Our New Whole Foods Supplement... Juice Plus+

I'm always on the lookout for high-quality supplements for my kiddos.  I have tried so many different things but I either have a hard time getting them to take them, or they will take them but the nutrients fall short.  Of course I would love if they would just eat the diet I know they need and didn't need any supplements, but well, we are still working on that one.  Then you add in that our produce now days, even when it is organic, falls very short on nutrients, and it becomes even harder to get your kiddos what they need.

After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, as well as Food Inc. and Food Matters on Netflix, I have been even more fired up about trying to build up our bodies with micronutrients and nutrient-dense foods.  We eat almost completely organic, buy local grass-fed beef and organic free-range chicken, eat only wild-caught fish, eat organic produce, limit sugars, starches, and refined carbs, and we don't eat many processed foods.  Because I can't get my kiddos to eat many vegetables and Madi won't eat fruits or veggies unless I chop them very, very tiny and hide them in her spaghetti, I always felt my kids were not getting what they needed.   I love juicing, and think that's a great way to get micronutrients, but I honestly hate cleaning the juicer, and don't don't juice as much as I should.  Even when I do, Madi and Ramya won't drink it, so that doesn't help them.

On the spina bifida groups I'm on people kept talking about Juice Plus and how it's helped them to keep UTIs away, stay out of the doctor's office, to be infection-free, etc....  The girls do great with not getting UTIs (thanks to cranberry extract and d-mannose), but I always worry about keeping Madi's immune system up so she doesn't come down with something and have a seizure.  I also try so hard to build up Ramya's  system since I am sure she is so depleted from years of inadequate nutrition.  Conner does pretty well and doesn't get sick often, but he's not a veggie eater for sure.  Poor David gets sick every time anyone around us does, and he always has a hard time kicking it.  I know he could use an immune system boost.  I almost never get sick, but with 3 kiddos, and 2 of those kiddos having disabilities, well, I just don't have time to be sick at all!   I decided to try it for our family and so far we are loving it!  Even Madi, who gags fruits and veggies and won't eat many different textures, will eat them and likes them.  They have a child's study they are conducting and if you participate, and purchase an adult juice plus, your child gets Juice Plus for free (you have to purchase an adult juice plus set, but then one child per adult gets their juice plus covered.  David and I each get the supplements so two kiddos get their supplements free and then we pay for the third child's supplements.  David LOVES that they have chewables for adults and talks about how much he loves them :)).

Just to be clear, I do NOT think Juice Plus should be a substitute for high-quality fruits and vegetables, and I'll keep chopping those veggies and hiding them, but it is a great supplement to help you get to where you should be.  David and I eat a lot of vegetables, but I think it's important for us too, as it helps fill in the gaps. 

If you would like to read the clinical research on Juice Plus you can go to....

http://jveprek.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en/clinical-research/juice-plus-clinical-research.html#.U_A-1s90ztQ

Here is a video about how Juice Plus is made...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?index=3&list=PLC3386EAEA57BA722&v=jzWHTGc9Wmc&app=desktop

And a great summary from Dr. Sears, whom I love...

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/childhood-illnesses/benefits-of-juice-plus


I signed up to sell Juice Plus because I wanted to earn the money back on our own purchases (you do not get a discount if you sign up, but it's $50 a year and we earned that $50 back on our first purchase by signing up to sell it) so that I can use that money back towards our future purchase.  I can see our family using it long-term.  If you would like to try juice plus, please let me know!  Here's a link to our Juice Plus store...

http://jveprek.juiceplus.com       

I'll keep you updated at how we are liking it.  Please let me know if you have any questions :).



http://jveprek.juiceplus.com       

 

Our Wasted Trip to the ER for Madi

I am happy to report that today we wasted a trip to the ER!  I'm not being sarcastic either, I'm actually quite happy that it was a wasted trip and that she appears to be just fine!

Madi has been very off the last few days.  She is fussy, gets upset easy, is very tired all the time, is restless and not sleeping good, is eating but doesn't have her same appetite, keeps complaining of her left eye hurting (she has a VP shunt on the left-hand side), and is just not herself.  She hasn't had a fever, though, and no throwing up (except for once last night), so I started worrying about the possibility of shunt failure.  After talking to the neurosurgeon's office, we decided it would be best to go in to the ER and run a shunt series to make sure her shunt is functioning ok.  I had called while she was napping (she has been asking for a nap, which is so not like her!), so let her sleep a little bit longer and then headed down to Phoenix Children's Hospital.

At PCH we were admitted quickly and answered all the normal questions they ask.  Next they sent us for a big bang MRI.  They let me get in the machine with her, which makes me so very claustrophobic, but she did a great job laying still, and the test only took about 5 or 10 minutes.  She wasn't a huge fan of all of the random noises but really did wonderful.  Next we went over to x-ray to check and make sure her shunt placement looked good.  I asked them not to test her blood, since I'm not worried about anything other than shunt failure at this point, but did ask them to culture her urine, which came back clear. 

Our neurosurgeon, Dr. Shafron, came in shortly after we got back to the room and said her MRI and x-ray looked good.  Her shunt is still placed well, it's not caught on anything, there's lots of tubing left, and her ventricles look stable.  He said that what we don't know from the images is if her shunt is functioning well or not.  That's kind of the question right now.  While he was in the room, I got to discuss Madi's degree of scoliosis with him, which was nice.  Unless we have to see him sooner, we will follow up with him in six months after getting another set of x-rays, and then try, again, to figure out if we should de-tether her spine or not. 

The ER doctor said that there are a few viruses going around that they are seeing in the ER.  Madi's symptoms do not match what they are seeing, but they said that a virus could just be manifesting differently for her.  The other option is that she is in the early stages of shunt failure, where her shunt has not failed yet, but is also not functioning well. 

They gave me the option of staying the night for observation or going home.  I opted for going home, but have Madi in my bed so I can keep a really good eye on her.  She still sleeps in my room anyhow, because of her seizures, but usually sleeps in her toddler bed.  She was starving by the time we left, as he had been NPO (nothing by mouth) for so long.  I had brought her a granola bar, but it just was not enough.  After we left the hospital I took her to Whole Foods so she could get the gluten and dairy free pizza there that she loves.  I ate my veggie sandwich, she ate her pizza, and we were both happy girls!  She didn't finish her pizza, which again is odd for her, but she was a happy girl!

I'm praying this is all just a virus and passes quickly.  I'm thankful that we are home and that her shunt most likely is just fine.  Hopefully she will improve quickly and be back to her normal self soon! 

So happy with her pizza!! 

 



 

She requested to fall asleep laying on me... such a sweet snuggle bug!