WWED: Picky Eater, Vitamin K2, Raw Butter, Flu Prevention

What Would Emily Do? Q&A with Holistic Squid

Picky Eater Solutions – Making Rice with Bone Broth – Getting Enough K2 – Alpha Lipoic Acid Sources – Raw Butter Taste – Homeopathy for Flu Prevention

My inbox runneth over with questions from readers wondering – What would Emily do – about Real food and holistic health topics. I’ve created this Q&A to get your questions answered and for other folks to benefit from the answers too.

Who am I to know the answers to your questions?

I’m a holistic-minded mom, a sometimes beach bum, a real food foodie, a curious health researcher, and I’ve been practicing holistic and Chinese medicine for over a decade. That said, the answers here are only my opinion, and shouldn’t be construed as medical advice.

If you read something here and have your own wisdom or opinion to add, by all means, please leave a comment so we can all benefit from your experiences and perspective.

Okey dokey! Let’s dive in…

Question 1 – Solutions for a picky eater

Zuzana writes…
I was wondering if you have any tips on nutritious foods for a very picky eater.

My two year old son has always been a very picky eater who refuses to eat most foods and when he does eat he consumes very small amounts. He is in the lower, 10th percentile, but he has always been that way. Do you have any tricks up your sleeves or any helpful tips? So far I haven't given him any vitamin supplements, would you recommend I do that?

Hi Zuzana – Thanks for your question. It can be super challenging with picky eaters to get them the nutrition they need, but you're right to address it now rather than pander to it as picky eating is usually a sign of gut issues in kids which can lead to bigger health concerns down the line.

Here's a post that I've written on how to feed a picky toddler, and I suggest exploring the concepts of the GAPS Diet – which addresses the relationship between digestive health and the rest of the body. (It stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome). Check out the book here.

This is also a great article that presents a no-nonsense approach to getting picky eaters to eat nutrient dense foods and heal their little bodies. Good luck!

Question 2 – Making rice with bone broth

Christina writes…
Hi Emily! I've recently started making bone broth for my family. Try as I might, I cannot get my 6 year old or 12 month old to eat soups made with the broth. If I make a batch of rice using the broth instead of water, will they still receive the benefits of the broth? Thanks!!

Hi Christina! Yes! Cooking grains with broth is one of my favorite ways to make sure my family gets enough.

For those who are new to bone broth you can read more about the benefits and how to make it here (chicken) and here (beef).

Not ready to make your own? Buy bone broth online here and it will be delivered frozen to your door.

Question 3 – Getting enough vitamin K2

Jennifer wants to know…
If we are eating grass fed beef right now is that enough vitamin K2 or do we also need a supplement like High Vitamin Butter Oil?

Hi Jennifer – To my understanding, grassfed beef itself is not particularly high in K2, a fat soluble vitamin that plays an essential role of directing the body to properly distribute calcium.

This highest sources are liver and dairy products from pasture-raised animals. My family and I eat lots of grassfed dairy, liver a few times per month, and I also take this high vitamin butter oil supplement every day.

Read this post to decide if you need high vitamin butter oil to get enough K2.

Question 4 – Sources of alpha lipoic acid

Axel is curious…
A friend has been trying to encourage me to start taking this supplement that includes alpha lipoic acid and other antioxidants (vitamins A and C etc.) to combat free radicals in my body. Can I get alpha lipoic acid from food sources? What exactly are free radicals and antioxidants and should I be concerned about them if I am already doing a real food diet? Since we live in a world with so many toxins, should we be doing extra supplementation to combat free radicals? Thank you for all the work you put into your blog. It has truly changed my life.

Thanks for your question, Axel.

A bit of science first: Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons. They are highly reactive radicals and can start a chain reaction of cellular damage in the body.

Free radicals invade healthy cells leaving the body more vulnerable to inflammation from allergens and infection from viruses and other pathogens. Antioxidants greatly reduce cell damage by neutralizing free radicals. When cells are not being damaged by free radicals the body has more fortitude to defend against illness and degeneration.

Many common foods, especially fruits, vegetables, spices, and oils are rich sources of antioxidants, each having their own special way of functioning. Generally, the best way to make sure your body has the antioxidant support it needs is to consume a variety of antioxidant rich foods – a.k.a. real food.

Regarding alpha-lipoic acid specifically, my understanding is that it is an antioxidant that is not bioavailable to the body in it's natural food sources, but in supplement form it can be “un-bound” from protein and therefore usable by the body as a powerful antioxidant .

Anytime we start to dissect food into nutritional science, I suggest proceeding with caution because we don't know of the long term consequences of doing so. That said, I might still consider taking a supplement containing alpha-lipoic acid if I had to recover from extreme toxic exposure or I otherwise need to really help out my immune system.

Any readers have experience with alpha-lipoic acid that they'd like to share?

Question 5 – Raw butter tastes yucky

Jeannie writes…
Hoping you can help! I bought raw, unsalted butter from my co-op and it's kinda gross! Can I add salt to it and how would I do it? In the food processor? Thanks!

LOL, Jeannie. I have to admit, I feel the same way about raw, unsalted butter, and I believe it's just a matter of personal taste. You could try salting it – the easiest way would be to sprinkle whatever you're eating with the salt, but I suppose you could run it through a food processor too. We prefer cultured butter from pasture-raised cows and we get ours from Petaluma Creamery.

Get the link and read more about my family's butter habits in this post.

Question 6 – Homeopathy for flu prevention

Luciana writes…
Do you give your child homeopathy to prevent the flu? Which remedy do you use?

Hi Luciana – I don't usually go to homeopathy as my first line of defense for the flu, though I do like oscillococcinum which needs to be taken early and frequently (every two hours) to be effective.

To learn about what I do for my family to prevent and treat colds and flu, click here to sign up for my newsletter and get my free Immune Boosting Protocol ebook.

Got questions about real food or holistic health and wondering W.W.E.D.?

If you have a question for me, please first use the handy dandy search bar at the top righthand corner of this site. If that doesn’t give you the answers you need, email [questions at holisticsquid dot com].

I can’t guarantee that I will get to every single question, but I will do my best (with a priority for questions that will serve the most of the Holistic Squid community).

Also, keep in mind that I cannot and will not give you medical advice over the internet. It’s inappropriate and unethical. If you want my medical opinion about a health or nutritional issue for you or your child, I take virtual patient consultations on a limited basis via phone or Skype; You can find out more about my distance consultations here.