Kids not feeling well

This last week I've been caring for sick kids, knowing that it's been birthday party season here, it was no surprise when my kids got sick. I like them to make their own choices when out and about. I do not want to force the raw food lifestyle I live onto them, especially since my husband is not anywhere near the raw realm. I feed them as wholesome a diet while at home and then when they are out with friends, they choose what they will eat. Sometimes they make good choices, sometimes they do not, but they are starting to make the connection...hey, I ate a lot of junk food (which doesn't have to be much to affect them) at that party and I'm not feeling well now. Or they will have a couple of parties in one weekend, and then come down with a cold that week. My daughter experienced an upset tummy last weekend at a party and then both kids got a fever and a slight cold this week...my son on Sunday night, my daughter on Thursday night.

Fevers are not common in this household. We probably haven't had one here for at least two years. When they do get one, it is usually mild, as these ones were. I am not a big believer in throwing medication into them at the first sign of a fever, because fever is the body's way of fighting the invaders. When you put medicine into them at the first sign, you are not allowing the body to take its natural course. They both came down with their fevers in the early morning hours, and when they are hot, they wake up. We gave them lots of water, and cuddles and took some clothing off to regulate the body's temperature.

I always sleep with the kids when they have a fever, so I can keep a close eye on things. If it gets uncomfortably high then sometimes we will medicate. This was not the case this week. They had their fevers, that caused them to slow down, drink lots and rest. When you medicate, the kids act like they don't have a fever for a few hours (6 to 8 depending on the medication given). They run around, expending valuable energy and the body loses it's rest time to heal. So my kids were couch potatoes for two days, it was actually good for them to slow down for a bit. They were also not hungry at all. Instinct tells them not to eat, because digestion takes away from the healing as well. So often again, in our society we're so concerned that if our kids aren't eating they'll starve, and won't get the nutrition they need. So often I hear my mother in law saying to the kids you have to eat so you have energy...forcing them to eat in the mornings. My daughter isn't a big morning eater, where as my son loves to eat in the morning. My daughter's appetite picks up around noon and then she makes up for it as the day goes along. She usually just has fruit for breakfast, and a light snack at school.

When in fact, I feel best on my runs when I haven't eaten beforehand as all my energy can go into running instead of digesting and running. Most people who exercise heavily will agree that they feel sick if they try to exert themselves after a big meal.

So often in our society we rush from this activity to the next, worried that we want to get our money's worth, or that our kids will miss out on some opportunity. So many people send their kids to school when they are quite sick for many reasons, maybe some don't want to take time off of work to take care of their child, maybe they don't want to deal with a cranky, tired, sick child. Maybe the parents too are sick. This will only lengthen the illness and possibly make it something worse. So far everyone I know who had kids with this same fever and cold have told me to watch out as it goes into a very bad chest cough.

When my kids are sick, they have a very strict meal plan, and they are good about it because they know it works. There is no refined sugar allowed. They must eat whole foods. For example, sprouted grain bread, steel cut oatmeal, and of course plenty of fruits and vegetables. We stay clear of most meat (unless my hubby has cooked) and refined grains. That's the way it should be all the time, really!! They drink lots and lots of water and fresh juices, and get lots of rest and sleep. It's been working for us and hopefully some of this will work for you as well.

Of course none of this is meant to diagnose or take the place of a doctor's or health practitioner's advice. It is meant as a way for me to tell you what works for us. That's how we learn. Don't take my word for it, research it for yourself, try things out and see what works for you.

Do you listen to your body? Do you try to eat a cleaner diet when you're sick? Try it out the next time you feel something coming on. Juice for a day, eat fruit and veg and greens for a few days, eat lightly. See how it works for you and let me know!

In the meantime, Eat Raw, Live Well.

Melinda
ps. find me on twitter @thriveonlive! I'm still working on that aspect of my computer knowledge. It's fun as more and more people start to follow! In joy! Me.