Processed food...yum!

I have always been a processed food girl. 
American cheese...yes please
Twinkies...absolutely
Boxed helper meals...my favorite!

Then I had kiddos.
And I still didn't think about it.  Sure I "tried" to eat my veggies, but they just don't taste as good as a snickers bar. 

One kiddo was diagnosed with a tic disorder. We went the western medicine route and saw icky results.  So as a last ditch effort I consulted a naturopath.  We tried many vitamins/supplements and tinctures but nothing really worked. She wanted us to go dairy, gluten, hydrogenated oils, casein, and dye free.  That was a huge shock to this processed food loving family.  So needless to say that didn't work either. But we decided to try dye free as it showed a high correlation in studies to tic disorders and impulse control issues. 

Anyway we found that dyes played a HUGE part in our oldest son's behavior and tics.  Another huge shock was trying to stay dye free.  Dye is in everything, EVERYTHING.  So again this processed food loving Mamma had to drop the Kraft mac &cheese, M&M's, and marshmallows. But you know what...it has been totally worth it.

Since we stared this process 6 years ago, we have come to realize Dylan is allergic too. He shows a reaction to some sort of preservative or dye that gives him the nervous habit of scratching his nose...to the point of ripping skin off.  Then we adopted a child who needs the best food intake to help nurture brain connections to hopefully over come some brain damage due to FAS. 
Whew... big learning curve. 

What I noticed was when I'm away from home, and I now eat overly processed and dye filled foods I feel icky...go figure.  Still haven't made friends with the veggies, but two of my three kiddos have. 

Having a belief, whether it be religious, dietary (like I mentioned above), or family isn't always easy in this crazy world.  People have a TON of opinions and they aren't afraid to share them.  But like anything we do we prayed about it and educated the best we could and surrounded ourselves with people who support us even if they don't quite understand. 

I don't tend to buy into the organic only category.  I think there is a whisper of truth to both sides. What I do do is really watch what is labeled on the crackers or boxed snacks I buy, and when I can, make stuff myself.  No I'm not gonna grind my own flour, but I make muffins, granola bars, and other easy stuff. 

So if you're on this journey(or something similar:-). I'm praying for you...IT ain't easy but our kiddos are worth it!