize a busy/anxious mind, tonify the kidney/adrenals and build overall qi in the body. I also know that it can cause sleeping issues if taken too close to bed!
– Yet this chart leads us to believe that it’s detoxifying for the stomach, when it fact its properties are more moistening/soothing for it, relieving ulcers and inflammation.

To me this chart says very little. People will like it, share it, pass it on – but there is almost no useful information here. If anything, it’s misleading, and will just confuse people.

Herbs are powerful things, and not to be taken without knowing a thing or two about them. When misused, a lot of them can cause more trouble than good. Better to work with someone who knows how to use them, especially if you want to take them in big doses or over a long period of time.

Vegetables are fundamental to a healthy diet, but does anyone know WHY they are healthy? Here’s a brief look into the superior healing qualities of vegetable foods:

- Complex carbohydrate: vegetables contain carbohydrates (that many people will call ‘sugars’) that metabolize easily and don’t spike blood sugar levels, and in fact balance them! Even though carrots contain many ‘sugars’, they will regulate a sugar high that normally comes from sugar. This makes vegetables a quality source of carbohydrate energy that serves the body best, and helps regulate weight.

- Fiber: all vegetables contain fiber which also help normalize blood sugar levels, and help keep your digestive tract clean to prevent digestive stagnation and bloating. It also helps produce healthy stools and regularity. The fiber from vegetables is much softer and gentler on the digestion than most fibre supplements such as wheat bran, which can be abrasive. The best quality stools come from starchy, well cooked vegetables, like potatoes!

- Minerals: minerals are important to all metabolic processes, but especially important to help with stress and keeping the body’s constitution and immunity strong. Minerals are the ‘foundation’ nutrient, that is dependant on all other nutrients! They are responsible for keeping us calm and beautiful since they strengthen the hair, nails, skin, teeth, etc. Vegetables grown in healthy, strong soils are typically more mineral abundant.

- Chlorophyll: green vegetables contain chlorophyll which helps neutralize toxins in the body, but also repair and regenerate tissues. Chlorophyll is known as ‘green blood’ as it is nearly identical to red blood cells and deeply supports the liver and blood producing systems in the body.

- Vitamins and enzymes: vegetables contain a variety of vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C, but green vegetables contain substantial vitamin D, which is why they are considered as ‘stored sunshine’! When eaten raw, they contain enzymes that help breakdown toxins in the body, including excess weight, growths (such as cancer), and unwanted substances in the body such as residues of old drugs.

- Protein: all foods from the earth contain protein, as they have the capability to grow! Some vegetables have low amounts of protein, but some contain substantial amounts of protein. Examples are young vegetables that have lots of growing to do yet, like brussel sprouts, fresh peas, green beans, which contain sufficient amounts of protein to satisfy the recommended daily intake for protein in a day, if eaten to meet caloric needs.

- Healing properties: each vegetable has special healing properties, much like various herbs containing unique healing properties. Examples are: garlic, onion and leek are anti-biotic and decongestants; potatoes and asparagus help build the adrenal glands; bitter greens help reduce blood pressure and clear arterial blockages; cucumbers and zucchini are diuretics; celery is a pain killer; and everyone knows that carrots can improve your eye sight!

Since everyone is unique, we may find ourselves gravitating to the vegetables that make us feel best! Since vegetables offer a host of healing potential, eat the vegetables that resonate most with you! If you have an affinity to broccoli, eat it, because there may be something in it that is just for you! Science is only on the brink of discovering the vast and incredible nutrients that plants contain, but our body knows best – as always, listen to it, and eat sensibly!

Whole wheat is a remarkable food known in the traditional medicines of China and India to strengthen the body and nurture the mind and heart. Whole wheat has the ability to calm and focus the mind, strengthen the body and muscles, replenish our adrenals, soothe palpitations, insomnia and irritability, and is also an astringent.

Whole wheat is a term many people are familiar with – but may not understand what it means. The part of the cereal grass plant that we eat is the unrefined seed, known as whole wheat. This wheat seed – or berry, is then ground up to create whole wheat flour. Whole wheat is high in nutrition and very healthy for us, but the nutrient quality begins declining with age once it is ground into a flour.

White flour is produced by refining away the outer bran and germ so that only the starchy, carbohydrate rich centre remains, and then further refined into a powder and bleached to create white flour. Flour is not only the most popular ingredient in the North American diet, but it is usually the main ingredient in popular foods such as crackers, breads, pastas, and so on. This refining is typically done to lengthen the shelf life, make recipes very reproducible and predictable, and to prevent pathogens from growing on it. However, white flour lacks all of the important minerals, vitamins, oils and fiber that the whole grain contains. Flour also makes the preferred fluffy, light consistencies and sweet taste that whole wheat flour cannot; whole wheat flour is usually heavier, denser and more bitter. Whole wheat flours found in “whole wheat” breads are still refined and processed, often missing vital nutrients, whereas flours made from grinding your own fresh, unrefined whole wheat, as purchased from health food or bulk food stores, are far different in texture and nutritional value.

Wheat sometimes provokes allergic reactions, particularly when flours are improperly stored and become rancid from oxidation. Whole wheat flour should ideally be used right after grinding, or stored air tight in a cool space and used within two weeks. The refined oxidized flour is usually the cause of a ‘wheat allergy’, not the wheat itself. However, if eating whole wheat causes bloating, gas, stomach pain, indigestion, excessive mucus or an increased pulse rate, it may be best avoided.

The Benefits of Magnesium

One of the most abundant minerals found in whole wheat is magnesium, which is milled away when refining the grain. It is estimated that 70% of North Americans are magnesium deficient, but it is a deficiency that can be easily remedied by eating whole grains, like wheat. The benefits of magnesium are essential to health:

• Calms nerve functions and migraine headaches
• Harmonizes mental and emotional imbalances (including irritability, depression, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders and PMS)
• Soothes muscles, cramps and spasms
• Relieves constipation and improves digestion
• Overcomes the blood sugar imbalances in hypoglycemia, diabetes and alcoholism
• Counteracts conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis and osteoporosis

Magnesium checks and balances excess calcium by ‘pushing’ it out of soft tissues, and driving it into our bones. Too much excess calcium in the soft tissue is damaging, calcifying arteries and of course staying out of our bones, and weakening them. Those who eat and take ample calcium, may still have weaker bones than those who ingest only a little calcium but also consume sufficient magnesium rich foods such as whole grains.

Soaking a whole grain or fresh flour in water for several hours germinates the seed and initiates the growth process which maximizes the bio-availability of magnesium and other nutrients, to levels far greater than found in standard store bought whole wheat bread. Try using a coffee grinder to grind your flour and then leave it sit overnight in water. Use it the next morning for warm cereal, baking or pancakes.

Who wants to be STUCK? Nobody likes the feeling of being stuck – whether feeling like you have heavy feet, or stuck in old ways, or unable to move forward, the feeling of stagnancy holds a lot of people back. The morning is a particularly vulnerable time for being stuck, when it really should be a time of movement and vitality.

Coffee as a stimulant.

No wonder coffee is the beverage choice for the morning, its incredible abilities to move the blood and get us going is a perfect example of moving feelings of stagnancy. Not only does coffee help move stagnancy, but so does chocolate, alcohol, and a little more healthily – raw vinegar, ferments, sour foods like lemon, pungent spices like garlic, ginger, cardamom etc, and the very hot spices such as cayenne. These foods all help to ‘get us going’ and give our energy a stir. Where is our energy when we’re feeling stuck and energy-less?

Regulating a smooth flow of energy.

The liver houses the blood, and regulates the energy of the blood (in Chinese medicine this is referred to as qi) and harbours these stuck emotions. When we are too stuck, emotions clog up and tend to manifest as anger, resent or impatience. To remedy this anger and resent that comes from stuck emotions, or physical stagnancy, the liver needs to be stimulated, to distribute the liver’s stuck energy throughout the body. When we wake up, 90% of our blood is housed in the liver, and a sluggish liver will NOT move that blood very effectively, and so a sluggish liver might create signs of morning drowsiness, an inability to get up and going, and just the general feeling of being stagnant or stuck. This is why coffee helps us get going – it stimulates the liver to ‘get going’ and let the energy flow. Likewise, a drink of alcohol at the end of the day stimulates our energy flow and we feel that rush of stuck energy from our centre emerge down to our hands, head and periphery – it’s like a high!

Stimulation is good, too much is drama!

Whilst stimulating the liver helps stagnancy, over stimulating is not. The remedy for a stuck liver and emotions is NOT to have stimulating foods and coffee every day, but INSTEAD, stop whatever is stagnating the liver! That way we wake up in the morning, and already feel good and don’t have to rely on stimulants to distribute the energy (which we falsely believe as GIVING us energy). When we over stimulate the liver, it gets tired, and eventually gets more stagnant! It’s like kicking a horse to get it going, but how much can you kick it before it just lays down and doesn’t move at all? This is what happens when we over stimulate the liver. Also, excessive stimulants, especially the strong ones, create drama! The negative opposite effect of stagnancy is drama, and so often the heavy coffee/alcohol drinkers and chocolate eaters are dramatic folks who swing from stagnant, stuck thinking to wild, erratic and dramatic thinking and health problems. Living in these two extremes is so popular in modern society, but there is a solution!

Preventing stagnancy, and use of stimulants!

Create a smooth qi flow in the liver! Do not stagnate it in the first place!

Foods that stagnate the liver:

• rich foods; meat, dairy, eggs
• fatty foods; nuts, deep fried, margarine, etc
• refined foods; white flours, sugar, bread, etc
• overeating and excessive consumption
• over stimulating with caffeine, spices, exercise

Ways to help create a smooth energy flow:

• vegetables, and some fruits
• whole grains, when not overeaten
• eating slowing and not in excess
• gentle exercise, walking, stretching, etc
• sour foods, such as lemon, ferments
• gentle spices in cooking, such as mustard, etc
• simplicity, patience and relaxation.. and sleep

Breathe deep and enjoy energy everyday

Food eaten when cooked behaves very differently than food eaten raw. Science has been proclaiming the numerous health benefits associated with raw foods for some time now, and has even reached the point of a recent health fad. The benefits of raw foods are because of the enzymes they contain. Enzymes break things down – which is exactly what they do in food and in the body. Enzymes are very important for cleansing and breaking down toxins in the blood, the more enzymes we eat, the more cleaning, or breaking down we do. But as Western thought embraces the concept that something good must be better in bigger quantities, too much raw food actually isn’t that good for us. It might be good to remedy an imbalance of excess toxicity, but when raw foods are overeaten for a long duration, the body and digestion starts breaking down as well.

As the body’s Heat is important for metabolism and good digestion, raw foods which are very cooling often quell the digestive fire and decrease overall metabolism and digestive capabilities, which is why very little raw foods are in the Chinese diet.

To enjoy the benefits of raw foods, smaller amounts eaten during the warmest parts of the day (and year) are best. Not everyone needs raw foods, in fact those who are deficient may do best on mostly cooked foods, whereas those who have excess heat (possibly high blood pressure, overweight, red face, hot flashes or always feeling warm) may benefit with a more raw foods diet. But be careful not to overdo it, otherwise the imbalance will swing the other way and hit you in the gut with a deficiency and a dead digestive fire that needs to be restarted!

Heat – Stoking Your Internal Fire with Cooked Food

The concept of Heat is very important in Chinese medicine. Heat warms the digestion and the heart, keeping spirits high and the body warm. We often experience Heat with certain foods like cinnamon, chai tea, hot peppers, alcohol or a butternut squash soup with ginger and spices. Anything that makes us feel warm and flush is an example of Heat. The body thrives on warmth, provided the body can also be kept cool (an example of the body NOT being able to keep cool is menopausal hot flashes). When the fire goes out, our energy quickly suffers, metabolism drops, coldness and rigidity can prevail and digestion feels as though a fire has gone out. Depression, or poor spirits can be an example of a weak fire in the body, in which case warm, spicy, cooked foods can be a great remedy. Heat is also energizing, so when energy is low through the winter, don’t forget to add a little spice to your dishes and keep your veggies in the oven for an extra bit of time!

Being an allergy sufferer myself all my life, I battled June and September with itchy eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose and irritability. Last year I put my theories into practice and ate no animal foods, nor refined foods for the entire allergy season in hope that they would subside – instead they went away completely, and have been gone since. I noticed that the body reacts quickly, enjoying a plate of cheese & crackers when pollen is in the air would flare them up immediately, but eating fruit would drive them away. Other things that make the body sensitive to allergies are: overeating – which quickly takes away your energy, alcohol and caffeine – which are histamine producing foods, directly increasing sensitivities, and fats/oils – especially rancid or processed varieties. Overeating oily or fatty foods stagnate the body and worsen sensitivities, both mentally and physically. Eat mineral rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole grains (not brown bread, but grains in their unadulterated whole forms, such as brown rice and barley), calm the body and decrease sensitivities. And still, sugar and white flour are likely the worst for contributing to sensitivities and allergies as they aggravate the body, create stagnation, deplete our mineral levels, and paralyze our immune system!

Try it! If you are suffering from allergies, try these simple (but surprisingly difficult to implement) suggestions and see how you feel. My allergies disappeared the very next day that I discontinued the stagnating suggested foods. Instead, eat fruit – which mineralizes, clears, moistens, and calms the mind, and drives allergies away (unless you’re allergic to fruit!)

I have always understood the value of a person’s consciousness or “Spirit” (as defined in Traditional Chinese Medicine as that which expresses the life of an organism) in being a key element to a person’s health. The Spirit guides us, animates us, enkindles us, and gives us true satisfaction and passion in life. It is what is worth living for. The very ‘flame’ of our being. I have noticed within clients and individuals who have weak Spirits that something takes over them, not just behaviour, but physically as well. It’s as if the person begins ‘breaking down’ much like a plant does when taken out of sunlight. Self-destructive behaviour within a person seems to manifest physical self-destructive organisms such as parasites. I refer to parasites as any unwelcome organism that feeds on us, which includes Candida; a modern day epidemic which is increasingly gaining awareness and importance. I have found that improving one’s Spirit greatly decreases parasites, akin to killing mould by exposing it to sunshine. When the Spirit is strong, there is no opportunity for parasites to thrive, self-honouring behaviour is apparent and no self-destructive habits, or organisms exist! Very simply, there is no struggle within, and joy, harmony, and ease can all be experienced.

Leading up to Christmas, I felt the brightness of my Spirit wane, bad habits escalate, fear and worry develop, more sweets in my mouth, and consequently, the tell tale signs of parasitic infection; itchiness, cloudiness, feeling down, congestion, sluggishness, etc (very seriously, I see MANY people suffer from these ‘normal’, every day symptoms). I had quite an infection while living in Japan several years ago, and couldn’t help but to wonder if I just hadn’t fully shaken it yet, and if it just comes out when my Spirit is low. I struggled to get rid of it with a restrictive diet, strong medicinal herbs, and even clearing the energy of my house by burning some dried sage I saved from my garden. Frustrated with minimal progress and the strong resistance of some other behaviour at work, I was blessed with Divine timing when I met an incredible healer in the first week of January. She’s earned a PhD in esoteric medicine, is a Doctor of Acupuncture and adept Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, and the area’s finest past-life worker and energy healer. In one visit, the health of my being took a complete 180.

Without her knowing of my possible lingering parasites from Japan, she immediately told me that I had lingering entities from Japan that I had attracted and not shaken off! Being a ‘bright light’ spiritually meant an attraction from other non-physical entities that have simply been hanging around with me for years! I was astonished, but it made sense. She dismissed them and told them to go away – I felt it. She also did a treatment on me to bring back my full Spirit. I felt that, very shockingly. I just simply came back – all my power and ‘being’ finally came back to me.  Incredibly, from that day forward, I have not dealt with any parasite symptoms. They’re simply gone. My behaviour is clear, fear has diminished, I feel in control, present, strong and alive. Like the classic Greek definition of ‘parasite’; there is NO longer ‘someone else eating at my table’. Feels good… feels really good.

Knowing that any organism can posses a consciousness, and that we have 10 times more bacterial cells than human tissue cells, I realized that we are the collective consciousness of all these combined consciousnesses within us. If the hosts within us are against us (in the case of a parasite) then the entities/consciousnesses they host could very well be against us too! This is probable, and felt this in my life before my work with this incredible healer. As though ‘it wasn’t me’ making decisions and feeling unnecessary worry that couldn’t be explained. A simple example is knowing that the parasite in me was choosing to eat sweets that I otherwise would not.

I consulted my mentor Paul Pitchford (author of “Healing with Whole Foods”) and his words gave me reassurance and greater perspective of the phenomenon:

“Parasites in the ancient times were called “demons”… they work in tandem with each other and when you get thousands of one species in your body, then their pooled consciousness actually becomes quite potent and acts like a rather evolved entity.

When your spirit is strong, then your consciousness is strong and it isn’t as easily influenced by demonic influences. But when you’re weak, then the bad influences can ruin your life. Always keep the spirit strong and always nurture the yin [the physical health of your own organism].”

Amazing. Since parasites and candida are a modern epidemic, wouldn’t it be incredible if the antidote to all this suffering (of the physical symptoms, but also the fear and destructive habits/behaviour that the modern person is plagued with) was simply to acknowledge and strengthen the Spirit within ourselves by letting our true selves shine!? I have seen this at work in my practice, but hadn’t known the true depth behind it. To follow the Spirit is a great task however, and a whole other topic, but the take-away message on that lesson from my own recent experience is to simply honour yourself, consequently surrendering the ego to the will of the Spirit that resides within us. From a physical perspective – abstaining from sweet/sugary foods prohibits the growth of unwanted organisms, and there are many protocols to destroy and prevent them. But considering the recent explorations in parasite/consciousness connections, this all needs to be taken into account with the health of the Spirit.

Burning Sage

To transition harmoniously, remember these few points:

• Go slow! Don’t drop your routine for a new diet overnight, often the sudden change is debilitating and can do a lot of damage.
• Don’t be extreme. Try introducing or exiting foods gradually, and don’t feel that completely avoiding a food is the answer. If you start to feel better without a food, slowly continue to avoid it. If you quit things cold turkey, cravings for other foods may arise and create a separate destructive cycle.
• Don’t use blind faith. Test things out and experiment. Does a food feel good for you? Don’t eat or not eat something because someone told you or you read in a book, find out for yourself by increasing your eating awareness practices! Use your food intuition!
• Remember that you are different than everyone else! What works for you may ruin someone else, so keep your healing stories to yourself!
• Don’t be superior! Everyone has their healing journey which is different to everyone

Just remember that you are deeply connected to your food, on many levels. Disconnecting yourself from your food for health reasons can have negative effects. Food should be enjoyed and nourishing on all levels, let it remain a manifestation of your self-love by enjoying it each meal, without guilt, fear, embarrassment or any fearful feelings. Just remain guided about your choices and trust that what your body is asking for is the right thing. The body is like a cruise liner, make a small change at the wheel – and with time the ship will be in a whole new direction! Fight with the wheel to change directions, and you’ll flip your ship over and sink! Just take it easy and enjoy the ride!

First, feed them food – not anything else! Anything that appears, or is accepted as food but is not whole, isn’t food. For instance, candy is not food! Secondly, anything from a box or package should be considered a fun food and should only be consumed for special occasions. Anything in a package contains high levels of non-foods, horrid amounts of sugar (not even sugar, but glucose-fructose or high fructose corn syrup which is much worse) and drastically reduces a child’s stability, patience, attention and spirit. Packaged foods also contain a great deal of chemicals and highly refined fats and oils, none of which belong in the body and aggravate or stagnate the child. These are the types of foods that create allergies, ADD and other nervous disorders. Most packaged foods don’t even have food in them, and all entirely comprised of factory produced compounds. Even white flour is so refined that it too could be considered a non-food, as most (all) of its nutrition has been refined away, leaving only dynamite-like carbohydrate energy left to fuel your child to the point of combustion. These foods have both short-term and long-term effects. Give a kid a candy and you can quickly see the short-term effects of ‘bouncing off the walls’. Give them enough refined, junky foods, and the opposite effect begins to set in with a deterioration of the spirit, lethargy, poor attitude, weakened immunity and later depression.  Refined bread with deli meat sandwiches, sugary yogurts, granola bars, gummy things, breakfast cereals, crackers, snacks, chips, pop, cookies, (simulated) fruit leather, drinking boxes and juices, contain very little nutrition despite what the labels say. If what I described to you is half, or most of your child’s diet, don’t be surprised. This might be the case with most children. Remember from last month’s issue – don’t be fooled by what the label says, the food producers will say anything  to get you to buy it, and will go to any length to make their claim. Their interest is giving you the absolute cheapest food possible, and putting the best (and slightest) health claim on the box so you buy it – don’t buy it! Think for yourself!

Instead, buy food! Foods that don’t come with a list of ingredients. As soon as a product has an ingredients list, there’s sugar, additives (chemicals), refined oils (hazardous), refined and bleached flours, and that’s usually it. Most foods can be made entirely with non-foods, in fact, processing food giants are now claiming they can make anything these days with soy and corn by-products for pennies, so why not? People will buy them! If making food for yourself or your child from whole foods (foods that aren’t refined and don’t come with an ingredients list) seems difficult, then join the club! But eating whole foods is becoming more recognized, and surprisingly not that challenging. It costs less, takes more time, but creates abundant health and happiness – and a strong spirit, which will help put a glow back on your kid’s face and a sparkle in their eyes!