Growing Healthy Kids Blog: Welcome Message

Wow! Where to start? Although folks usually suggest that the beginning is a great place to start, I promise I won't bore you with all the details of my life's passions and experiences that led me here.

What I will share is this...I am in awe of the miracle that is the human body! I never tire of reading and researching information related to how it works, how things affect how it works, and how to keep it working! I am also heartbroken and appalled at the state of health in the U.S. and around the world, especially the health of our children.

The resources and information that describe and discuss what the body needs to be healthy and to function as it was intended and designed are seemingly endless. So why is it that we are so sick? Why are our children suffering from dysfunction and disease that used to be reserved for middle-aged adults?

Have you heard that this generation of children…our children…is the first generation in the history of the U.S. that is predicted to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents? What can be done to “stop the madness” and reverse these trends? Is it even possible?

I not only believe that it is possible to reverse these trends, but also that it is possible to build a new paradigm that supports true health and wellness. I also believe that this paradigm shift has already begun.

People are starting to stand up and take notice. They are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and stressed and depressed and hate that the children in their lives are suffering the same…or worse.

They are beginning to ask the tough questions. They are beginning to realize that there is empowerment in knowledge and understanding and that it is easier and cheaper to be healthy than to be sick. There is great value in and countless benefits of being an educated consumer and taking control of one’s health and the health of one’s family.

The mission of this community is to serve as a conduit of information for Growing Healthy Kids and Sowing Healthy Habits from Toddler to Teen! It will be a place where parents, grandparents, teachers, health care providers and other caregivers to children can share their knowledge and experiences so that together we can accelerate the paradigm shift.

Our children deserve an opportunity to experience all the blessings of the long, vibrant and healthy life that awaits each of them.

Growing Healthy Kids is possible, and it begins with us!

In my last post I mentioned the seemingly endless number of resources and vast amount of information that are available and that describe and discuss all the body needs to be healthy and to function as it was intended and designed. If you have ever performed an online search relating to the topic of health, or illness, then I’m sure you’ll agree that I was not exaggerating when I said “seemingly endless” and “vast”.

The internet has made it both easy and convenient to access the vast amount of information about achieving and maintaining health and wellness. Open your search engine of choice; enter a key word or two in the search box and presto! You are rewarded with dozens of pages of links to websites offering you the information you seek! Dozens of pages???

Uh, oh! Too many choices! That’s about the time you realize you are starting a conversation with yourself: “Where do I start? Well, I could start with the first listing at the top of the first page…or I could close my eyes and randomly place my finger on my screen and start there…or I can put the numbers 1 to 10 in a hat… Hmmm...this website has an interesting name…”

Soon, you just decide to dive right in! You find yourself clicking from one website to another…even clicking on links within the text you’re reading. Saying things like, “That’s interesting!” and “I didn’t know that.” Clicking and reading; reading and clicking. Then comes the inevitable: “Wait a minute. That’s the exact OPPOSITE of what was on the OTHER website! How can that be???”

You’re initiation is nearly complete! Overwhelm begins to set in, as does frustration. Now you have even MORE questions than when you began your search…3 hours ago!

So, what’s next? Yep! The laundry is calling. It’s time to get the kids from school. You’ve got to get dinner started. Enter your favorite distraction (i.e., excuse) here. You vow to continue another day.

That day comes and passes…the same way! “Well, if getting healthy takes this much time and effort, then forget it! Besides, how can I possibly know where to start and what to do if even the “experts” don’t agree.” Initiation is NOW complete!

You were filled with good intention…motivated to make lifestyle changes so that you and your family could take your health to the next level. However, now you find your good intentions and motivation are buried beneath overwhelming feelings and frustration because you don’t know what to do or how to get started.

Sure, your research has turned up plenty of information. It just so happens that the information is riddled with contradiction...Vitamins cause cancer / Vitamins cure cancer...Don’t eat eggs / Eat eggs…Artificial sweeteners are safe / Artificial Sweeteners poison the body…Running is healthy / Running is hard on the body…Pain relievers improve quality of life / Pain relievers damage the liver and/or heart.

Now what? What are you to believe? Which information is right? Who can you trust? What should you do?

You should become an educated consumer! Ask the tough questions. Remain vigilant in your quest for information so that you can make educated decisions about your health and the health of your family. Find an “expert”, better yet find multiple “experts” that you trust. People that appear to have “done their homework” and that provide or reference specific data or evidence that supports their position and suggestions.

However, be sure you understand the relationship these “experts” have with the data or the implications of the data or the outcomes to ensure you understand the possibility of bias in the information.

For example: Dr. Ralph G Walton, a professor of psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, analyzed 166 articles reporting the results of aspartame (a.k.a. NutraSweet) research that were published in medical journals from 1980 to 1985. Here’s what he found:
- 74 of the 166 studies were financed by the artificial sweetener industry…100% of these 74 studies concluded that aspartame was safe to consume.
- 92 of the 166 studies were independently funded…91%, or 84, of these 92 studies identified adverse health effects resulting from aspartame consumption.

What does this mean for you? (besides avoiding aspartame at all costs; yet another discussion for another day) Even though there are countless numbers of knowledgeable, trustworthy people who are passionate about helping others achieve optimal health and wellness, there is no one who knows and loves you and your family more than you. More than anyone else, you have the best interest of yourself and your family at heart.

So dig in your heels and take a stand. Face the overwhelming feelings and frustration head-on. Educate yourself about the options and opportunities available. Read all you can. Participate in various forums and discussions, like the ones you’ll find at Growing Healthy Kids and BraveHeart Women Global Communities.

Take control of your health and that of your family.