Early Puberty In Our Children

I ran across an article recently that has me all upset. "Preventing Early Puberty and Hormone Problems In Our Daughters" talks about girls going into puberty early, as in 7, 8, 9 years old. Many in the medical community are calling this the new "normal". What is normal about a child going into puberty at such a young age? They don't understand what is happening, why it's happening, or what to do about it!

What caught my eye was the list of ways to try to PREVENT this happening. They hit on preventing obesity in your kids. Obesity has been shown to prevent more estrogen, estrogen is a hormone. Lets put that one together.

Prevent/Reduce Obesity

• Cut out the soda and juice completely! (Water is the best beverage.)
• Cut portion sizes in half.
• Do your best to eliminate bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice from the diet: emphasize good quality proteins and vegetables as the mainstay of their diet.
• Cut the amount of TV watching in half (and adding exercise will make this even better!).
• Make sure you are doing all of these things yourself!

 Two things on that list are specifically related to the TYPES of food we eat. TWO!

Going Primal it is in my scope for me to avoid processed sugars, wheat, gluten, and any grains. Corn, rice, quinoa, and legumes are all considered grains. It has NOT been easy. In our fast food, in your face, convenience world, stepping away from some of my favorite foods is hard! I am a lover of fried, baked, sweet yumminess! Eating out or doing fast food is all too common in my house. But since becoming educated about what's going on with our food, and how far away it all is from the farmer, I have daily been motivated. I can't say that I don't lapse. Some days I'm lucky if I hate any meal that was "Primal", but there is grace. I'm motivated. I'm continually motivated. It's what drives me to continue making better choices, not just for me, but for my kids and hubby. I love them too much to let them suffer! To know that I could be contributing to a problem now or in the future, makes me think twice before I cave and buy McDonald's.

I have recently started compiling a list of websites and info-graphics on Pinterest. You can check out my Food: Educate Yourself! board here. I also have pinned a couple other items there regarding this topic of puberty and the food we are eating. It's always a good idea to be informed!