Crunchy With a Side of Oreos
By Alison Stoner
Being a mom in the 2020s means you’re bombarded with messages about screen time and food dyes. Instagram influencers are great at convincing you that you’re not doing enough when it comes to keeping your kids healthy, and on the flipside, that you’re ruining their childhood by not letting them eat Fruity Pebbles for breakfast.
We were a “crunchy” family before crunchy was trendy on social media. When we started our family in 2013 we made health decisions for our children that were not wildly popular (and got us kicked out of a pediatrician's office). So many of my friends were vocally opposing some of the decisions we had made, and at that point I decided that I was going to keep quiet about health choices.
As the years have gone by, crunchy has become “cool”, but even still, I feel like we don’t fit in. Sure there are many more families making similar health decisions as we are, and my kids now have friends who have never had a shot in their lifetime too, but there’s still a gap. Instead of feeling like a trailblazer, I often feel like an imposter.
Crunchy influencers (and personal friends and family) tend to lean more extremist than we do, treating sugar as if it’s the devil and taking pride in snackle boxes full of 100% organic, non-GMO foods.
We’re crunchy with a side of Oreos because I also value mental health.
I guess that statement could be read that health freaks are indeed freaks, but that’s not what I am saying. What I am saying is that when I worry too much about all the dangers that could be lacing our food or medications, MY mental health is affected. Some mamas may be able to do all the research and pour themselves into making all the health-conscious switches and feel good about themselves, but not me. When I get lost in the abyss of researching ingredients I start feeling overwhelmed and filled with anxiety. Because I recognize this about myself, I do the best I can to keep my family healthy, but I won’t do it at the expense of our livelihood.
So what does “crunchy” look like for us? It means we’re not vaccinated (yep, I just dove right in and admitted it publicly). It means we believe sunlight is good and that sunscreen doesn’t have to be a part of your daily skincare routine. It means we ride out fevers (within reason) and don’t alternate between Tylenol and Ibuprofen. It means we see a naturopath far more often than we see a medical doctor. It means the first thing out of my mouth when one of my kids says they aren’t feeling well is “how much water have you drunk today?” and “when was the last time you pooped?” It means we have multiple cupboards in our house filled with supplements and homeopathic medicines. It means we eliminate certain foods from our diet because we recognize that our bodies don’t respond well to it.
Don’t get the wrong impression about us though - we still eat Oreos.
I still let my kids eat the neon rainbow birthday cake at their friends’ parties even if I try to keep our own food free of dyes. My kids have also eaten at McDonalds and know all too well how disgustingly addictive (yet tasty) their chicken nuggets are. My kids watch YouTube, and my very impressionable preteen daughter is all about the White Elephant dupes you can get at Five Below.
And modern medicine - what a gift it has been for our family. We have had a child’s life saved by blood transfusions, and my husband is now on his second kidney transplant and has been kept alive twice now by years of dialysis and anti-rejection medication.
For me, health should be looked at holistically. Holistic medicine is often thought culturally as organic, natural, alternative care to our otherwise highly prescribed American medical culture. I don’t think that idea is too far off base from how holistic medicine is practiced, but the true definition of holistic medicine is preventative and therapeutic practices that emphasizes the body as a whole - physical body, mind, and spirit. If adhering to the everchanging crunchy lifestyle leaves me feeling anxious and imbalanced then I have missed the mark completely.
I’m quite alright being crunchy with a side of Oreos.