Be Organic Season 3 – Episode 07 – Dr. Organic Mommy / Nutrition, Parenting, And Healthy Habits

Kat and Landon sit down with Dr. Natasha Beck (AKA Dr. Organic Mommy) to talk all about food & nutrition, parenting, and creating healthy habits for your household. Listen to learn about pantry staples, dairy or gluten-free food options, and the importance of involving your kids in the kitchen. 

Listen as they dive into topics about self-esteem and independence in children, fostering frustration tolerance, and setting boundaries for technology. Making improvements doesn’t have to cost money either! Dr. Organic Mommy also talks about five non-toxic things that cost no money.

TIME STAMPS
2:52 How to introduce foods or superfoods to children at a young age (jump to section)
4:02 Bring your kids into the kitchen (jump to section)
6:16 Dr. Organic Mommy’s pantry staples (jump to section)
9:34 Dairy or gluten-free options (jump to section)
11:32 The importance of boredom in children (jump to section)
14:29 Boundaries for technology (jump to section)
16:47 How to foster emotional development during newborn stages and on (jump to section)
18:49 Encouraging self-esteem and independence in children (jump to section)
21:30 Fostering healthy sleep habits (jump to section)
26:27 “Greenwashing” marketing and how to make good choices (jump to section)
31:22 Five non-toxic things that cost no money (jump to section)

Transcription Below

Kat Eckles: Welcome to Be Organic.

Hello, Be Organic listeners. We are so excited to have you all today. I’m Kat Eckles. I am solo. Normally, my wonderful husband is here, but he is at home with our little ones while I get to talk to our wonderful guest about raising our little ones. We are so excited to have Dr. Natasha Beck on with us today. She’s an MPH with a Doctorate in Psychology. She’s a parenting expert and founder of Dr. Organic Mommy, an online resource focused on pregnancy, parenting, and non-toxic living. Dr. Beck holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology specializing in Pediatric Neuropsychology and a Master’s in Public Health specializing in Child and Family Health. She’s also certified in leadership education and neurodevelopment disabilities from the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. From how to handle tantrums, to mealtime difficulties, to helping families live healthier lives, Dr. Organic Mommy aims to help every family make healthy decisions, drawing on her experience as a mom and parenting expert. All proceeds from the Dr. Organic Mommy website go directly to charity, which is awesome.

In addition to her very popular Instagram channel, @dr.organicmommy, Dr. Beck has been named one of the top 100 Health and Wellness Influencers in 2020 by the New Hope Network. She has been featured in: “The New York Metro Parents Magazine”, “Kindhumans Bumkins”, “Benzinga”, and “Romper”. She has appeared on the Atomic Mom’s Podcast with Ellie Knaus, The Hamilton Review, and got to talk with Sonni Abatta, as well as Mama Said with Jamie-Lynn Sigler & Jenna Parris. When she’s not working on Dr. Organic Mommy, Dr. Beck is busy raising her three children, while pregnant with her fourth, and her two fur babies with her husband. She serves on the board of the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, the Los Angeles Football Club Foundation, and the Environmental Working Group, which is absolutely incredible.

You’re very busy, so we’re very grateful to have your time today. Thank you so much for joining us.

Dr. Natasha Beck: Thank you so much for having me. 

Kat: It sounds like you just have a wide variety of interests and topics. I’m sure we could probably have you on for ten different podcasts, but I kind of wanted to do a general deep dive today and we could talk about a couple of categories like food and nutrition, some parenting styles, and healthy habits for your family. Does that sound good?

Natasha: Sounds great.

Kat: Awesome. So, what we do, we’re the podcast for Clean Juice. As you know, Clean Juice is an all-organic juice and smoothie bar, and it really started for us because I wanted to eat healthier and I wanted my kids to eat healthier, but I didn’t like fruits and vegetables. You know, I couldn’t serve a grilled organic chicken breast with Brussels sprouts every day because my kids weren’t going to eat it. So I was like, “All right, we gotta figure out how we can get more fruits and veggies into their diets.” I found we can get everything in a smoothie and they’ll eat or drink it. I would love to hear some kind of tips from you on how to introduce superfoods and healthier foods at younger ages for kids. 

How To Introduce Foods Or Superfoods To Children At A Young Age

Natasha: I love that you guys started that because I think it’s incredible, and I’m all about smoothies, definitely for kids. My other tip with smoothies is if they don’t finish it, you just pour it into a popsicle mold, and then they can actually eat it later on as an afternoon snack. Presenting it in a different format and in a different texture sometimes can make it a little bit easier for kids who tend to be more cautious.

Kat: That’s actually really smart. Then they think it’s ice cream or a popsicle.

Natasha: Correct. I think with food, especially with getting a lot of superfoods in them, you start from when you introduce just a basic piece, like a slice of avocado. If you can take some fresh whole chia seeds or flax seeds, you always want to buy them whole, then grind them up fresh, then roll them with a slice of avocado in it. It actually makes it easier for the baby to hold onto, and then they’re getting those superfoods in them right away. 

Kat: That’s brilliant. I know you’re a big proponent of having the kids in the kitchen with you, you think that kind of brings them into it and helps them experience it. What’s a good way you go about it? I know sometimes I’m telling my kids to get out of the kitchen so I can get things done. How do you work with them and bring them in so they’re involved?

Bringing Your Kids Into The Kitchen

Natasha: I think you have to realize that when you have kids in the kitchen, you are going to expect them to fail, and you want them to fail. You don’t want to kick them out of the kitchen because eventually, you are going to want their help. If you keep telling them, “No, I don’t need your help, go do something else,” eventually they’re going to stop offering the help and they’re not going to be a contributing member of the family. So, you do want to give them opportunities in the kitchen, but you want to give them opportunities that are developmentally appropriate. I like to start off with my one-year-old in the kitchen, they’re starting to stand up or they’re walking.

You can get one of those learning towers where they’re actually enclosed, you can give them a bowl, and you can have them help pour things. If I’m pouring in a half a cup of flour, I’ll put it into a one cup of flour so that they don’t actually just pour it all over the place. I’m making it a little bit easier for them and realizing that they will spill. I even did a reel on how you actually correct the child as opposed to getting mad at them and what it looks like from their point of view when you do lose it and get so frustrated when they spill.

Just letting them know, “Oh, you spilled some flour. Soon, you’ll learn how to pour where you don’t spill it. Let’s clean it up together.” It’s just being calm and relaxed with them, and it actually slows them down, which is really important. It’s really great when you get the kids in the kitchen that they’re seeing what’s actually going into their food. That’s the first way that you get kids to be more interested in, say, vegetables, for example, because they’re seeing what’s going into their food and they’re tasting it as it goes. If you’re making a smoothie at home, have them taste it and say, “Does it need a little bit more sourness? Does it need a little bit more sweetness?” So, they can make that decision on their own and they feel that they have more buy-in, which is always really important with kids.

Kat: I love that, and I love the tip of putting the half a cup in a whole cup. I’ve never thought of that, and it makes so much sense.

Natasha: Yeah because it’s less likely to spill. 

Dr. Organic Mommy’s Pantry Staples

Kat: Yes. What are some pantry staples that you have in your house for your kids and for healthy eating for your family?

Natasha: Great question. I’d say my number one thing that I use almost all the time is unsulphered organic blackstrap molasses. What I love about blackstrap molasses is it’s very high in iron. It’s a great way to get iron into kids because if you’re breastfeeding your child, iron in breast milk actually starts to drop off after six months of age. Unfortunately, a lot of pediatricians will actually push iron supplements, which can be harder on the stomach, but if you can get it through their diet, it’s a lot better.

Blackstrap molasses, actually, I add to pancake batter, muffins, and to oatmeal every morning. It’s a really easy way to get that iron in there. You just want to make sure that you don’t give it with dairy because dairy can impact the absorption of iron. You want to pair it with something that’s high in vitamin C because that helps the absorption of the iron.

So, with my veggie-loaded oatmeal in the morning, you can grate zucchini, which is very bland. People think, “Oh my goodness, there’s zucchini in the oatmeal.” You don’t even taste it, and then you grate some carrots because carrots are naturally sweet, and I like to call it nature’s sprinkles. The kids actually see the carrots and the zucchini going into the oatmeal. Put in blackstrap molasses. Start off with a teaspoon and then go up from there to see how your kids like it. It’s not sweet, so just be mindful of that.

Kat: I would’ve thought it would be sweet, actually.

Natasha: Right. It’s not actually sweet, they take out all the sugar. It’s actually very rich and thick, and it can be a little bit more bitter, so just be mindful of that. I love putting that in a kid’s oatmeal to start, and that way you’re exposing them to veggies first thing in the morning.

That’s my number one thing. I think I probably love having buckwheat and teff flour in the house. I also store those in the fridge or the freezer so they last longer. I use that in pancakes, breads, and muffins. It’s really great because it’s nutrient dense and actually gluten-free, so people who are sort of gluten intolerant can actually have buckwheat and teff. They’ve got tons of protein in there too, so it’s really filling for kids as well. You can think, “Alright, I gave my kid a nice healthy breakfast.” It’s not full of white flour or anything, buckwheat flour is really great.

Then I would say Skout bars are also something I love to have in my pantry. It’s one of the only bars that I actually let my kids have. It’s like a packaged snack. They have no added sugar, and they actually use dates to sweeten the bars, so that’s great because that’s unrefined sugar. Dates are great because they have tons of fiber, so you’re not getting that huge insulin spike. They also pair it with various fats from protein in there like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. You don’t end up getting to the point where you actually want to have a snack another half hour later, where your kids are like, “Oh, I’m gonna have Pirate’s Booty”, or whatever it is. Maybe some organic puff, and then they’re asking you for more snacks later on because they’re not satiated because it’s not a balanced snack. I’d say those are my three top things. 

Dairy Or Gluten-Free Options

Kat: That’s awesome. Do you follow any strict diets like gluten-free or dairy-free? Are you pretty relaxed with all that?

Natasha: My daughters are actually allergic to dairy, so we can’t actually do dairy. My oldest outgrew dairy allergies, so we will give him some raw dairy every once in a while, just the raw cheese. I personally was vegan for a very long time, so it’s hard for me, I can’t do cow’s milk personally. I always say it’s really important to make sure if you do dairy, make sure it’s organic. Make sure it’s not ultra-pasteurized because it’s super processed that way and they take out all the nutrients, so that’s important to look for. You want to be mindful of gluten because a lot of gluten is sprayed with tons of glyphosate, which is a harmful pesticide that can impact your body in a number of different ways. If you’re going to eat gluten, look for the nutrient-dense glutens like the ancient grains, your Einkorn flour, your spelt flour. If you’re going to do bread, do sourdough because it’s fermented, and it’s much easier for your body to digest. 

Kat: I do great on sourdough bread. In fact, I almost feel like it helps my gut in the morning. I feel like I just need carbs.

Natasha: Yeah, I hear you. 

Kat: First thing in the morning, I’ll have sourdough toast with just some organic raw butter and I do great on it. 

Natasha: That’s amazing, yeah. You got your fat with your carbs, so it’s more balanced for sure.

Kat: Absolutely. Well, I’d love to talk a little bit about parenting. I know we’ve talked about this. You’re pregnant with your fourth kid and I have five kids, so between us, we’re nine kids deep. 

Natasha: We have quite the bundle. 

Kat: Yeah. You talk a lot on your platform about different parenting techniques, which I align with you on a lot of them, and I look up to you on a lot of them. One that kind of stuck out to me was your talk about the importance of boredom. I would love to hear you explain your theory there and what that means for you and your family. 

The Importance of Boredom In Children

Natasha: The importance of boredom starts right away. I think parents often get into this habit of feeling like they need to entertain their child, and the child never learns to actually play independently. Even with young babies, they’re constantly being stimulated by lots of noises and lots of colors, when in reality, they’re new on Earth. They have never seen a tree, they’ve never seen the wind blowing the leaves, and they’ve never seen shadows, so that’s all really intriguing to them. Even their hand is exciting to them because their hand looks different outside of the body than it did inside in utero.

I think for parents, we have to let go of the idea that we have to entertain our child so much because they’re constantly being entertained by everything around them. Why that’s so important is because they need to build frustration tolerance. When we’re constantly swooping in to fix everything to help them to solve everything, it unfortunately backfires because eventually, they don’t know how to deal with it later in life.

There are consequences to that. When your child is sitting and, say, building blocks and it breaks down, falls, and they get so upset, I want you to just feel present in the moment and not feel the need to fix everything. Something that I often tell parents is it’s not your job to make your child happy. It’s your job to help them learn how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. In today’s world, it’s really hard to do that, especially because everything is getting to you within the hour or you can get it right away. Everything’s on demand. You can look something up instantly as opposed to spending time looking it up in the encyclopedia. We have to teach our kids delayed gratification. We have to teach our kids frustration tolerance a lot more than we used to, unfortunately, because we have so much technology and various advantages in today’s society. I think it’s really important to be mindful of that. 

Kat: It’s so true, and I don’t know how old your oldest is, but my oldest is 14 and most of our best friends are kind of in that 15, 16 range. So I have a house full of teenagers all the time, and it’s really that first generation that’s come out of this technology era, and I just can’t believe how different they are from me 20 years ago. I mean, it really is true that everything’s instant, everything’s gratification, and everything’s done over messaging and over the phone. My kids are blessed to have a great group of friends, but the culture is just like you said, it’s instant, they’re talking over Snapchat, and they’re not even talking in person.

Boundaries For Technology

Natasha: Right. They’re actually doing it right in front of each other, ending up on the phones when they’re sitting with each other. It’s definitely tough. I think in today’s world we have to be mindful of that and set boundaries, and eventually, our kids will appreciate it. In the moment, your kids are going to be frustrated and you don’t want to just take it away, especially with your teenagers, without having a conversation. Explain to them your point, and explain to them the reasoning. 

In our day, I think when we were younger, our parents would say, “We used to walk to school in the snow.” or, “It was so hard and now you have it so easy.” Then we used to think, “Oh my goodness, they’re just so old.” I’m sure teenagers are going to think that about us, but the important thing with teenagers is to hear them out. We really need to make sure to validate their feelings and acknowledge what they want.

It’s the same thing with kids, but you’re having a more intellectual conversation with your teenagers and hearing them out. You really just need to explain your reasoning and that you have a job as a parent. Kids appreciate boundaries. When you just let them go loose, it makes them feel very unsafe. Your older kids are not going to say that, but it’s true when you are sitting there with them. This is why it’s so important when they’re younger, when you’re sitting in there with them, not to fix everything. Then they trust that when they’re older, they can come to you and say, “I’m struggling with X, Y, and Z,” “My friend is doing drugs,” or whatever it may be. They’re not going to sit there and feel like you’re going to try and solve everything for them. You’re going to sit there, be present, listen, and not judge them. 

Kat: Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s the best piece of advice for teenagers that I’ve heard because it’s hard and they’re going through hard stuff and real stuff. Everything’s documented. That’s the other thing, our lives weren’t documented as teenagers. Everything’s recorded: everything said, everything you’ve written, everything you’ve done. It’s a really different world for them. So, the fact that they can feel safe and can solve some of this stuff themselves is really important. 

Natasha: It definitely is. I think education is the biggest piece. When you have to sit there and let them know that all of this is being recorded and monitored. How would you feel if you actually went on a job interview and someone were to look this up and find out that you wrote this or that you posted this? You have to have those conversations with your kids. 

How To Foster Emotional Development During Newborn Stages And Beyond

Kat: Absolutely. Let’s go back from teenagers back to birth. You talked about how emotional development starts to begin at birth, and we talked about how the baby sees their hand and everything’s so exciting. What are some ways that a new mom might be able to foster some of that emotional development, even as early on as the newborn age?

Natasha: Right away it’s all about narration and telling them what you’re doing. I wouldn’t go up to you and just take your jacket off of your body without saying, “Can I help you with your jacket?” because that would be a huge invasion of your body. I do that with children. When I’m putting their arm through the sleeve, I’m tapping their arm so they are aware that’s what I’m going to be doing and I’m talking to them. I’m saying, “Your arm is going through this sleeve. I’m taking off your diaper now, I’m going to touch your legs. I’m going to push your pants down.” It’s really important to let them know that.

Even potty training actually starts right at birth. You may think I’m crazy. What I mean by that is when you’re actually changing your child’s diaper, if you have a certain tone in your voice or you have expressions on your face of “Oh, this is gross, this is nasty. Oh my God, this poop is gross,” your child hears that and they pick up on that. They feel that, and they actually start to have a negative association with their bowels. That’s why, a lot of the time, children are starting to struggle with bowel movements because they have this negative association that started early on when their parents were changing their diapers. You want to have that positive association when you’re changing diapers. It’s really important.

Kat: That’s awesome. You don’t even think about that kind of stuff when you’re in there, right? You’re just trying to go about your day and get your tasks done, but they’re picking up on everything and you’re their whole world. It’s really important that they’re able to mirror you and you’re able to give good positive reinforcements there.

Natasha: 100%. 

Encouraging Self-Esteem And Independence In Children

Kat: I know you also believe that with self-esteem and independence, all of that happens at an early age too and obviously it’s so important for kids. What are some of the ways that you make sure to really encourage positive self-esteem in your kids?

Natasha: With a lot of parents today, it used to be known as the helicopter parent, right? Where you just come in and solve everything for them. Now it’s the bulldozer parent where they’re just removing all obstacles for your kids. Unfortunately, that really does backfire as well. You want to make sure that you provide room for your child to fail, like I said earlier, and let them realize that they are going to make mistakes and you want to give them chances to do things on their own.

That all helps contribute to self-esteem. Getting them in the kitchen with you to help contributes to self-esteem. Make sure not to praise them and say, “Good job. Oh my God, that’s the most amazing thing,” and, “Ah, yay!” Instead of doing that, all your child’s actually wanting from you when they show you something is they want you to join in the activity.

When they’re showing you a picture they drew, they’re not wanting “Good job. You’re a great artist. Oh my God, that’s fantastic.” They’re wanting to let you join in on what they’re doing. So, you’re going to say, “Oh, you used a lot of colors” or, “Yeah, it looks like you drew a rainbow, tell me about it. What did you draw?” Maybe they didn’t draw a rainbow, it just has a lot of colors and you’re not sure. Praise is really important because that really does impact their self-esteem. Instead, if they say they cracked an egg for the first time, say “You cracked an egg, you did it by yourself.”

It’s very different from me saying that versus “Good job. Oh my goodness,” because that “good job” is actually more for you. I’m the parent that has the child who cracked the egg on their own. You’ve got to think about why you’re saying something. Is it more for you or is it actually helping your child?

Kat: That makes great sense. I’d love to talk about healthy habits too. I know that’s something that’s very important for you. I think for any family and especially a large family, it’s really important to get on good routines, be organized, and just have certain things that you guys do. It’s funny, for me, I’m probably a hippie at heart. I always say I’m kind of like a gypsy personality. I’d be the shoeless mom on a beach somewhere.

Natasha: I’m totally with you on that one.

Fostering Healthy Sleep Habits

Kat: I can use all the help I could get with this, but the first thing that is probably most important, for adults and kids alike, is sleep and making sure that we have healthy sleep habits. If my husband was here, he’d be laughing at me because that’s probably the worst area for our family. They all want to co-sleep with us so they’re all crawling into bed, then he’s getting mad and moving to the couch, this one’s kicking that one, and we get them over here then moving over there. What are some tips for getting on a good routine with your family? Especially the little kids that want to co-sleep, but then I have my teenagers who want to be up all night. There are probably across-the-board things that we could be doing differently.

Natasha: It’s definitely a tough balance, and I’m not in that teenager mindset yet. My oldest is seven, then I’ve got a five-year-old, almost three-year-old, and then this one will come soon. It depends on what’s important for you and your family. If you believe in co-sleeping, I think that’s great and you can do that. The one thing I always caution parents is making sure that you have time with your spouse so your relationship doesn’t suffer from them.

As far as sleep habits go with kids, there are a few things. Your sleep environment is really important. Just like when you go to a restaurant, you love to have a great setting and great ambiance. It makes it more enjoyable and you enjoy the food more. The same thing goes for your sleep. You want your sleep environment to be really calming, really neutral, and not overstimulating. I find that kids if they’re in their own rooms or they’re sharing a room, especially for little younger kids, they have too much stuff in their room. So, not only is it overstimulating, but for younger kids, around two and a half when nightmares start to develop, those toys come alive at night for them. It becomes really scary for them. 

You just want to have their bedroom as neutral as you can. I would prefer no toys if possible and have those toys in a more common space. You can have books for sure and display those books, but that’s about it. When it comes to your bedding, you want it to be really calming and inviting. I think it’s exciting for parents to think, “I’m going to get the race car bed, the princess bed, or their favorite Peppa the pig characters.” While that might be fun and you’re thinking, “That’ll make my child enjoy sleep more,” that’s really on you because you’re feeling nervous. You’re projecting that nervous energy about whether or not your child is going to fall asleep onto your child. You feel like you need to make up for it by buying certain character type bedding, but in reality, it’s actually overstimulating for them.

You want to keep those sheets calm with solid colors. Make sure you have a calming nightlight. Make sure that the nightlight isn’t a bright blue light, you want it to be a red hue. That’s why I love those rock salt lamps because they dim. You put it on the other side of the room, plug it in, and it’s really calming for them. You notice that it’s like I’m setting up a nice environment. That’s really key.

The next thing is you want to have your routine set up. A lot of it is having dinner with a family. Sometimes what I find is helpful for some kids who tend to be really wound up is going for a quick little walk right after, for a twenty-minute walk saying goodnight to the moon and the stars. It helps set the tone so they get that rush of energy after dinner with that after-dinner walk.

You can either do bath time after that or do bath time before, but I do think bath time is really important because it helps to calm the child down. I also don’t like a ton of toys in that bath because I want it to be relaxing. I personally love to do an Epsom salt bath because most kids and adults actually are magnesium deficient. That’s a great way to get some magnesium in you because you absorb it through your skin, and it’s actually very calming too. That’s another way to help with their sleep. Then, reading their books, having a set number of books, brushing their teeth, flossing, et cetera is all really important. Then I always like to say goodnight to the moon and the stars, especially for young kids, I think it helps. Say, “It’s time to go to bed.”

Kat: Yep, everybody’s going to sleep. 

Natasha: Yes, but I get it’s harder for the older kids. I think the way you do that is you have to straddle it. You have to put younger kids to bed first. Even if you have your baby, you put the ones in the middle down first, then you put the baby, and then you tell the teenagers, “Hey, I know you’re on screens, or watching a movie, or whatever. I was really mindful when you guys were younger to protect you from that. So I need you to keep that in mind for your younger siblings.”

Kat: Yeah, that’s good. 

Natasha: “I did that for you, I need you to do that for them. So, please go into a separate room or just wait until they’re down, then you can do it.”

Kat: That’s good. We actually turn our wifi off at night, so I have a wifi timer. Of course, it started at 10:00 PM but now it’s 11:30 PM for the teenagers. So at 11:30 PM, they don’t even have the option anymore because the wifi is gone.

Natasha: I love it. I’m all about that. 

Kat: It works. 

Natasha: I wish I could do that for my husband. 

Kat: Yeah, that’s funny. My husband gave me the biggest problem with it all, so if there’s a late football game, he’s going to switch it so it doesn’t turn off. 

Natasha: Yeah, I get that.

Kat: The magnesium’s great too because it helps him fall asleep.

Natasha: Yeah, it does. It actually, can help them with sleep for sure. 

Kat: That’s awesome. 

Natasha: I try to use that as opposed to melatonin or some kind of other supplement that they can actually get addicted to and you shouldn’t be using on a daily basis.

“Greenwashing” Marketing And How To Make Good Choices

Kat: Absolutely. The next thing I wanted to talk about, which I’m sure we can lament on together, is all the marketing that’s focused on these kids. It’s from these big brand products that have artificial dyes and colors, and it just seems like it’s all around them all the time. We go to a tiny, small Christian school, but at every sporting event we go to, there are racks of snacks that they can buy, and it’s only Cheetos, artificial colorings, and red dye. I just feel like they’re bombarded more than ever with these snacks, these things that are unhealthy for them, the messaging, and the availability. What are some ways you keep that out of your household or your family, especially when you’re going out? I think it’s a little bit easier when you’re in the house because you’re kind of the gatekeeper, but I really struggle with when we go out and everyone’s eating them. How do I let them have a normal childhood but still protect them and help them make good choices?

Natasha: It’s definitely tough, but it really comes down to education and alternatives. For kids, you want to start as young as you can, if possible, to educate them and let them know that there are foods that help you grow and there are foods that don’t help you grow. My saying is if you’re going to eat the foods that don’t help you grow, eat the good stuff.

Instead of like a candy that’s got red dye 40 in it that’s banned in Europe and unfortunately not here, I’d rather you have a cookie because at least that has whole food ingredients. That’s something to keep in mind. With kids, artificial food dyes, preservatives, and even the added sugar, refined sugar, it all actually really impacts their bodies. Let them know how it feels and make sure that they know that association. You want your kids to pay attention to how they feel after they eat those things. Do you feel like your stomach’s sticking out? Do you feel like it’s harder to go poop? Do you feel like you can just run around forever? Those are things that aren’t normal. You want your kids to make that connection.

Then in terms of when you’re going out, I always like to bring backups and alternatives. If they’ve got Cheetos, I’m going to bring the Siete chips or the organic corn chips with quinoa that my kids still love. Then they recognize that there’s a difference and I say, “Let’s look at it together.”

This actually came about with my seven-year-old when we were trick or treating on Halloween, and he’s like, “Oh, I wanna try some of the pieces of candy.” I said, “Alright, well, let’s look at the ingredients together and then you can make up your mind, because I have some alternatives at home that are still candy, but they don’t have the artificial food dyes, so let’s look at it together.”

We looked it up online because the bite-size candies actually don’t have the ingredients on them. He’s looking at it and reading it. He’s like, “No, I changed my mind. I don’t wanna eat that. That sounds weird, it doesn’t sound like food. I’ll eat the other candy because I know what spirulina is. I know what beet juice is. It’s just the coloring, but it’s from a plant.” I think it’s really about educating them and letting them make that decision. If your child does want to try the Cheeto, which my oldest has, again, it’s making sure that they pay attention to how they are feeling with their body, and he didn’t feel good afterward. He was like, “It wasn’t worth it.“

Kat: Yep. My kids will literally vomit, especially the red food coloring. They’ll just throw up.

Natasha: It’s awful. I mean, there are tons of correlations even with kids with ADHD, it’s even worse for them. It really messes with their ability to focus, and for kids in general, it makes it so much harder for them in school. Why add that added stress to them when they don’t need it? 

Kat: Absolutely. The last thing I wanted to talk about is: I know a lot of people talk about non-toxic living and wellness things that they perceive as too expensive or cost too much money. I always say it’s really expensive to get sick. It’s really expensive to have your body not functioning at full capacity. What are some tips? I think you have five of them that you’ve talked about somewhere that are non-toxic things that cost no money at all. 

Five Non-toxic Things That Cost No Money

Natasha: Yeah, that’s what I always like to start off with because I think it is overwhelming. I always tell parents social toxins can actually be worse than chemical ones. I mean that the stress and the worrying about it can actually be worse for your body because those increases in cortisol actually depress your immune system. There are a lot of free things out there, starting off with just leaving your shoes outside. People don’t realize that there are tons of bacteria in different places and on the bottom of your feet when you’re walking around the city all day, and then you bring that right inside.

The next thing is to open your windows. Indoor air has ten times more pollutants than outdoor air, which I think is really shocking to some people because you think, “Inside I’m not breathing in the dust, the smog, or stuff from the fuel from vehicles and whatnot.” You’ve got tons of stuff in your air inside from volatile organic compounds, paint, formaldehyde, the different glues in your cabinetry, to your wood, flame retardants that are on, unfortunately, your mattresses most of these days, and PFAS (most people think of as Teflon, which is what most people are familiar with) which is a stain-resistant, water-resistant chemical that they add to couches, carpets, and you don’t actually realize you’re breathing it in.

I always tell people, remember when you see a ray of sunshine coming in through your window and you see all those speckles, you’re breathing all of that in. Opening your windows helps, which is just a free thing that you can do. When you’re cooking on your stove, make sure that the vent is open because there are a lot of different gases coming from a gas stove that you don’t want to breathe in. Having that window open also in your kitchen with the vent on is really important.

Make sure that you get outside with your bare feet. I definitely can sympathize with you on that because I sometimes will walk out of my house and realize that I don’t have shoes on. I forget because I’m always barefoot, but it’s really important to actually get outside and be barefoot even if it’s freezing weather and it’s cold. I get my feet outside first thing in the morning, it helps wake me up. I know some people say it sounds spiritual or hippie when you feel like there is energy from the earth, but there is.

You get a lot of different nutrients from the soil, but you have that energy from the earth. You pick up on that and you feel connected, you feel grounded. It’s actually called grounding when you are barefoot outside. That helps set my circadian rhythm for the day. The first thing I do when I travel is making sure in the morning when the sun is up, I go and put my bare feet outside because that helps prevent me from getting jet lag.

It’s not exactly free, but when you’re going to the grocery store, try to stay on the outer aisles, stay away from the packaged foods, and get more produce. I’d rather you get more produce in your diet, even if it’s conventional and not organic, because that’s more important.

Kat: That’s great. That’s awesome. Well, Dr. Beck, like I said, I think we could probably have you on for twenty-five more podcasts. I think you’re a wealth of information and knowledge, and I’m excited for our guests to get to follow you and follow along with you. Let’s talk real quick. Why don’t you tell everybody where they can find you, your Instagram, website, or any of that that you have going?

Natasha: Thank you. Yeah, my Instagram is @dr.organicmommy and the website is drorganicmommy.com. I have tons of recipes and blogs on everything from parenting, to non-toxic living, to nutrition to kind of help everybody in their journey. 

Kat: Awesome. Well, we always like to wrap up by asking our guests: What is your one tip for living your life organically?

Natasha: Oh, that’s a great question. I would say self-care is super important. You have to take care of yourself first because it’s the same idea as why you have to put your oxygen mask on first on the airplane before you put it on your child. If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your kids and your loved ones, so make sure to put yourself first.

Kat: I love that, awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today, we know you’re busy. Congratulations on your success, your family, and your pregnancy. We’re just excited to see you. We have our first L.A. store opening early next year. Maybe we’ll get out there and get to see you.

Natasha: I can’t wait to check it out. Yes, if you guys come out, just make sure to let me know. I’d love to come check out Clean Juice here. 

Kat: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, thanks for all you do, and have a great day. 

Natasha: Thanks, you too, Kat.

Kat: Thank you so much for tuning in today to Be Organic. We’re so excited for you to become healthier in body and stronger in spirit. 

Landon Eckles: So if you like what you heard today, please be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. 

Kat: We’d love to connect with you over on Clean Juice’s Instagram. Give us a follow, and slide into our DMs with any suggestions for guests or topics that you might want to hear more about. 

Landon: All right, y’all. Thanks for listening. Have a great week and remember to be organic.

Kat: Just a quick legal disclaimer, we are not doctors. While we absolutely love discussing wellness and nutrition with our expert guests, you should always talk to your physician or other medical professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. They can assess your specific needs and come up with a plan that works best for you.

In addition, this is for educational purposes only. Clean Juice Franchises are only offered by delivery of a franchise disclosure document in compliance with various state and federal laws.