The Hepps
Welcome to the first edition of Meet a Holistic Kid! This week we’re featuring a family of three, JoAnne, Jamie, and Dane Hepp of sunny Southern California.
I have know this lovely family since JoAnne was pregnant with Dane, and I invited them to be our premiere Holistic Kid family because of the admirable transformation they have made with Real Food. JoAnne has always been holistically-minded, but when I first met her, she found time in the kitchen to be, well, a chore. Over time, JoAnne discovered that nutrient dense foods were not only essential for her growing boy, but also delicious (and dare I say, fun?) for the whole family. Now we frequently chat about her latest fermented foods and tips for incorporating grass-fed liver into daily meals!
What’s a Holistic Kid?
Holistic Kids eat real, nutrient dense food. They use good nutrition, healthy lifestyle including moderate exercise, fresh air and sunshine, and a few supplements here and there to keep their bodies strong and healthy. When holistic kids gets sick, drugs and surgery are not the first resort, rather they use tools to help the body to recover as naturally as possible. Holistic Kids are not perfect – who is? – instead they strive for a healthy balance of choices that are best for mind, body, and spirit while still being fun and practical.
Dane soakin' up some Vitamin D at the park.
This week’s Holistic Kid Family: The Hepps– JoAnne, Jamie, and Dane (age 2).
Home: Culver City, CA
What makes you a Holistic Kid: We strive to eat organic produce, pastured eggs and meats, and wild caught seafood. I buy raw whole milk and cream, as well as raw cheese. We try to avoid sugar, processed food and fast food. I make sure to spend some time in the kitchen on a regular basis to make sure we are eating fresh foods that are whole and nourishing. I regularly keep basics on hand, such as rice and beans that I soaked or sprouted, and chicken stock that I made from scratch (usually including the feet!). I am also experimenting with keeping a homemade fermented or cultured food in the fridge. My favorite is sauerkraut. I love to drink kombucha, so I have learned to make that from scratch, as well, since it is so expensive in the store.
- Daddy time.
When we are feeling a bit rough or come down with an illness we first take a homeopathic and/or Chinese medicine approach before running to the cabinet for ibuprofen or other OTC drugs. If professional treatment is needed, I will usually make a visit for acupuncture with Emily, and/or see our doctor, Lauren Feder, who is a practicing M.D. and is also trained in homeopathy. I have been taking Dane to see a chiropractor since a month after he was born; not on a real strict, regular basis, just every several months, usually around a growth milestone.
Things you could improve: Eating more vegetables! I have a hard time getting Dane to eat them, so I have a tendency to not have enough of them myself, as well. Taking in enough water is another challenge. It’s hard to remember to drink regularly when constantly chasing after a toddler all day.
Dane at play.
Health issues past or present – how did/do you treat them: Dane ended up testing very low in iron when he was 15 months. The levels should be about 12, and he was at a 6. Thankfully my doctor did not automatically prescribe an iron drop, but instead gave me a list of iron rich foods to begin with to see if that would boost his levels. I also did some research and found that calcium blocks the absorption of iron in the system, while vitamin c enhances it. So, I stopped feeding him dairy products at meal times (yogurt, milk and cheese were given on their own, or with fruit, as a snack in between meals) to avoid the calcium, and gave him some children’s vitamin c or fresh squeezed (diluted) orange juice with his meals. I also gave him a little blackstrap molasses with meals, as it is very high in iron. I increased his intake of red meat (as well as other meats), eggs, rice, beans and green vegetables. Green beans and peas were his main vegetable sources, just because he wouldn’t take in much else. I was able to puree some steamed spinach into his sweet potatoes, so he ate that without a problem, too. After two months of this routine, I had his iron checked again and it was at 9.6! No need for iron drops! I have had it check again, three months after the 9.6 reading, and it is just below 11.
Munchin' Real Food.
A typical day of meals and snacks: Oatmeal, eggs and sausage almost every morning (I soak the oatmeal overnight in water and a little yogurt or whey), raw cheese, fruit (grapes, strawberries and blueberries are the current favorites), avocado, green salad, frozen peas, egg salad sandwiches, fruit smoothies, yogurt, raisins, ground beef stir fry/casserole, soup.
Favorite ways to include real/nutrient dense foods: Raw egg yolk in smoothies. Raw coconut butter and oil added to smoothies, oatmeal and rice. I like to use bone broth in sauces, or instead of water when cooking rice and beans.
Vitamins and supplements you take: I take a multi vitamin, vitamin C, vitamin D, cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil. Dane takes cod liver oil, butter oil, vitamin D and vitamin C.
Your top tip for a family of aspiring Holistic Kids: Educate yourself and build relationships with people that are currently practicing a way of life you would like to emulate or learn from.
- Holistic Kids – JoAnne, Dane, and Jamie.
Holistic Kid wants to meet your Holistic Family
Want to see yourself, your child, or your family featured on HolisticKid?
Please email me at emily AT holistickid dot com with the answers to the above questions (at the very top of the post), and a minimum of five photos (more is better).
Note: Please send me LARGE photos. Minimum 610 width. If they’re too small, I can’t use them. As much as I’d love to include all the photos I receive, I can’t guarantee that I will use your photos in the series. I’m looking for creative, good quality photos.
Some ideas for photos:
- A fun “head” shot/portrait of the “Holistic Kid(s)” - including the grown-ups.
- A photo of your kids eating healthy, nutrient-dense foods or taking their supplements.
- Your favorite family activities or outings.
And no, you don’t have be a current Holistic Kid patient – or even a kid – to be included – we’d love to meet new friends from around the globe, and you’re never too old to be a Holistic Kid!
