Let's call it a milk shake!

I followed through on my plan to talk nutritional supplements with my ND. I also needed her to look at the growing list of vaccinations Shea has missed. I haven't done any since his 3rd year check up. The school nurse "reminded" me and sent me a list. It was another good reason to go talk with her. We have planned a schedule to update them gradually.

So on to my Mr. picky eater!

Because Shea won't eat much fruit or veggies, she is concerned about B vitamins. She did say that him eating cheese was fine. And, she was literally thrilled that he was getting Hemp Milk every day.

She suggested smoothies. Well, as you may know, I am the smoothy queen and have tried. Oh believe me, I have tried but to no avail.

If it looks like fruit, he won't eat it. I know, very weird.

So a light bulb went off over my head while I was there.

"What if I call it a milkshake? And poor chocolate syrup all over it?"

"Sure. Whatever it takes!" She also said if I could get him to do some sort of berry that would be great. They are full of all sorts of Bioflavonoids.

So, I got some vanilla ice cream, some berries and made a milkshake to great success.

What did I put in it?

Shea's Magic Milkshake

1 cup Hemp or Rice Milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 banana
Handful of berries (strawberries, Raspberries or Blackberries)
1 drop Vit. D emulsion (2000 IU)
1 chewable B12 (crushed up)
1 tsp. liquid Zinc

Place in blender. Block the view of blender as berries, banana, yogurt and supplements are put in. Blend very, very well. Berries need to be completely pulverized or suspicion sets in.

Does he drink it all? No. But makes a good dent and then I pour the rest into those "make your own Popsicle" holders and they make surprisingly good fudge pops! Even Molly likes them.

He doesn't quite get why he is so lucky to be able to have milk shakes all the time now. As an after school snack is a good time for it.

Wish us luck!

Vitamin D! The newest most popular kid on the block.

Everywhere I turn, I hear the praises for Vitamin D being sung.

Even this guy!

Soren Khalsa, a refreshingly unusual looking Beverly Hills doctor writes extensively about how wonderful it is.

From the LA Times:

Soram Khalsa is on a mission to get Americans to up their levels of Vitamin D. Why? To protect them against a myriad of illnesses, including cancers, heart disease and diabetes. He even had a patient from his who's-who-studded medical practice in Beverly Hills hand deliver a copy of his book, The Vitamin D Revolution, to Michelle Obama. "In the front, I wrote, 'Vitamin D can help the country's health-care crisis. Please contact me if you are interested' and included my phone number. I haven't heard from her yet, but..."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/04/dr-soram-khalsa-increasin_n_309093.html

He suggest taking it to boost the immune system during the flu season. He even ventures to say that it can "prevent" swine flu.

Vitamin D? Don't we get that from sunlight? I am so behind the times, glimpses of "sunlight in a jar" flit through my brain. Naa. Probably not.

But it was suggested for Shea. He seemed so weak and peaked after his last bout. I was nervous for him and asked at the Naturapath's office. She was singing the praises of Vitamin D too, "Boost that Vitamin D! Whenever I feel a little tickle in my throat or achy, I just power up on the D."

Ok. Now that is some advice I can follow but what about my picky, won't take vits, gotta hide everything or he will turn up his nose and refuse it boy.

Solution:

Bio-D-Mulsion Forte'. One drop is 2,000 IU. At it has really made a big difference right away.

His color is better and he seems stronger. I hide it in his morning hot chocolate.

Now if I could just find a mult- that I could hide so well.

What other immune-system strengthening measures are you taking this year? For yourself? For your kids?

Autism could be connected to the rain?

Very interesting article in the Seattle PI this morning, "Study looks at autism, rain"

Check out the full article if you have the time. This is not, of course, definitive or proof of anything but I thought it was pretty darn interesting.

Here is an excerpt:

Cornell University researchers said children living in rainy counties appeared to have higher reported rates of autism than those in drier areas, after analyzing data from Washington, Oregon and California.

Washington counties west of the Cascades, for example, got four times as much precipitation and had autism rates twice as high as those in the East, according to the study's co-author, Sean Nicholson.

In rain-soaked Seattle, some parents saw these findings as yet another piece in a complicated puzzle. There is no known cause of autism and no established cure.

"I kind of think there is something to the kids not getting enough vitamin D," said LeAnne Beardsley, whose 4-year-old daughter, Keely-Fae, has been diagnosed with autism. "This study really doesn't surprise me at all."

Wow! So does this justify a trip from my beloved Pacific Northwest to a sunny clime during the winter?