Mommy News - Vol. 1, Issue 6

Making Memories

Stephanie Raffelock

There is a certain magic to this autumn season. A wash of color splashes over the landscape and wind blows the leaves into the corners of life. A freshly raked pile becomes building materials for forts and castles; a place to run and jump, emerging with the dank earthy smells of soil and plant. Nights become cooler with the promise of becoming winter, and days linger into a fading golden light, somehow a perfect temperature to be outside before the doors and windows close shut to winter months.

The grocery store has towers of mums and pumpkins and their presentation sets off some kind of gene that wants to display mums by the front door and tuck pumpkins away in the dying garden, now stringy and spent. This has always been a favorite time of year for me and it was a life time in the making. I had a mother and a grandmother who helped to capture the ritual of autumn in their love for nature, farmer's bounty and kitchen wisdom.

From the time that I can remember, my mother wanted to drive into the mountains in mid to late September and pick up small branches of Aspen leaves. These she displayed in a basket in our living room, a small altar to God's artistic handiwork. She encouraged me to pick up pine cones, which also came home with us to reside on window sills and in bowls. Soon after, we would get a pumpkin or two, always at my instance way too early in the season. The two of us would sit at a kitchen table, spread with newspapers and scoop and carve and cut the scary faces that would guard our front door until All Hallows Eve when the neighborhood ghosts and goblins came to request their treat in exchange for a lack of mischief. The pumpkin's features would begin to curl and rot by Halloween and my mother was more than happy to see the pumpkins go the following day. But the month of pumpkins and autumn leaves, stays with me still-a visit into the memories of childhood and the sheer, simple joy of a season in change.

My grandparents lived on a small farm until I was a teenager, and though it was not a working farm anymore, my grandmother kept a large garden which blessed us all. Tomatoes and green beans were canned with peppers and onions and stored in the root cellar by the side of her house. The canning seemed to go on for weeks and the abundance of such was shared with her family. Though she did not have an apple tree, someone up the road did, and my grandmother always wound up with large bushels of apples that became apple sauce and most especially baked apples, the smell of which was ambrosia. It was in my grandmother's kitchen, sitting around a painted wooden table, chopping vegetables for canning, that I learned the world's problems could all be solved.

In these challenging times that are fraught with stress and suffering, memories and the continued rituals of the season bring comfort with their simplicity, reminding me that other than our basic needs being met, we really do not need very much to be happy. Once my grandmother's garden was combed over for the food it produced, I would spend hours playing in the dirt, creating fairy houses with sticks and leaves, making pathways for imaginary horses; creating a world of make believe that fulfilled my heart and turned my cheeks ruddy from the cool winds.

Making memories is the gift that we give in all of our relationships, whether with children, spouses or friends. They continue to bless our lives in moments of "remember when..." and the delight of recalling. This autumn, I hope that you will make memories with your family by gathering leaves to decorate your home, pine cones and other treasures from our mother earth; that you will take a basket of mums to someone who needs cheering and let your child present it to them, teaching them the value of a generous and kind heart. Walk with your family and enjoy the change in the air and the changing light. Eat apples and squashes and be brave and can something. It doesn't take much to learn how. Take your children into a patch of garden and help them build houses for fairies and tiny wild horses. Make memories that will last a lifetime. Happy Autumn to all dear mothers and their families!

Q-A with Dr. Dean Raffelock

Q: Why do women need to take the mineral selenium during and after pregnancy? What is the best form of selenium to take and what foods contain selenium?

A: The trace mineral selenium is essential for a number of reasons:

1. It is an antioxidant on its own and helps to prevent free radical, oxidative damage. Free radical damage can cause premature aging, cataract formation, and a higher risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and eczema.
2. Selenium helps regulate the immune system by helping to stimulate white blood cell production and thymus gland function and is essential in forming a very important antioxidant-called glutathione peroxidase, which among other functions helps the body rid itself of heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, lead, aluminum and arsenic. There is also a large body of evidence that demonstrates that cancer deaths and deaths from heart attacks and strokes increase when humans are low in selenium.
3. Selenium helps to form thyroid hormone.
4. Regarding selenium intake during pregnancy, there is clear scientific evidence that selenium is essential for proper fetal growth and development. Low selenium levels in newborns has been linked to SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Also, selenium levels tend to be very low in low birth weight babies. In countries with very low selenium levels in the soil, like China, women of child-bearing age and children are more susceptible to Keshan disease, a severe heart disorder.
5. Selenium is available in a number of forms. Stay away from the inorganic salts of selenium like sodium selenate, because these are poorly absorbed and less biologically active. Some prenatal vitamins use this inferior form of selenium or contain no selenium at all. The most absorbable and bio-active form of selenium is the selenomethionate form.

The following selenium containing foods are measured in micrograms (mcg) per 100 grams (3.5 ounces):

• Wheat Germ 111
• Brazil Nuts 103
• Whole Wheat Bread 66
• Bran 63
• Red Chard 57
• Oats 56
• Brown Rice 39
• Turnips 27
• Garlic 25
• Barley 24
• Orange Juice 19

The Recommended Daily Allowance of selenium for pregnant women is 65 mcg. and 75 mcg. for lactating women. If you are taking Before Baby Boost or After Baby Boost you are supplementing 30 mcg of selenium methionate. You can easily reach the recommended daily allowance by adding one or two of the foods listed above to your diet.

The accepted toxic amount of selenium is 900 mcg or above, so more in this case is not better! Some of the signs and symptoms of chronic selenium toxicity include depression, nervousness, emotional instability, nausea and vomiting, a garlic odor in breath and sweat, and loss of hair and nails in extreme cases.

Send your questions about nutrition and health to Dr. Rafflock at: www.info@soundformulas.com

"The Complete Fit & Healthy Pregnancy Workout" by Gabrielle Reece is the best pregnancy and post-pregnancy workout we've ever seen!

Fun Foods for Fast Moms:

Baked Apples:

• 4 to 6 Red Delicious apples
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• ½ Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ¾ cup Coconut Milk (Thai Kitchen Brand)

Peel and core the Red Delicious Apples (Even though so many vitamins are in the skin, I do recommend peeling the apples as the skin tends to be a little tough when you bake them). Cut into chunks about 2 inches by 2 inches. Place in baking dish that has a cover. Add maple syrup, ground cinnamon, and teaspoon of vanilla. Pour Thai Kitchen Coconut milk over the apples and stir everything together. Place in preheated oven (350 degrees) and bake in a covered dish for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

Tension Tip of the Day:

Create a Nature Basket with your family. Take a walk in the park or somewhere in nature and gather small things that can be placed in a basket: pine cones, small rocks, crab apples, leaves, twigs...arrange these things in a small basket and use as a center piece on a table. Both you and your children (and hubby too) will enjoy the walk, the fresh air and the honoring and appreciation of mother earth's gifts.

Please visit our new blog at www.pregnancyrecovery.com so that I can stop blogging myself and talk with you! Hugs and love to all of you, dear mommies!

~Stephanie~

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