Increase in Violence linked to nutritional deficiencies?

Last year, during the Real Food Summit, one of the presenters (and I can't even remember who, but it was during either the first or second day) made an off hand, unsupported comment about nutrition and the mind that went something like this- when our brain is malnourished, it essentially goes into survival mode and looses the ability to learn new things or accept new ideas.  When I heard it, unsupported as it was, I had an "aha" moment.

From Spring 2013 Wise Traditions.

You see, something has been bothering me now for YEARS.  I thought it was because I am aging, and because as I age I am exposed to more older, seemingly jaded, closed minded people.  But the older I get the more angry people seem.  The conservatives are angry at the liberals, the poor are angry at the rich, the whole food community is angry at "big food" (and in all cases, the opposite is also true).  There is nothing wrong with disagreeing, I obviously believe in productive action in response to phenomenon we don't agree with, and we all know I love a great debate, but I'm talking ANGRY.  I'm right, you're wrong, hate flinging, loosing all ability to reason or communicate, life threatening angry.  And the rise in both large scale public violence (in the last two years in the U.S alone- the theater shooting, the Gabby Giffords shooting, at least two more college shootings, Newtown, and now Boston) and the rise in violence among young people is disconcerting to say the least.  In the same day I witnessed a fight between two men in the middle of the highway that runs through town and saw a news story on increased violent outbursts in the workplace.  And locally, there has been a very tragic and very scary rise in the number of teen suicides, which has been devastating in such a small community... not to mention the horrific Aaron Schaffhausen case.

So when I heard this comment and had this "aha" moment, I instantly connected the rise in violence and the seeming lack of compassion and simple understanding for each other, the loss of the ability to agree to disagree, to nutritional deficiency.  But as much sense as it made to me at the time, the presenter was actually talking about a different topic (I believe, now that I think about it, the topic of the presentation was depleted nutrients in the soil- related, but not directly) and I never looked for any information to back it up- indeed, I didn't know where to look.  So other than a few comments to friends, I have kept this idea to myself until now.

Why now?  Well, I got my newest copy of Wise Traditions, the journal of the Weston A. Price foundation.  The very first title I noticed on the cover was "Violence and Nutrient Deficiencies."  I was like "yes!  finally!"

In a nutshell, we as a country are malnourished, and we don't even know it because we get, more or less, enough macro-nutrients (fat, sugar, carbohydrate).  But because we get most of them from nutrient void processed foods, we are simultaneously eating too much food and not getting enough nutrition- hence simultaneous obesity and malnourishment.  What nutrients are most likely to be deficient?  In a nutshell, almost all the micro-nutrients are at risk, as well as some specific fatty acids and amino acids, but here are some that affect mental health:

• Vitamin A (preformed vitamin A, which is only found in animal foods, NOT beta carotene, which we at best convert to vitamin A at around 10%)- deficiencies in vitamin A can lead to dopamine receptor hypo-activity, resulting in the typical symptoms of schizophrenia including hallucinatinos, delusions, flat affect, and apathy.
• Vitamin D- A U.K. study showed that subjects low in D3 are at increased risk of suffering depression and panic.  Vitamin D has been well studied and linked to hormonal function in the body (it is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone).  It is directly related to serotonin production, which affects impulse control and mood.
• Vitamin K2- less is known about this vitamin, but preliminary studies show that it is an important component of nerves and in forming myelin, which is the protective coating around the nerves that affects how quickly nerves communicate with the brain.
• B vitamins- holy cow, these are important.  Important to a lot of systems, but especially the brain.  Particularly B1 and B3, but all of them affect the brain and nervous system.  Deficiencies in B3 (Niacin) used to cause fatal pellagra.  Now, due to fortification, fatal pellagra is extremely rare, but what people have forgotten is the symptoms of pellagra- dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia... and not necessarily in that order.  Therefore, someone with sub-clinical pellagra could be suffering mental symptoms that are simply a product of poor diet, doctors never think to test for it and instead perscribe (harmful) antidepressants or antipsychotics... and the person becomes violent. 
• Tryptophan- niacin can actually be produced by the body, though... as long as you consume enough tryptophan.  Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that can only be obtained from diet, and is most available in raw milk, cheese, meat, eggs, and peanuts.  Tryptophan also affects the serotonin levels in the body.
• Minerals- especially magnesium, zinc, and iodine.  Magnesium is used in the enzymes of the brain and deficiencies are linked to aggressive behavior and dementia.  Zinc deficiency has been noted in the case of suicide, angry hostile behavior, and behavioral problems such as ADHD.  Iodine is tricky, because we get enough of a type of iodine in iodized salt... however, this form of iodine is problematic because it isn't efficiently used by the body and can actually block absorption of other forms of iodine consumed if you do eat ocean fish or sea vegetables.  Furthermore, mercury blocks the absorption of iodine further.  Iodine deficiency can depress the thyroid, which is directly responsible for regulating hormones and therefore mood.
• Choline, ARA, and DHA are either neurological transmitters or used in multiple brain functions and structures.  DHA and ARA are very interesting essential fatty acids (they are considered essential because they are vital to body functions and can't be produced in the body... very small amounts of DHA can be made from linoleic acid, but the conversion percentage is extremely small)- they are the only essential fatty acids that cross the placental barrier.  And they can only be obtained from animal foods.

In addition to deficiencies, excesses in the following can cause violent behavior:

• Copper, which is balance by zinc (so the copper excess is directly relate) in excess has been linked to psychiatric symptoms like extreme fear, paranoia, and hallucinations.
• Food sensitivities such as celiac disease have also been show to have mental side affects such as blurred vision, anxiety dissorders, hallucinations, panic attacks, and social phobias.
• MSG has a direct and documented neurological affect on people, and the symptoms can include depression, insomnia, anxiety, confusion, and paranoia.
• Aspartame can also cause (well documented by the FDA) neurological symptoms such as vertigo, ringing ears, headaches, behavioral disturbances, inflammation of the nerves, and depression.  It has also been linked to brain tumor, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease (all neurological disorders).

To me it is simultaneously mind blowing and obvious- the way we eat, the way we are feeding our children, is having a huge effect.  Is it the ONLY answer?  Probably not, but changing your family's diet is one manageable way that you can change your children's future.

Most of this information is from the article titled "Violent Behavior: A Solution in Plain Sight" by Sylvia Onusic, PhD, CNS, LDN, published in the Spring issue of Wise Traditions.  Similar info, with citations, can be found in this article from way back in 2002 from the WAP website.

On a related note, if you are interested in the topic of nutrient deficiencies there are a few books I suggest just as starting points.  Two are The Diet Cure and The Mood Cure, both by Julia Ross, MD.  They focus on short term amino acid supplementation to correct dietary imbalances, as long as a long term whole foods diet.  The other is The Magnesium Miracle by Dr. Caroline Dean, which goes into depth on magnesium deficiency, it's consequences, and how to reverse it.

And this blog post from Chris Kresser demonstrates the importance of NOT relying on supplements to correct mineral imbalances, but instead getting them from food.  The point of the post is why iodine supplementation is harmful for certain types of hypothyroidism but helpful for others, OR in some cases it is helpful only when taken with selenium... how does this link to food?  Both iodine and selenium are found in the right proportions in most ocean fish.  Concerned about mercury?  Check out this interview...  which is also linked to selenium.

This post has been shared at Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Fast, Easy lunch ideas

I'm in the middle of writing a post on violence and nutrient deficiencies, but had to break for lunch and it got me thinking...

I will scream to the heavens that you can't have fast, easy, cheap, AND healthful food, you have to pick which are the most important to you.  If you want cheap and healthful, they will NOT be quick or easy, if you want easy and cheap, they will NOT be healthful... see where I'm going?

But no one likes to slave over lunch.  And there are lots of lunch ideas out there that are at least fast, easy, and healthful.  This post is as much for my own reference as it is for yours- because no matter how many ideas I think I have, once 11:30 roles around I can't seem to remember any of them!  So here is a list of ideas.  Most are gluten and/or grain free.  All or as healthy as the ingredients you put in them (so choose wisely!).

Totally Gluten and Grain Free ideas:

• Simple soup. simmer veggies and leftover meat in bone stock (that you keep in the freezer at all times, of course!).  If you're feeling sassy, whisk in some eggs.
• Egg, tuna, and chicken salad are NOT just for sandwiches.  Serve them wrapped in a large lettuce leaf, with nut thins (or other grain free crackers), over a pile of greens, with flat veggies (like cucumbers or wide pepper slices) to dip in... or just with a fork!
• Stuff on a plate.  Yeah, that's what I actually write on the meal plan.  I need to come up with a better name- sometimes my kids call this a healthy lunchable, at least when it involves nut thins, meat, and cheese (and always a vegetable, unlike the store version).  But other times it includes carrots, fruit slices, chunks of cheese, and peanut butter to dip.  Whatever you have on hand that makes a good finger food would work.
• Frittata/omelette.  Eggs are a go-to food for me when I'm stumped for either lunch or breakfast.  Sautee some veggies (a great use for leftovers or those last bits that are gonna go bad soon), meat or cheese if you wish, and serve next to a small salad, sauteed greens, or sliced raw veggies.  And if any one food actually does meet all of the above criteria, it's eggs.  Even the best, most expensive eggs are frugal for what you get out of them, and they're fast, easy, AND healthy... and they also taste good.  It's no wonder I repeatedly say eggs are the most perfect food!
• Paleo PB&J.  Jonesing for PB&J but avoiding grain and refined sugar?  Give this combo a go- take some frozen raspberries, warm them up (I usually just run them under warm water, but you could warm them on the stove as well), add a scoop of your choice of nut butter (I like the taste of almond best...), and mash.  This with a side of veggies would make a delightful light lunch. 
• Leftover baked potatoes?  Make hash... or potato pancakes... or hash browns and eggs... or fish cakes.  I MAKE baked potatoes so I can use the leftovers (because I don't like baked potatoes...).
• Hummus and dippers.  It's a "duh" one, but not as duh as a sandwich...
• Fish cakes.  These can be made with tuna, salmon, or leftover whitefish.  I have different recipes for all three (all grain free), let me know if you want any of them (the whitefish one, btw, is the one with the leftover potatoes in it...).
• Potato and cauliflower soup.  Simple- simmer one diced onion (I usually saute the onion in butter and bacon fat first for added flavor, while I dice the other veg), three diced potatoes, and one good sized diced head of cauliflower, and some thyme in stock for about 15 minutes.  Hit with your immersion blender to desired consistancy, salt to taste, add a little milk or cream, and serve. 

Gluten Free but Not Grain Free:

• Shaboo Shaboo.  This recipe came from the blog Laurelofleaves.com, and is basically either cooked rice or quinoa, whatever veggies you have on hand, and a really basic asian sauce.  And it's super tasty.
• Same soup as above, only with added rice or barley.
• Chicken fried rice.  Saute leftover cooked rice, veggies (I would use peas and carrots, but you can use what you like), leftover chicken, and scrambled eggs with soy sauce and healthy oil of choice (might I suggest coconut oil).  Garnish with a little toasted sesame oil.
• Homemade chicken nuggets.  This is bordering on too-ambitious-for lunch, at least for me, but it happens occasionally.  They are also one of the few times I will employ my nemesis, the boneless skinless chicken breast.  But they really are easy.  I simply cut the chicken breast into nugget sized pieces, crust in (gmo free) corn meal (seriously, no wet dunk first, it just makes the breading fall off), and saute in coconut oil.  My kids think they are amazing.
• Chicken liver pate.  Yep, I said that out loud.  I serve it with rice crackers or nut thins, and my kids eat it, I swear.  Okay Oliver eats it.  But Izzy has tried it and she didn't die, I swear.  And I'll probably bribe encourage her to try it again.

Not at all Gluten Free:

• Quesadillas.  We're mostly avoiding gluten containing grains right now, but only because it's spring (or at least it's supposed to be...) and according to Aryuvedic dietary principles the diet during spring should be high in leafy veggies and low in fats and grains.  But since it's not due to any specific health condition, we're making an exception once or twice a week and eating some organic whole wheat tortillas.  We particularly like cheese quesadillas, especially if I get really crazy and throw a scrambled egg on it (I mentioned I like eggs, right?).
• Homemade mac-n-cheese.  Macaroni and cheese is so simple to make at home, I don't really understand why anyone would buy the blue box stuff?  Okay, so it takes 2 pans instead of 1, but you use one just to boil the pasta, so it's not like it's truly a dirty dish...  To make, boil 1 box of whole wheat pasta of choice (little pastas work best, like elbows, shells, penne, etc).  In a smaller pan, melt 2 T. butter over medium heat and add 2 T. flour.  Mix until a paste forms and starts to brown just slightly (30 sec- 1 minute).  Add 2 cups of milk (see that- 2, 2, 2... that's the formula for a white sauce) and whisk over medium low heat until it begins to thicken (up to 5 minutes, but your pasta won't even be done cooking yet).  Stir in about a cup of shredded cheddar or whatever cheese you like.  Remove from heat until pasta is done cooking.
• Pasta Salad.  I love making pasta salads for lunch in the summer, because you can eat them cold, and you can make big batches and eat off of them all week.  My favorite includes homemade greek dressing, feta cheese, tomatoes, and olives.

What are your ideas for simple, fast, healthy lunches?

How do you talk to your kids about tragedy?

I am not a child psychologist.  I can't tell you how to talk to your kids.  But I can explain how I talk to mine and open up a dialogue.

Events like the horrific bombing in Boston and the unimaginably awful school shooting in Newtown are extremely difficult to understand and to deal with emotionally, even as adults.  So how do you explain them to children?

I found the tragedy at Newtown especially difficult... mostly because I couldn't even speak for about two days.  I blogged about how rough that was on me (not to compare at all to the people close to the tragedy- my heart simply broke for them).  But even then, when it was difficult, I had to talk to my kids about it, especially because they saw how it affected me.  My daughter came home from school that day and I was sitting on the couch crying, and I hugged her for like five minutes.  After that I tried to turn the news off, but both kids still caught bits of it.  And of course they asked what happened.

If you know me, you know that I have one very strict rule that I do not break- I don't lie to my kids.  I do try to only give them as much truth as I feel they can handle, but I don't lie.  So I told them- when Oliver asked, I told him a sick man hurt some kids, and a lot of people are really sad about it.  That was enough for him, and the only other comment he made was "are they still talking about that?" when it came up on the news the next day.

Izzy, being older, got more information and asked more questions.  I told her that a sick man went into a school and shot some kids.  There was a discussion about why- I explained that he was sick and made a horrible choice.  Then I made the point of explaining that things like this do NOT happen very often, that her Principal, teacher, and the police did everything they could to keep them safe at school, and that there aren't very many people who are that sick.

I feel like sheltering my kids from these events will actually make it harder for them to deal with them later in life.  When they are older they are able to understand more, and then to be bombarded with some huge tragic event that you kind of but not fully understand?  That can be pretty traumatic.  I think that there is a reason small children can't fully comprehend complex events- they only comprehend what they can handle. 

It makes perfect sense to me, but I'm sure that sounds crazy to some people.  Do you talk to your kids about these types of tragedies?  How do you go about it?

It's easy to blame others, but what have YOU done?

Every parent does it.  Our kids get sick and we start racking our brains- who did they get it from?  Was it that friend who came over with a runny nose the other day?  Was it Grandma, I think I saw her sneeze when we were at her house the other day.  Perhaps it was their babysitter- she spent a lot of time in the bathroom when she was here...

But how often do we stop looking at others and look at our own behaviors?  Now, you know that I would never encourage a parent to feel unnecessary guilt, but there is a big difference between guilt and productive self reflection.

So here are some facts for you:

• Sugar surpresses the immune system, stops the body from absorbing minerals, and affects brain activity.  (check out this really well researched article)  Yet how many of us feed our kids cereal, juice, "occasional" (often daily) treats, fruit snacks, granola bars, fruit bars, and refined grain products?
• About 3% of children are diagnosed with dairy allergies, but I believe the number is much higher.  There are two types of allergic reactions to dairy- immediate and delayed.  The immediate is usually diagnosed because, well, diagnosis is easy.  The child drinks milk and then they react.  The delayed reaction is much more difficult to detect, especially with the sharp rise in food allergies in children.  Symptoms of a dairy (or any delayed reaction food) allergy?  Increased mucus production and frequent upper respiratory infections.  If your child has suffered from more than three infections over the course of the season I strongly encourage you to remove dairy from your child's diet- it's easier than you think and could be THE thing that improves their health.
• Other things that can affect your children's health- lack of sleep OR poor quality sleep, stress (yes, kids feel stress),  poor gut health, sluggish digestion, indoor air pollution, and an improperly developed immune system...

...wait a second, how does a kid (not a baby or toddler, but a kid) have an improperly developed immune system?  Think back- have you ever just let your kid be sick, or do you run to the doctor for every illness?  Every time you give your children antibiotics, fever medication (even tylenol and advil), or steroids during an illness you are, in essence, short circuiting their immune system.  Without drugs, when the body gets sick, the immune system actually learns and evolves while fighting the current infection, becoming stronger and more prepared to fight and even prevent future illnesses.  If you in halt this problem by artificially reducing their fever, overwhelming the beneficial bacteria of the gut with antibiotics, or suppressing their immune system with steroids you completely stop that process, and increase the likelihood of future illness.

But we live in a state of fear of all illness, and of bacteria and pathogens in general.  We hear stories  about colds that turned fatal or a seemingly minor illness that was actually some rare deadly tropical disease.  We're told to "kill 99.9% of germs" in our homes, use hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap, and hose our kitchens down with bleach or risk illness in our family.  We live in fear of minor illness, and as a result we are taking actions that are actually making our children MORE sick MORE often.


I'll tell you a little secret- I babysit for sick kids.  I always have.  And never, not even during the throes of their food allergies (although then it was probably because they were already sick...), have I or my children gotten sick afterwards.  I don't use any antibacterial products in my house- no bleach, no lysol, no antibacterial hand soap or hand sanitizer.  Yet, this past year, we haven't had any of the colds or flu or most of the other yuckiness that has gone around.  When my kids do get sick, I don't look around for others to blame, I look at my own practices- have we been eating healthy?  Have my kids been under stress or not sleeping enough?  Have they been eating more sugar than usual (in fact, Izzy's ear infections this year came the week after Halloween, the week of Christmas, and the week after Valentine's Day)?

I strongly encourage all parents- stop looking for others to blame when your children get sick, stop believing what the media tells you about nutrition and bacteria, and take your family's health into your own hands!

Overwhelmed? Who Isn't???

You can find research and opinion, especially on the internet, giving a very convincing argument
NOT to eat pretty much any food... including most fruits and vegetables.  It can be confusing and infuriating, and honestly I feel this onslaught of info it not for 90% of the population.  In general my advice is this:

•  Eat real food (one or maybe two ingredients, or no label at all, and not GMO).
• Not too much.
• Mostly Plants.

Stuff I Need to Get Off My Chest

I haven't been able to blog for a while because I've been having computer issues (well, there was also Spring Break...).  So I've got things (bad word, but I can't come up with a better one) that I need to get off my chest.  It made me realize how important semi-frequent blogging is, because sometimes I just need to shout these things, and if I stand in the streets and shout "stop eating canola oil!!" I would probably be locked up post haste.

So, since these thoughts have been building up, I'm just going to list.  Bear with me.  I'm not really in the mood to mince words.

• Please check out the Healthy Life Summit- it's streaming free for the rest of this week.  I'm serious- ignorance is not bliss.  Ignorance and complacency and the social norm is going to result in a generation of children who, for the first time in recent history, are sicker than their parents.  It is going to result in even more widespread infertility.  There are one or two things (okay, more, but I stole that from a memoir I love) that I know for sure, and one is that I want my kids to be able to reproduce.
• Real food tastes good.  Real food usually tastes better than fake or industrial food.  If you don't think so, you are most assuredly addicted to industrial food.  Think about it.  White bread, industrial meat, jarred sauces and bottled salad dressing are full of addictive sugars and refined seed oils.  Suck it up for your health and the health of your children and make better choices for now and you will break that addiction, and your tastes will change.
• Cholesterol and fat aren't bad.  This has been proven scientifically.  Catch up.
• Illness.  Where to start...  We do get sick, despite our traditional whole foods diet... although it seems minor illnesses were more widespread and serious this year, and we only had a few ear infections (Izzy), Fifth Disease (Izzy also), and a very short cold-with-fever (Oliver) and none of that serious flu, noro virus, whooping cough, etc nonsense that has been flying around.  Izzy obviously gets sick the most, but this makes sense- she was nearly three years old before I transitioned from the Standard American Diet.  She has more damage that needs to be reversed.  But no matter how sick she gets, I still rely as much as reasonable on aromatherapy, herbs, food medicine, and rest instead of turning to antibiotics and steroids and whatever else the doctors want to throw at me.  Besides the other myriad problems with drugs, THEY MAKE YOU GET SICK MORE OFTEN.  You may be thinking "I just want me/my kid to get better," but how is it helpful to take drugs that are going to make you sick MORE???  Suffering through a few illnesses a year is going to make your immune system stronger and you will actually be sick less.  And don't even get my started on invasive surgeries like ear tubes and tonsillectomy.
• There is more to health than just food, believe it or not.  You could be eating the most perfect traditional whole foods diet- low/no grain, lots of organic vegetables, fatty cuts of meat, bone broth daily, liver weekly, pastured butter and eggs, raw milk, and cod liver oil and still not be healthy if you're not getting enough quality sleep, or if you are under too much stress.  Prioritizing sleep, using good sleep practices (no light, no TV in the bedroom, no electronic device use before bedtime, etc), and managing your stress are equally as important as diet in maintaining good health.
• You don't need to exercise.  You heard me right.  Most exercise is super stressful on the body and actually causes more harm than good (I've read convincing research that shows long sustained cardio breaks down the immune system and can eventually cause auto immune diseases, and this jives with my anecdotal experience).  HOWEVER you do need to move.  While exercising is not going to make you healthy, being sedentary is definitely going to make you sick.  Blowing your mind?  What I'm saying is don't sit for long periods of time.  Get up and do something.  The more you do this, the healthier you'll be and the better you'll feel.
• Chew on this for a moment- The diet industry makes over 60 billion dollars a year.  Obesity related health problems alone cost us 150 billion dollars a year.  We spend over 500 BILLION dollars a year on drugs.  And I couldn't even find a good figure stating how much we spend yearly on processed food, but it is high.  Our government (who benefits greatly from the taxes on these expenditures and contributions from the companies and those associated with these companies) and the major industries in this country have ABSOLUTELY NO INVESTMENT in your health- in fact they have a pretty huge investment in you being sick and staying sick.  The next time you think "but the FDA says..." or "but the USDA says..." think about that.

Ugh.  I know that's a lot.  Hopefully you got through it... okay, you're probably better off if you didn't. But, if on the off chance you did make it through and something I said interests or perplexes you, please let me know and I'll give you as many answers/opinions/resources as I can, or even write a more in depth post on that topic.  In the mean time, I feel better now.  More cohesive posts coming soon, I promise:)

Baby Steps: Start Meal Planning

This step is both easy and hard.  Starting to meal plan is easy- just set aside an hour each week and bang it out.  Sticking to it (and sticking with it) is hard, though.  It takes planning and follow through.  But you can do it- I have faith!  And even if you try and fail the first few times, you're still better off than if you don't try at all.

It can be as simple or as complicated as you like (although I don't see why you'd like to make it complicated...).  Just write them on a blank piece of paper.  Make a dry erase grid by laminating a piece of paper (laminating sheets that don't require a machine can be found at most big box stores with the paper and other office supplies).  Make yourself a template on the computer and print out several copies.  Or just "compose" your meal plan each week directly onto a dry erase board in your kitchen, although I like to first write my plan on paper before transferring to the marker board.  It seems like more work, yes, but it allows me to sit and think about my meal plan vs doing it standing in the kitchen, and to work on the next week's meals while the current week's are still on the board.  Lately I've been doing it as an ongoing thing instead of during a set period- since we've been following a rotation diet (more on that later) when I think of something I'd like to make I simply find the next time it fits into the rotation, then fill it in.  It makes the planning process much easier, but it has taken time to get into the habit of doing it this way.  Here are some tips for you to get started:

• Start with only planning dinner.  Planning breakfast and lunch (and snack!) for each day can be way too much for someone adjusting to meal planning.  Wait until you really start to appreciate the benefits of planning before you branch out to other meals.
• Set aside a specific time each week to do it.  Put it on your chore list for the day, write it in your planner, put a reminder in your phone or computer's calender...  whatever you see being the most effective way to remember each week. 
• Ask your family to help out.  If each of your children and your husband picks a meal that sounds good each week, that's a few meals you don't have to come up with yourself (bonus points if you can get them to cook once a week, too!).
• Set yourself up for success.  A pile of printed out, unorganized recipes is NOT the key to meal planning success.  I have a recipe app I absolutely love, and pretty much every recipe I love and use regularly is in it.  I have the app on my computer, my phone, and my ipad (all three is probably overkill, but I REALLY love this app!).  That way no matter where I am I can look up a recipe.  If I'm at the store and need to check an ingredient list, I can.  If I've just sat down on the couch to meal plan my recipes are all right at hand.  And when I find a recipe online or in a magazine I want to try, I just have to click "save recipe!"  Even recipes from blogs can be saved simply by just a few clicks.  I can't recommend this app enough, but it is pricey (for an app, anyway).
• Get into the habit of quickly glancing at the meal plan every morning and every evening.  This is the primary reason I keep both a paper copy and a copy on the marker board in the kitchen- the kitchen version is right there, and I would have to try to miss it (although it still happens)  That way you can easily see if you need to thaw meat, soak beans, or make any other preparations.

My current system- meal plan on the right, grocery list printed on the back of last week's meal plan, to the left.  Pretty handy system.

Besides simply making life simpler, there's another important reason to meal plan- if you plan your meals ahead, you're far less likely to rely on quick convenience foods or, worse, take out to feed your family, AND you'll save money because you won't run to the store as often or buy things you don't need.