During my pregnancy and after our son, Isaac, was born, it was very apparent that neither one of us were healthy.  My pregnancy was fraught with what I came to understand as detoxification,  as well as many other serious issues.  It was a week before our son was born that we found out through ultrasound (we had more than usual, because of all the problems we were having) that he had a duodenal and rectal atresias.  Also, as discovered during his surgery, his pancreas had not fully developed and was too tightly wound around his stomach (it unravels as the body develops).  In addition to this, he suffered from IUGR because of placental problems due to my bicornuate uterus and malnutrition due to issues with the umbilical cord. Born nearly two months premature via emergency C-section, he was operated on his third day in life.   Because of our states of health after the birth, we were unable to birth bond.  Unable to take the breast, I pumped my milk for him until the day before his first birthday.

Our son had struggled with food intake, digestion and assimilation.  I suffered from post-partum depression and severe acid reflux.  It wasn't until our son suffered an ALTE (acute life threatening event) that his doctor finally agreed with us that he also had acid reflux and needed medical attention.  Acid reflux is not uncommon for preemies, and especially for duodenal atresia patients.  We went through the usual medical route.  I would like to say that during this time, I was not comfortable with the course of medicine and procedures we had to follow just to keep him from vomiting up his food and screaming in pain after eating.  Also, my husband and I had already determined before our son was born that our son would not be vaccinated, and has not ever been.  In hindsight, I am so, so very thankful we made that choice!!

It was not until three months before our son's second birthday that things began to get to the critical point.  After a weight check, it was decided to wean our son off of the (pasteurized) goat's milk he was receiving in an effort to increase his food intake.   Also, it was suggested that we feed our son heavy fats, starchy foods such as potatoes loaded with sour cream, butter and gravy.  We modified his new diet a bit so that he wasn't getting so much of the animal fat by substituting it with oils such as olive and flax.  He seemed to eat quite a bit.  Surely he was growing and gaining weight now!!

After the three months, he was given another weight check.  He had not gained a single ounce, nor did he grow even a centimeter.  He was sleeping, on average, eighteen hours a day, awake long enough, it seemed, just to eat and poop.  He showed little interest when we interacted with him, was lethargic and ambivalent about interacting with others and taking initiative to learn.  While I understand that preemies develop slower than full-term babies, at two years of age, he missed all his benchmarks by several months, some by a whole year.  What was shocking was that we were told by our friends and relatives that our son, considering the amount of food he was actually consuming, should have been two to three times his size.  Clearly this child was not thriving due to malnutrition.  And in a first world country, no less.  I would also like to add, that by the Canada Food Guide standards, our son ate what we thought was a healthy diet.  Even our friends and families were impressed with how "healthy" our son's diet appeared to be.

We have known Tonya and Cody Dahl for some time.  It is too bad that often it takes a crisis before people decide to do something with their health, let alone the health of their children.  After discussing the situation with the Dahl's, it was decided that both mom and baby go on the same diet, the Rainbow Green Live- Food Cuisine ("RGLFC") diet. 

Our son lost roughly two or three precious pounds when we first put him on the diet.  He refused to eat for two days, but by the third, he started coming around.  He started this diet the beginning of October 2010.  To make a long story short, I can say with joy beyond measure, as a mom, that our son is now thriving!  He has gained weight; he has energy, is growing and sleeps only three hours during the day, instead of six+.  He is engaging, interacts with us and others, takes the initiative to learn, is curious.  He is now reaching the benchmarks that he had missed, and in a relative short amount of time, too.   All of our friends and families tell us every time they see him how much he has changed and is continuing to improve.  His paternal relatives, whom we visited the day of our son's second birthday -- a little over a month before we went on the diet -- were astonished at the transformation they saw in our son when we visited them again just before the holidays.   How on earth, they pondered aloud, could such a diet have such a positive impact and in such a short amount of time?

As for mom, I feel healthier, too.  I have lost excess weight and like how clean my teeth feel, not that fuzzy coating one gets from eating sugary and starchy foods.  I have no detectable body odour.  I am told that my hair, nails and skin look and feel healthier.  The depression is beginning to lessen.   Only recently have I been able to separate myself from the depression.  For the first time, I see light at the end of a long, and sometimes very, dark tunnel.  Depression has plagued me, almost my whole life, ranging from mild to, at times, almost debilitating.  We, in conjunction to the RGLFC diet, started using essential oils, which is recommended in the RGLFC cook book. Young Living Essential Oils has a line of products that help with emotional trauma.  They have a 90-day regimen that helps people come out of depression, which involves using several of their products.   I personally have been using several oils including Lavender, Peace and Calming, Valour and SARA.

Our son, who is now acting like a normal boy for his age, injured himself at home and at our friends' house while running around.  In both instances, the injuries were moderate.  After applying lavender, frankincense and Thieves on and / or around the injuries, both healed within a week.  In particular, his lip, which he split falling against the tv stand, was bleeding a fair bit.  After applying the lavender, the bleeding stopped almost immediately.  Lavender is also an anti-inflammatory, which many people do not realize.  He did not show signs of the injuries causing him pain after the application of the oil, nor did he present any bruising (lavender is also anti-bruising).  His lip was slightly puffy for a couple of days, but the lip healed very nicely.  Now, after week, there is no trace of the injury. 

My son and I have been on this diet for three months.  Due to the severity of our conditions, we, especially our son, will be on Phase 1 for a while longer.  I highly recommend this diet to anyone, whether they feel they eat healthy or not, whether they feel they are dis-ease free or suffering from a life-threatening ailment.  The reality is that unless a person takes their own health in their hands and does even a little bit of research (what one will find will shock them), that person will not know just how unhealthy our diets and lifestyles truly are. 

The RGLFC diet truly is an amazing diet.  Aches and pains go away; extra pounds virtually melt off one's body.  I feel that I am contributing to the well-being of our environment as well.  I feel so blessed to have found this lifestyle.  My whole family suffers from many ailments due to lifestyle choices, especially food choices.  In the past year and a half, together we have lost at least five or so family members due to illness.  Not one of them died from natural causes.  All were due to poor lifestyle choices. I am encouraged by the fact that my son is learning a different way.  What a privilege to be able to pass on such a legacy to our children, the future generation.

Tracy Lindemann