food : nutrition
When Jim and I were dating, he lived across the street from Whole Foods. Often with a newly downloaded recipe in one hand and a shopping list in the other, we shopped for ingredients, and I prepared meals mostly from scratch.

The grocery bill was noticeably higher than what we were accustomed to, but we were willing to pay higher prices for higher quality, organic ingredients. Knowing that I wanted to start a family with Jim one day, I made a conscious decision to buy organic whenever possible because it was the healthy thing to do.

However well-intended this was, I bought into the organic movement because it was gaining momentum, and it seemed like the healthiest option. I blindly trusted all products that came from the organic grocery store chain as superior to ones from conventional stores without giving much thought to why or how.

We plodded down this organic road for about 5 years (for the remainder of our courtship, onto engagement and co-habitation, through newlywed life and into pregnancy and early parenthood).

Right around the time that Taylor started solids, I asked our pediatrician (an M.D. with additional credentials in homeopathy and alternative medicine) for a baby food book recommendation. She advised us against the ever-popular Super Baby Food book because it was overly fussy and would drive us crazy, and instead, recommended Nourishing Traditions (N.T.) as a family nutrition guide. N.T. is based on the findings of Dr. Weston A. Price (W.A.P.).

I don't remember exactly how I learned about W.A.P.'s seemingly unconventional principles, whether I'd bought a copy and started reading it on my own or I'd signed up for a nutrition class first. In either case, I wasn't ready to give up my passion for food and dive into this alternative lifestyle. For one, why on earth would I ever want to try to give up (refined) sugar?!?!

I put the book aside and its principles out of my mind for the next few months, but it seemed to beckon again when Taylor started enjoying food from our plates instead of organic, baby food jars.

Around the time of babies' 10-month well visits, our pediatrician provides a few suggestions about toddler nutrition. At this point in baby's development, the practice advises that parents feed their child whatever they're eating, provided that Mom and Dad are eating whole foods.

Well that sounded easy enough. We were already eating organic and not eating very many processed foods (or so we thought). As Taylor ate more and more foods from our plate, the more mindful I became of our food choices. What we were already doing suddenly didn't feel like enough.

As of January 2007, somewhere near Taylor's first birthday, I slowly included W.A.P. principles and food choices in our lives.

What does a W.A.P. lifestyle entail?

updated 8.07.07