This past year our family has switched to using more fruits and vegetables in their diet. We deal with Type 1 diabetes and possible gluten intolerance so we are trying to use food to heal our bodies and slow down or reverse this with our children.

The first step in this was using more real foods. During stomach irritations (ie:flu bugs, of which H1N1 has been a big problem in our schools for the past two years) we deduced that it would be easier on our stomachs to stick to earth foods or plants that do not require cooking. Unfortunately, my kids gave me lots of practice for perfecting this over this past winter. By the end, the kids returned to better health in hours rather than days and I was able to remain healthy despite having three children which is no easy feat.

Smoothies with only raw fruits were tolerated better than expected. I started with fruits because they are higher in Vitamin C to help boost the immune system. When fruits were tolerated then local honey was added to increase Vitamin C and to take advantage of the natural antiseptic value to help kill germs. If fruit was digestable, fresh vegetable made into soups are added. Soups when cooked at lower temperatures aid digestion and are easier on the stomach than raw it appears. If you actually get hungry and need more substance then bean soups are good to add because they are more filling.

Meats and dairy are harder to digest so should temporarily be avoided until the stomach is stronger. Now my next step is get a garden going for the summer and implement this process on a longer basis. I am curious to see if this will help my husband with his diabetes management and my son with his gluten intolerance recovery. There is much research to indicate there is a connection between gluten intolerance/celiac’s and diabetes. If we can prevent the children from progressing the world will be a better place for them!