That may not sound like much to you, but normally Faith would become very hyperactive and mean if  she ate that much sugar! Not only that her frustration tolerance would plummet, making it difficult for her to cope with other’s. We didn’t have a problem. To make this victory even sweeter was the fact she was playing with her little cousin, who she has a hard time getting along with  for any period of time. They happily played together without incidence! This is a rare occasion indeed!!

It’s these seemingly small  things most people would take for granted that mean so much to me. I know the way we are treating Faith’s ADHD is working!! Her ability to sit and focus on her school work is increasing to longer and longer periods of  time. She is able to work independently on certain things without me having to keep her on task. She can be given an assignment such as  a math worksheet or a handwriting page and complete  it on her own. Sometimes, I still have to prompt her to stay on task if she starts singing or something, but overall she is able to do some independent work! I can actually foresee a day when she will be able to do a lot of independent work! There was a time that I didn’t think she would ever be able to sit down and do anything without me right there helping her stay focused and on task!

Be encouraged. Our kids don’t have a disability they have SPECIAL ABILITIES! ADHD is not who they are, simply something they have. We need to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes and no two people are the same. I happen to have a beautiful, talented, sweet, creative, funny, caring, kind,  intelligent, and fun daughter who doesn’t fit the mold. Isn’t that something to be appreciated and not scorned and discouraged. Find ways to help your child fulfill the purposes and plans our Heavenly Father has for them. They are a gift not a burden! We can help them fly or keep them forever grounded. God had given you everything you need to give your special little one wings.

Blessings from My Heart to Yours!

Kimberly

If you are interested in treating your child naturally my book Journey to Healthy Eating  will be  a helpful tool in changing your diet on a real world budget. This book doesn’t go into how  to treat ADHD through diet, it simply shows you that it is possible to eat a healthier even organic diet without breaking the bank. I know many people feel trapped into using medications because their doctors are encouraging it and it is covered by insurance. Even if they wanted to make dietary changes for their child’s health,  they don’t believe they can afford to change how their family eats. That is why I wrote Journey to Healthy Eating on a Budget. It is my first book. I am currently working on a cookbook, and a menu planning system ( Due out in May 2010) to make this change as easy as possible.

I am often asked what kind of sweetener I use. The answer is, I use a variety of sweeteners, depending on what I am putting it in or on. I use STEVIA, HONEY, AGAVE* and SUCANOT. Occasionally I will use traditional sugar or powdered sugar, but it is rare and only in small amounts.

What is STEVIA? Stevia rebaudiana is an herb in the chrysanthemum family native to sections of Paraguay and Brazil. It is a salicylate but, I have been told by my natural health care practitioner, the purification process decreases the salicylate content, and that approximately 1 tsp. of stevia has about as much salicylate as a raisin. Even though my daughter has some salicylate sensitivities she has never demonstrated a problem using stevia. Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste especially if too much is used. It works very well with fruits complementing their natural sweetness. It has no calories and doesn’t impact blood sugar.

I love to use STEVIA to sweeten tea, coffee, and lemonade, as well as, on fruit and in cream cheese to make a tasty icing. When using stevia to sweeten cream cheese for icing I also add a little honey, to not only thin the cream cheese a bit, but to add sweetness without the bitter aftertaste. I am still learning how to bake with STEVIA. When I find a hit recipe I will share it with you. If you already have had success baking with STEVIA please send me an e-mail and share your recipes!

Remember that not all brands of STEVIA are equal! Don’t give up using it if you have had a bad experience. Try different brands to see which one you prefer. I have been very happy using Herbal Advantage brand of STEVIA. I have been purchasing it through my chiropractor but, I am now ordering it in a larger quantity. Check them out at:

http://www.stevia-extract-sweetener.com

HONEY is commonly known and used as a sweetener. Did you know that HONEY is also a natural energy booster? The glucose in the honey is absorbed quickly by your body and gives that instant surge of energy, while the fructose is absorbed slower giving you sustained energy. HONEY also has antibacterial properties. There is a specific type of HONEY, Manuka that has been approved by the FDA for wound treatment. It has been used in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as an antimicrobial dressing. Unfortunately, the honey you see on the grocery store shelves is NOT good to use as an antimicrobial dressing! If you want to try honey as a wound dressing, please make sure you are using RAW HONEY! Otherwise, it could have the opposite effect of what you had hoped for! Raw honey is much more expensive than what you normally see in the grocery store. Honey is also a good source of antioxidants. Remember that it is a sugar and should be used within reason. I think using Honey in your home baked breads, and as a sweetener in tea, and desserts is a healthier alternative to refined white sugar.

AGAVE* is a sweetener that comes from the Agave Tequilana plant in Mexico.To produce Agave Nectar, juice is expelled, then filtered and heated. It is a syrup like liquid similar to honey in color and consistency. AGAVE is a low glycemic sugar. This was one of the benefits for Faith. Because it was a slow burn she wouldn’t become hyperactive when she ate something with AGAVE on it. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of controversy about AGAVE recently. Until my nutrition consultant tells me it is safe to use AGAVE we are not using it. I recommend that you do your own research and decide what is best for your family.

SUCANAT is minimally refined sugar cane. It is sugar. The process of making SUCANAT is initially the same as refined sugar. The sugar cane is cut off leaving the root behind. The cane is crushed to extract the sweet juice, the juice is then heated and it turns to crystals as it cools. Essentially it is dried cane juice. SUCANAT retains most of the natural molasses which gives it it’s characteristic color and flavor. SUCANAT is a much less refined sugar. I enjoy it’s distinct taste and think it adds wonderful flavor to baked goods. My family has especially enjoyed making chocolate chip cookies with it. Make your cookies out of hard red whole wheat flour and use sucanat for some awesome cookies! =) Remember these should be a rare treat not a daily indulgence!

Julie, from the Ultimate Women’s Expo, recently asked me the difference between SUCANAT and TURBINADO SUGAR. I have found that there are some differences. Turbinado is much less refined than white sugar, but has less molasses and vitamins than SUCANAT does. The process for making TURBINADO SUGAR is: once the juice is extracted, it is evaporated by heat, then crystalized. The crystals are then spun in a turbine to remove the excess moisture and molasses. This also results in less vitamins. It is still less refined than white sugar. Go ahead and give it a try and see what you think.

My number one preference for a sweetener is stevia! I love that it is a sweet treat that is guilt free! I don’t have to worry about any reactions or blood sugar issues while using it. It does taste different from sugar, and it is more noticeable in some things than others. The best way to get used to stevia, in my opinion, is to use it in lemonade. Make it a glass at a time to help you learn how much to use. You will be surprised! You may also want to decrease the amount of sugar you use in your coffee or tea and add some stevia. Continue to decrease the sugar and increase the stevia until you have no more sugar! Then you can enjoy your favorite beverage guilt free!

Blessings from My Heart to Yours,

Kimberly

That is why I’ve written this book! I wished that I had something like this when I started changing how I fed my family.  This book is sure to lighten your load and make eating healthy easier. Not only that but you will  learn some great ways to save money too! Click here to learn more.

Ready to Purchase?  SPECIAL PRICE $10.00

It’s so easy to compare ourselves to everyone else. How  often  do we hear how someone else is doing something and we  think we should be doing it that way too. I was talking  to a friend today who was sharing her journey treating her children’s issues  naturally through diet. As we were talking she told me about someone telling her that if she did “A” that there wasn’t any point in doing “B”. I realized it is so easy to  think there is only one way to do something. For some of  us it’s our way for other’s it’s everyone else’s way.  The truth is none of our journey’s will look the same. While I know that if I let my daughter cheat on her diet occasionally we can manage, I also know that too  many cheats will hurt us all! I have to figure  out what we  can live with. Someone else may not be able or willing to suffer the consequences of a cheat on their child’s diet. The only question you have to answer is what works for YOU?

It’s okay to be you! It’s okay for  your walk to look different from mine. We have to learn to walk out our own journey. We have  to structure our lives in a manner that allows  us to succeed. This is our life and we have to LIVE it! Life is about balance. I can’t tell you what balance looks like  for  your life but you can figure it out as you go. So the  next time a well meaning person advises you to do things their way pause and think about it. Pray and ask God if there is anything in it for you.  While you want to remain teachable and open to learning new things you don’t want to be guilt-ed into doing something that doesn’t  work for  you. If you don’t feel that it is something that will work for family then toss it out with no guilt!!

Remember God made you the way you are to fulfill His purpose on this earth. No one else can do what you do because you were  hand picked for the job you have!!

Enjoy the Journey!

Blessings from My heart to Yours,

Kimberly

Journey to Healthy Eating Cookbook

In this cookbook I will give you recipes for real families in the real world that are healthy, great tasting and budget friendly. Don’t worry you won’t eat grass or seaweed. I use ingredients commonly found in most grocery stores. These recipes are kid tested and hubby approved!  Stay tuned for a wonderful resource

Journey to Gluten Free Cookbook

This book has been a true labor of love. I have converted my traditional recipes from Journey to Healthy Eating Cookbook into Gluten Free alternatives. Because my husband loves bread and baked goods so much I have spent considerable  time and energy in creating a  Gluten Free Flour Mix you can make at home! Through trial and error I have come up with a really good, moist, sandwhich bread that you can make for much less than those overpriced dry loaves at the Health Food Stores. How would you like to enjoy sandwhiches, garlic bread, brownies and delicious chocolate chip cookies?? I even created a wonderful gluten free pound cake recipe! But it’s not just about baked goods. How about Chinese Chicken and Vegetables or chicken fried rice? Fried Chicken tenders, Porkchops with mushroom gravy, Chicken Caccaitore and so much more

Journey to Easy Menu Planning System

Want to make life even easier? I have come up with a menu planning system you can create at home that will make meal time and planning for them so much easier. Let’s take the stress out of the dreaded question……. “Mom, whats for dinner?” You can make your own or get my menu planning system along with my cookbook of your choice. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have your meals planned out for the next week, 2 weeks or even an entire month. Just imagine opening your menu planning book and having all three meals with recipes and ingredients listed all together.  Wouldn’t your children love being able to get mom’s planner out and be able to prepare a family favorite meal all on their own. This system will accomplish just that. Not only will it make life easier, it will save you money! No more last minute trips to the store for those missing ingredients. You will be able to scan your pantry and freezer to see what is on hand and how many meals you can put together before you hit the grocery store!

I will be sending out an e-mail when they are ready! I can’t wait to share them with you!!

Blessings from My Heart to Yours!

Kimberly

You may be thinking you will have to spend hours clipping coupons and going to a dozen different stores and you don’t have the time for all that foolishness, well neither do I! I will use coupons and sometimes I shop at different stores but there are ways of going about this that will streamline things into something you can and will do.

The first thing you must do is make a decision. What exactly do you want and why. Why do you want to eat a healthier diet? Are you wanting to get healthy, loose weight, treat an illness? The answers to these questions will have a huge impact on how you implement your new way of eating.   My walk into healthy eating started because I had a baby with some food intolerance and later realized she had ADHD. We have prayerfully chosen to treat her naturally through diet and supplements as well as any other therapies we find helpful. For our family it is really important that my daughter eats only organic meat. The hormones in meat, especially beef are particularly hard on her. We will eat deer and bison as well as a lot of chicken. Our budget sometimes prevents the whole family from eating  the organic roast.  Sometimes we have to give Faith what it is she needs and we eat what we can afford. I prefer  to eat the same healthy food on a regular basis but you do what you have to. In our home we have eliminated  pork, we eat a lot of chicken. We also eat many meatless meals.

We are planning a move to a property that would be suitable to have a large garden and hopefully some chickens too. I have implemented many strategies to enable us to feed Faith the kind of food she needs to eat to be healthy and to  treat her food intolerances. The reality of  that is sometimes I cook 2 meals, one for Faith with the organic meat, cheese etc. and one for us that isn’t organic. My goal is to be on a completely organic diet as a family and we are getting closer to it everyday.

Blessings from My Heart to Yours,

Kimberly

Want to Learn More

If you have questions you would like me to answer please drop me an e-mail at kimberly@kimberlyguthrie.com and I will do my best to answer it! If I don’t know the answer I will dig in and do the research and find the answers you are looking for!

If you like what you see why don’t you join my mailing list and get 5 Day Menu Plan with  Easy & Affordable Recipes Even Your Persnickety Eaters will Enjoy!

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Stay tuned for more articles and my e-book

Journey to Healthy Eatin on a Budget

How You Can Feed Your Family Clean even Organic Food & StillMake Your House Payment!