The Clean Eating Kid

Let me share my “clean eating kid” story with you. When  my, now 5 year old, son Tosh turned 7 months old, he began a series of chronic illnesses, in which time I missed more work because I was taking care of him, than I did during my 5 months of maternity leave. Throughout that chronic series of illnesses, there were two precise moments in which I saw my son being taken from me. – that is how serious his health had become. Medications were not working for him, probably because he had been on so many during that year that his body had built up a resistance. This was an incredibly confusing time for me. I wanted to do what was best for him, but I had no answers other than – give him more medications.

I had experienced such tremendous health benefits from eating clean, wouldn’t my son?  Tosh’s world began to transform, as the foods I fed him transformed. My little boy who would end up in the hospital from the tiniest sniffle in his nose, became the kid with the best attendance in school.

Tosh’s chronic illnesses had reversed. His lengthy list of sicknesses were officially a non-issue, and my husband and I were finally able to take a breathe. However, as Tosh continued to grow older, we noticed some things that were “off”. Tosh’s speech was severely delayed because of his health problems. This made sense to us. But what didn’t make sense was this sensory disorder we were beginning to find out, Tosh had. Sensory disorders have an expansive range, and often times are associated with autism, but not always. While Tosh did not have autism, his sensory condition was so sever that he was not able to put on his winter clothes because the feeling of clothing layers on his skin physically hurt him……a tough situation to be in when you live in Jackson Hole, WY, ski mecca of the world! ☺

At this point in time, I considered Tosh to eat mostly clean. My husband wasn’t 100% sold on the whole “inflammation” and how it could effect a sensory condition like Tosh’s, but for the most part, Tosh ate clean. Or did he? I “forgot” that the preschool provided Tosh with breakfast, lunch, and snack each day. Hmmmm….I was a super busy mom, working 50 hours a week and pregnant with round 2, when I realized – Tosh isn’t clean at all. While his diet had significantly improved over the years, the majority of his foods were still HIGHLY inflammatory.

I began packing Tosh’s breakfast, lunch, and snack to school each day. I had read how inflammation can affect a child’s physical, mental, emotional, social-emotional, and learning ability, and since I was such a believer from my own personal transformation, I really had no other choice but to take this next step with Tosh.

What do you know? Within 1 year, he went from having raging meltdowns  that would last hours, to putting on his snow clothes without evening mentioning a word of discomfort. He went from panicking and literally ripping his clothes off of him if they got the tiniest drop of water on them, to simply telling himself, “It’s okay. It will dry.” These are just a few examples of how TRUE clean eating changed my son’s sensory life (and ours).

Inspired by Tosh, and my daughter Chloe, I have founded The Clean Eating Kid. My mission is to bring health and happiness to families, one meal at a time. My philosophy –if you can find an alternative food that kids will love, then swapping out inflammatory foods for non-inflammatory foods becomes quite smooth.

In the upcoming  months, you will find tips and tricks, through The Clean Eating Kid, for talking to kids about clean eating and health, recipes for swapping out kid tested – husband approved foods, and much much more. If you have specific questions, or are looking to talk to someone for one-time individual consults in regards to your child’s heath, diet, food swapping ideas, and or how to talk to them, I would love to help you.

With much gratitude,