WHERE TO BEGIN?
Congratulations! If you have made it this far it means that you have not given up in your pursuit of health. Most patients who find me have been to many other health professionals, undergone various forms of traditional and alternative treatment, and paid large sums of money only to still be left with their original problem (and perhaps a few more). This website is designed to provide hope for the discouraged and to answer their persistent health questions: What is wrong with me? Can you help me? Will I have a normal life again? Thankfully, the natural techniques I use are powerful and have helped many people just like you with back pain, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, candida, food allergies, depression, digestive ailments and many more.

Start by reading some case studies (upper right) and then by clicking on the H.O.P.E. links (upper left). If you still have questions, feel free to email me or consider purchasing a copy of my book (lower right). If you live outside of the Denver area and are interested in a consultation, begin by clicking on the Health Assessment (upper right). Finally, for ongoing support and encouragement, I suggest you sign up for my eLetter (left). Besides its practical content, I regularly offer discounts on various items and supplements in my store.

I pray for your health success.

Dr. Monk
Dietary Guidelines
Many of the following ideas are taken from Sally Fallon's Book, Nourishing Traditions. They are also found on the website www.westonaprice.org.

When the mother is ready to stop breast feeding or would like to incorporate other foods into the child’s diet, here is what I suggest:

Baby’s First Foods
Baby’s earliest solid foods should be animal foods. The digestive system of a baby, although immature, is better equipped to supply enzymes for breaking down fats and proteins, rather than carbohydrates. Therefore, a wise supplement for all babies—whether breast-fed or bottle fed, is a slightly undercooked organic egg yolk per day, beginning at around five months.
Make sure that the egg yolk is not overcooked. Boil the eggs for only 3 ½ minutes. The yolk will come out soft and the middle will be warm. You may also cook the egg over-easy and give the runny yolk to your child. This approach is a little messier. Overcooking the yolk destroys the enzymes and makes digestion more difficult. If your baby experiences digestive complaints such as gas after eating an egg yolk, then it is probably overcooked.

Egg yolk supplies many substances needed for mental and nervous system development including cholesterol, essential amino acids and omega-3 long-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain. The white part of the egg, which contains difficult-to-digest proteins, should not be given before the age of one year. Also, small amounts of grated, raw organic liver may be added occasionally to the egg yolk after six months. Liver is rich in iron, the one mineral that tends to be low in mother’s milk.

Carbohydrates in the form of fresh, mashed bananas or apples can be added after the age of six months. These fruits are rich in amylase enzymes and are easily digested by most infants; there are exceptions. Most babies do very well with bananas. Ours however, did not. Little Alyssa would develop a small rash on her face as well as a bad attitude. Remember that all children are created with their own special needs.

Ten Months
At the age of about ten months, meats, other fruits and vegetables may be introduced, one at a time so that any adverse reactions may be observed. Soups are perhaps the easiest way to go. You can make a large pot of soup and use it as your baby food. Use meat stock to ensure the presence of beneficial fats and add vegetables. It is usually easiest to purée the soup. Once several teeth appear, leave the soup a little chunky so that baby can learn to chew. It is also advisable to begin feeding your baby small amounts, a tablespoon or two, of buttermilk, yogurt or Kefir (a fermented milk beverage). Of course these should all be organic foods. These substances contain beneficial bacteria that aid in digestive health.

One Year
In our society it is common to feed babies cereal grains as a first food. Babies however, are not fully equipped to handle cereals, especially wheat, before the age of one year because they produce only small amounts of amylase – an enzyme needed for the digestion of grains. The most common carbohydrate enzyme in the small intestine of a baby is lactase. This enzyme helps with the digestion of milk. Because the enzymes needed for digesting grains are present in only small numbers, many doctors have warned that feeding cereal grains too early can lead to grain allergies later on. Some experts prohibit all grains before the age of two. This is not necessary if the grains are properly prepared.

Preparing Grains
Proper grains preparation produces high levels of nutrients and aids in digestion. See: Preparing Foods.

Other Considerations
A baby’s immature liver may have difficulty converting carotenoids to vitamin A, so be careful with orange vegetables. If your baby’s skin develops a yellowish color, discontinue orange vegetables for a time. Above all, do not deprive your baby of animal fats - he needs them for optimum physical growth and mental development. Mother’s milk contains over 50% of its calories as fat, much of it saturated fat, and children need these kinds of fats throughout their growing years.

Beyond One Year
Finally, once your baby is able to eat most foods, feed him the following:
  • Eggs - omelets with veggies, soft boiled or over-easy eggs.
  • Soups - homemade or organic store bought, made with all natural ingredients.
  • Meats - turkey, chicken, occasionally roast beef and liverwurst (preferably from a Kosher deli).
  • Fish - Cod, salmon or other cold water fish.
  • Homemade Bread – The most nutritious bread that can be made is from grains ground at home. I discuss this topic in the chapter, Diet.
  • Ezekiel Bread – this is a good alternative to homemade bread. This bread is a complete food made of seven or so sprouted grains. It may be purchased at most health food stores (Look in the freezer section).
  • Green Veggies – spinach, green beans, peas and broccoli.
  • Other Veggies – squash, cooked carrots, cooked onions, garlic
  • Stews (a good way to add extra veggies to the diet)
  • Fruit – kiwi, pears, plums, avocado and grapes.
  • Grains – prepared (soaked) brown rice, spelt flour, and millet
  • Oatmeal or Oat bran – easy to digest and easy to make. Try adding some real maple syrup and some Kefir. Your kids will ask for it just like Alyssa, “Obree, Obree, Obree”.

Foods to Minimize
  • Any inorganic food (veggies, fruit, meat).
  • Citrus.
  • Refined white flour - cakes, cookies, breads, crackers.
  • White potatoes.
  • Non-organic diary.


Foods to Avoid
Keep your baby away from processed junk foods as long as possible—but do not think that you can do this indefinitely. Unless you lock your child in a closet—or live in a closed community of like-minded parents—he will come in contact with junk foods sooner or later. His best protection is the optimal diet that you have given him during his infancy and your loving example and training in later years.

  • Sodas, processed fruit drinks.
  • Prepared and/or boxed foods.
  • Most snacks.
  • Fried foods
  • Sugar and White Flour

These last two are ubiquitous, heavily refined foods in our society.  Many “experts” say that sugar and flour are simply carbohydrates – an easy fuel source for the body. This is true. However, the form in which we eat sugar and flour is nowhere near their natural state. When examined naturally, carbohydrates are combined with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, fat and fiber – the bodybuilding and digestion-regulating components of foods. In whole form, sugars and starches support life; but refined carbohydrates destroy life because they evaporate the body’s nutrient reserves. When B vitamins are absent, for example, the breakdown of carbohydrates cannot take place, yet most B vitamins are removed during the refining process.

As the consumption of sugar has increased, so have all of the “civilized” diseases. According to Sally Fallon, “Today, the average intake of sugar per year is around 170 pounds per person. Another large portion of all calories comes from white flour and refined vegetable oils. This means that over half of the diet must provide all of the nutrients to a body that is already under constant stress from its intake of sugar, white flour, and rancid and hydrogenated vegetable oils.” Here is a list of the diseases directly related to refined food consumption:

•Anorexia
•Arteriosclerosis
•Atrophy of the pancreas
•Bone loss
•Candida overgrowth
•Dental decay
•Diabetes
•Elevated triglycerides
•Heart Disease
•High Cholesterol
•Hyperactivity
•Hypertrophy of the adrenal glands
•Hypertrophy of the liver
•Kidney Disease
•Liver disease
•Loss of concentration
•Shortened life span
•Skin degeneration

The above list is an abbreviated version of what sugar can do. Currently in our office we have photocopies of an article entitled, 113 Reasons to Avoid Sugar. Each of these reasons comes directly from a peer-reviewed medical journal or similar reference. Do your very best to stay away from refined sugar.

Snacking
Snack time is important. I believe that parents inadvertently wreck their child’s diet at snack time. Often, they are lured into believing that snack foods with vitamins are healthy. Kool Aid® and Fruit Rollups® will never be healthy no matter how much fruit juice or how many synthetic vitamins have been added. When I look in the typical parent’s pantry, I find large amounts of potentially sickness causing snacks. The freezer is no better. Ice cream, popsicles, and waffles are commonplace. These things are not going to kill the child when eaten once in a while, but a closer look reveals that snack and junk foods are eaten with regularity. Think for a moment about your child’s diet and see if they have gone even one day without some form of junk food. Most people haven’t. Unfortunately, junk and snack foods have become the bribing tools of choice; rewards for good behavior. Space does not permit delving into this subject. Suffice it to say, snack foods are bad for reasons beyond nutrition alone. Do your best to limit junk snacks to times of celebration such as birthday parties and social gatherings.

What to Drink
Parents often give their kids fruit or flavored juices. These are often not good choices because they only provide simple carbohydrates and frequently spoil an infant’s appetite for more nutritious foods. They are also processed and have no enzymes left, making them much harder to digest. Store bought apple juice, for instance, contains Sorbitol, a sugar-alcohol. Studies have linked failure to thrive in children with diets high in apple juice. High-fructose foods, like fruit juices and sodas are especially dangerous for growing children. If you have to buy store bought juice – definitely add powdered vitamin C (500mg).  Store bought organic juices will often contain mold and pasteurized non-organic juices are full of sugar, which suppresses the immune system for up to 4 hours after ingestion. Vitamin C powder is a simple, inexpensive way to enhance the quality of store bought juices.

Water and Juices
Water is an essential food for your child once they stop breast-feeding. You will probably have a hard time getting your child to drink water if they have been drinking juice for any length of time. This demonstrates how powerful the desire for sugar can be. If you can’t get your child to drink plain water, then add a small amount of juice. Gradually add less and less juice until they drink the real thing. Besides water, my wife and I have discovered the wonderful world of juicing. Freshly made vegetable and fruit juice is one of the best preventative measures you can give your child. It is full of live enzymes and body building nutrients that children need. Citrus juice, however, even freshly made, should only be given in small amounts, preferably diluted or mixed with other juices. When you decide to start juicing for your child’s health, begin with the following:

•3 carrots
•½ apple

Your child will enjoy this sweet flavor. Don’t be surprised if they ask for it regularly. Later, try adding some spinach (around 10 leaves or so), and a squeezed quarter of a lemon. Eventually, you will want to always include green vegetables. Juices can be the best way to add green leafy vegetables to the finicky child’s diet, especially when they are combined in a base of carrot and apple juice.

When children are sick you should also include immune strengthening and bug killing foods in their juice like garlic and ginger. Just use a little bit at first. The taste is quite strong but the benefit is almost immediate. Here is a health building concoction we gave to our daughter during one of her green mucous episodes:

•3 carrots
•½ apple
•10 spinach leaves
•1 clove garlic
•1 teaspoon ginger root
•Parsley
•¼ lemon

It is hard to believe, but our daughter gobbled up this strong tasting drink. Again, parents will have a hard time getting their kids to drink these odd tasting juices if they have been raised on beverages high in sugar.

Sample Menu
This was a typical day for our first daughter when she was 18 months old:

Breakfast
•1 to 2 eggs with 1 slice of Ezekiel bread (usually sesame seed); or,
•1 ½ cup oat bran with added Kefir and/or real maple syrup; or,
•Leftover meat from dinner
•4-6 oz of vegetable or fruit juice  (freshly juiced)
•Fresh fruit

Snack
•Dried organic fruit (without any preservatives like sulfites) Apricots, dates, raisins; or,
•Small portion of graham crackers (made without partially hydrogenated oils) This is not a staple for us, but is a treat for her; or,
•½ cup yogurt, plain with added berries; or,
•1 cup Kefir, made into a shake with berries and stevia, an herb 30X sweeter than sugar.

Lunch
•Turkey or almond butter with jelly, or avocado sandwich on Ezekiel bread.
•Fruit or cooked veggie.

Dinner
•Broiled fish, baked chicken or organic turkey.
•A green veggie.
•Water or fresh juice.

It is okay to use butter, just buy organic.  Sometimes this is the only way to get a child to eat broccoli!

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