Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Dossenback.
Barbara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up in a small town of Argentina, I experienced a culture rich in agriculture and simple living of which I wish I could share with my kids today. Women, including my mother and grandmother, would cook from scratch at least twice a day. They would walk to the market for fresh produce for the days’ meals. Every meal was made with so much love and lots of time invested. I have memories of having some sort of squash almost every day. My love for nutrition began at that time. I remember asking my parents what each vegetable or fruit I was eating was good for. As in, what good it would do to my body. “What’s this good for?” was a common question of mine at the table. I learned about carrots being good for the eyes, and fish for the brain, etc. Knowing those simple facts made me more interested in eating what was on my plate.
After my family and I immigrated to the USA, California, I remember my grandma always using any ingredients we had at home to make different meals, for lunch and dinner. She never followed a recipe and looked around the pantry and fridge briefly before deciding what ingredients would be good with each other for a meal. I would often help her, and then later began suggesting different dinner options with what we had in hand.
Both women in my family, my mother, and grandmother taught me so much about food prep and cooking and I started really testing my skills after I got married. My husband and I met through mutual friends and began a long distance relationship until we got married. He is in the service and at that time was stationed in a Nevada. Once we lived together, I began cooking and almost always would get the proportions for two wrong. Sometimes, we would end up with too much left over but we mostly ended up hungry and grabbing dessert to feel more fulfilled. This makes me laugh now that I look back. But, I learned by trying and making mistakes, lots of them. My husband was understanding and would always try to make me feel better. He would always say he’s amazed at how I can come up with a good dinner from just anything we already have.
During our first year married, my husband began having symptoms of an autoimmune condition and I began to spend a lot of my time researching the disease and began our journey trying to find the right diet. I was very interested in the effects that food had on our bodies. How could something that never affected us before affect us now? Or how is it that the food we eat can actually contribute so much to how we feel?
We tried a gluten-free diet, vegetarian, paleo, AIP paleo, low FODMAP along with other changes in the quality of the food we bought. Some diets made him feel better but it was a constant trial and error process where we would stop eating certain foods and later reintroduce them and check for symptoms.
During this time, we had moved cross-country to Virginia, then I started a new career in this new state and became pregnant with our first child, Caleb. Before we knew it, we had to move again and had to start all over again with my career in a different state, but thankfully we were back in CA, near my family.
Shortly after moving, we had our daughter, Mila. I spent a lot of time with our kids and at home focusing on our family’s nutrition. From all the research I had done about autoimmune disease and the importance of how what we eat helps or hurts us, I began to make our nutrition a priority in our household. I didn’t want our kids to have to go through what my husband and millions of other people with health problems are going through. In my mind, I had to do everything in my power to prevent disease in them. I do know that it could be out of my control in some cases, but I do believe that every bite we take is either feeding or fighting disease, and I take it as my responsibility to help my family have the healthiest life possible.
Taking care of two under two years old, and making as many meals from scratch as possible, while dealing with picky eating stages, the husband being deployed and trying to continue a career in Real Estate took a toll on me. I was stretched out very thin. Then, we had to move again.
As stressful as moving is, I was feeling confident in my moving skills by this point, and I was so excited to be staying in CA this time and moving to sunny San Diego!
It felt like a fresh start! So, I picked up my career again with high hopes, but later realized I was a tiny fish swimming with sharks again, and my heart just wasn’t in it.
My passion has always been in nutrition, and it took me a while to realize it. I began getting questions or comments from other moms about how my kids ate. “Your kids eat so well” or “how do you get them to eat vegetables?” and I had a real interest in helping them. I gave tips or recipes to whoever wanted them, and I truly felt so happy when I helped other families eat better.
From that, I began studying nutrition and I created a blog and Instagram account, Kids Eat Whole, to help any parents out there who are interested in feeding their kids a healthy diet. I think It is so important to teach our kids from young what will nourish their bodies and what will harm them. There’s so much information out there, but, sadly there’s still a lot of sicknesses that have no known cause. We do know that unprocessed, whole foods, are our best bet for a healthier life, and I strive to go back to basics with food. It’s so thrilling to be studying Nutrition now and learning more about how our bodies react to each food, and it makes me truly happy to be sharing what I know with other healthy moms.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I try to always look at the bright side, but the reality is that my journey had a lot of struggles. A big struggle for me was I put my dreams aside to focus on other things that were important at the moment. Supporting my husband in his military career and taking care of our kids full time took priority over what I wanted to do. My every day was taken over by things I needed to get done for the kids or duties of a military spouse. I rarely even began to think about my dreams and goals. I honestly didn’t have any personal goals that involved only myself for quite some time, which lead to another struggle.
I didn’t have any time to think about my dreams, let alone attempt any of my interests outside of my home life. It took me a while to realize what I wanted to do and brought joy to me. Once I prioritized myself, I began to pursue different interests. The idea of being a Real Estate Agent faded after several attempts in different states, and I quickly realized that it wasn’t something I was passionate about enough to guide me through the rough times in that career. But, I had to try it to realize that it wasn’t for me.
I had to clear my mind and start from scratch. Once I put that idea aside, I decided to focus on things that made me happy. Then, I saw that I was already doing what brings me joy every day! I was creating and serving healthy food, and teaching my kids about their nutrition. It was something I enjoyed so much that it didn’t feel like work. It was like the light bulb went on! I saw clearly what I wanted to do.
I always told my husband that he was lucky to have known what he wanted to be ever since he was 8 years old. He had a clear vision of where his goal was, and therefore, it was easier for him to pursue that. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out that way. I had very many interests, including the arts and was able to work in the entertainment industry before I got married. But, I wasn’t completely happy modeling or advertising things that I didn’t own or create. It is a business that usually controls a lot of what you do, say and even how you should look. It wasn’t genuine enough for me, but I still liked the artistic aspect of the business and I never wanted to give that part up.
What I’m doing now is a combination of a lot of things I love- like art, nutrition, and helping people. All of which makes me happy.
Being a military spouse and moving around every two/three years has definitely been another struggle on my journey. A lot of times I had to turn down work opportunities or schools because I wouldn’t be able to stay for the duration of the task.
After starting and having to stop many projects, I came to the conclusion that I had to be able to pick up and move my business with me wherever the Navy sent us next. So, I created an online blog to be able to do it from any place as long as I have an internet connection. Being able to do that opened up the door for me to continue this dream as long as I wanted to, not just until we were ordered to move again. What a blessing that is.
It’s not easy, but I truly believe that the right “job” is out there for everyone. Even for young women, or single moms. And if it’s not out there, then create it!
I guarantee you that if you are enjoying what you are doing, you will become skilled and find a way to make it work, no matter the obstacles on your road.
What should we know about Kids Eat Whole? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in taking our food back to basics with wholesome ingredients that have minimal added sugars and preservatives and make it simple for us parents to feed our kids and ourselves. I create healthier versions of favorite foods, like ice cream made without milk and using a few natural ingredients, or chocolate pudding made with avocado. I post these recipes on my blog and Instagram along with tips on how to get your kids to be more open to eating fruits and vegetables.
I’m working on a blog post right now to give my readers a few important tips to make attending birthday parties fun but also healthier. Especially how to prevent any sugar/candy addiction after events like parties, Halloween, and Easter.
I have two toddlers and I understand as an insider that raising healthy kids in this society is a struggle. My approach to health is simple and fun, by adding more nutritional value to favorite foods. I love to share day-to-day tips on promoting a healthy life for your family. Some tips include how to eat healthy(ish) when eating out, at amusement parks, or while traveling. I also do giveaways and promote products that I love and I know will help you in your journey.
My four-year-old daughter likes to help me in the kitchen, so you’ll see a few videos of her making some healthy recipes by herself. She made me a gluten-free & dairy-free chocolate cake last year for my birthday and although she probably tried more than what ended up in the cake, she’s got a bright future cooking. Or maybe as a taste tester. 😉 Either way, she is having so much fun in her journey of learning to live healthy!
Seeing my kids eat so well is what I’m most proud of. The joy that I get when my son asks for carrots before going flying with his dad so he can see better, or when my daughter asks to snack on broccoli is unexplainable. All kids, maybe with the exemption of some, love candy and sweets. That’s normal, but I believe children need to be exposed to wholesome ingredients from the beginning, and this in return will have a major impact on their health and for the rest of their lives.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
My advice is to surround yourself with people that root for you. It is very clear to see if your friend is supporting you or cutting your wings. It’s incredible how much other people actually influence your decisions if you are unsure of what your next step should be.
I’m a big believer that if you’re in company with people that make you small, it is better to be alone until you find those who lift you up instead of weigh you down.
Get out and surround yourself in the area that interests you. No matter if you’re starting from zero. You will soon make the right connections and doors will start opening in the right direction for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kidseatwhole.com
- Email: barbara@kidseatwhole.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kids.eat.whole/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidseatwhole/
Image Credit:
Bri Ashley Photography
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