The Unforeseen Benefits: Part Two

Continuing with our theme from yesterday, here are a few more unexpected benefits we’ve noticed on our journey thus far. Really, there have been many. Like more meaningful family meal times, mindful eating,…the list could go on. I’m sure as a family and as a parent you’ll notice your own unforeseen benefits. These are just some of ours… 

The ability to admire without possessing

Last week my husband needed to go to a bakery in the evening to pick up a cake to bring to work the next day for a co-worker who had just become a Canadian citizen. My girls wanted to go with him to help pick it out but I hesitated, wondering if this would set off a longing in them to have what we just can’t have now. I’m glad my husband ended up taking them because here’s what happened and what it showed me. The girls enjoyed the experience of looking at all the beautiful cakes. They enjoyed the experience of selecting one they thought the co-worker would really like. But when they were in the store with my husband and when they came home to tell me about it, there was no negative talk about how our diet stinks and why can’t we have the great desserts other people can. They were happy to have just had the experience of picking out a cake and admiring the desserts without needing to have them. It’s like when they were little kids and we’d tell them they didn’t have to pick all the flowers they saw. Some were just nice for looking at. In a world where instant gratification and a need to have things tempts them constantly, I realized our kids are learning an incredible skill and I’m grateful for that. And no, my husband didn’t eat the cake at work. Trust me, the girls asked him!

A level of self control that may surprise you

This one is closely related to the one above, but I wanted to give it it’s own attention anyway. Having to say no to a lot of tempting foods takes an enormous amount of self-control. If you have a really young child and are thinking kids just can’t master that, though each child is unique, I really think you’ll be surprised at how much self-control your child is capable of. When KT was five years old she was diagnosed with celiac so we had to train her accordingly. She picked up quickly on how to handle things when people offered her food and she had the self-control to say no. It was a new experience for EC when we started the AIP because now she too had to say no to a lot of foods. But she does it. That takes a lot of self-control, particularly if you think of the ways kids are bombarded with candy and sugar seemingly everywhere they go. That ability to use self control, particularly around food, is something many adults struggle to master (including yours truly!) so you teaching your kids that kind of self-discipline early I feel only helps them for life.

Waste not, want not

As you’ve either already figured out if you’ve started the AIP, or as you can imagine if you haven’t, that grass-fed beef, wild caught salmon and organic veggies and fruit don’t come cheap. I’ve mentioned, taking this on for a single-income family of four was a financial strain. We definitely do still spend quite a bit more on groceries than we used to but we have learned how to bring down the grocery bill from what it was at the beginning. Knowing how much we spend on our food makes us more deliberate about not wasting. Gosh, I don’t even throw bones away anymore! And if you’re cooking bacon, don’t let that leftover oil/fat go to waste! Save that for your fries or sweet potato mash. When reading about early pioneer life, I always admired the way they would make use of everything they had. Nothing went to waste for them. I kind of feel good living at least a little bit more with that mentality and I hope it rubs off on my kids too. My husband has his own way of teaching them this…