The Consequence of Pizza Twice a Day

On Saturday we had a birthday party for Isaac.  He turned 9 on March 20th but that week was a little hectic so we decided to celebrate a week late.  We held the party at Isaac and Anna's taekwondo school and as a part of the price, they brought in pizza and juice pouch drinks for the kids.  And then we had cake (not homemade, just a standard ice cream cake bought from a local store).  That evening was Parent's Night Out at the tkd school and Isaac and Anna attended that, as well (Latas and I were so exhausted from the day that we did not actually go "out"...but the break was very welcome).  At Parent's Night Out, they were fed MORE pizza, MORE sugary drinks, and all kinds of junk snacks.  For my kids, it was a day for the SAD (Standard American Diet).

It's been almost a year since my kids have eaten like this.  Even before my kitchen revolution began it was highly unusual for them to get TWO junk food meals in a day.  When I was planning the party, I struggled with the idea of so much gargage going into my children but I just could not see myself having the time or energy to go to the lengths it would have taken to upgrade the food.  I figured that one day of junk out of 365 days of Real Food was not such a bad compromise.  And they had a good breakfast...surely it wouldn't hurt.

Since I started my Real Food Revolution, Isaac and Anna's health and wellness have noticeably improved.  Isaac, who has always been generally very healthy and resistant to most of the bugs that pass through, now has apples in his cheeks and a consistently cheerful attitude that we saw just glimpses of before.  Anna, who has struggled from birth with her own involved health problems, has improved in her resistance.  I am sure that some people might want to explain to me that the upswing in their health may not have anything to do with raw dairy, fermented cod liver oil, and elimination of wheat from their diets...but I believe it does.  And until you show me evidence to the contrary, I will trust my gut, my eyes, and my experience.

So, Saturday came and went.  We all went to bed Saturday night, exhausted from a full day.  And we woke up Sunday morning to find that Anna was running a fever and Isaac was pale and pasty with dark circles under his eyes.  I am sure they were both sick because they were exposed at some point to a bug that decided to take root...and I am also sure that this bug was able to take root because of the garbage they poured into their bodies throughout the day on Saturday.  We are ALL being exposed to all kinds of bugs every day...so what determines whether we will succumb?  Our immune systems, of course!  And our immune system is built from our gut, nourished or deadened by what we put in it. 

So, what is the consequence of pizza twice a day (or any kind of trash food, for that matter)?  Lowered immunity, sick kids, and a spoiled Sunday.  In fact, Anna ran that fever until Tuesday morning.  It's Friday today and she is still not quite herself.

My take-away?  A compromise in my children's diet is a compromise in their health.  It isn't worth it.