My food philosophy

I try to get the most nutrition out of every meal, including snacks. Every bite counts! I prefer to use organic ingredients from Australian farmers wherever possible.

About food intolerances and allergies

Children with food intolerances, and their parents, have a tough time at parties.

Unlike allergies, which are immune reactions to food proteins, intolerances don’t involve the immune system at all. They are triggered by food chemicals that cause reactions by irritating nerve endings in different parts of the body, similar to the way certain medicine can cause side-effects in sensitive people.

There is no need for any child to have a party with bland food or even worse, being scared to eat anything in case it makes them feel sick.

Natural food chemicals

I really feel for children with natural food sensitivities as I have been struggling with this all my life. It took me decades to work out that foods generally regarded as being very healthy, were causing my gut and skin issues. Now that I have identified which natural chemicals are responsible, I can more easily navigate my way through a dinner without regretting it afterwards.

Natural chemicals are found everywhere in nature and include salicylates, amines and glutamates.

The natural food chemicals in many healthy foods can be just as much of a problem for sensitive people as the artificial ones used as food additives.

Children with natural food chemical sensitivities will require alterations to my party menus, depending on their sensitivity e.g. olive oil will need to be replaced with rice bran oil and all seeds replaced with only poppy seeds. Cashews are well tolerated if there is no nut allergy therefore peanuts will be replaced with cashews etc.

I work closely with each parent to tailor the menu according to the child’s needs and I can substitute the ingredients or suggest alternative products if there is a natural food chemical sensitivity, whilst still using healthy ingredients.

Food allergies

My kitchen is not allergen free. When I state that a product is free from e.g. gluten or dairy, then it means that it is not included as an ingredient in that product. A child with a mild food allergy might show no symptoms if they eat my products where I excluded the offending ingredient, however omitting the ingredient for a very sensitive child might not be enough as traces of the protein could be present. I therefore would not promote my food as allergy friendly even when I am excluding certain ingredients for children with sensitivities and intolerances.

Food additives

Sugar doesn’t stand alone as the culprit for causing behavioral issues in children aka the “sugar crash” on your way home from a party. Additives play their part too, especially at a party where the kids consume a variety of foods which all contain preservatives, artificial colours and flavours. We might think the kids are enjoying themselves, but their bodies are not enjoying being tasked to get rid of all the additives.

Food additives are chemicals that are added directly to food to retain freshness or enhance colour and flavour.

For example, the preservative sulphur dioxide (220) is approved to be used in many foods such as dried fruit, sausages, cordials, desiccated coconut, grapes and many more. It can cause reactions in sensitive children, especially those with asthma, dermatitis and gastric sensitivity. It only needs to be listed on the label of a product if it exceeds concentrations of 10mg/kg which means we could be ingesting it without knowing.

Long term side effects of consuming a combination of artificial additives are currently unknown and concerning seeing that additives are everywhere in our food.

Artificial food colouring

This is the one I struggled with the most. Kids are attracted to colourful food like moths to a candle.

I don’t use artificial colours.

If I can’t get the colour I want from fruits or vegetables myself then I turn to freeze dried powders such as FRESH AS powders from New Zealand. Which can add flavour and vibrant colour.

I know my children will sometimes consume additives, but I try to minimise it where I can. I am very fortunate that my children seem to be OK with eating anything, but I don’t want to risk the long term side effects of loading additives in their food, some of which are already under scrutiny or even banned in certain countries. Just because they don’t show immediate reactions doesn’t mean the chemicals don’t affect them.

I cringe when the pinata breaks open and the lollies start to fall out. I won’t keep my children from joining in the fun no matter how deep my heart sinks in my chest. I know that they eat healthy most of the time and I know when to let go a little too.

I avoid using sprinkles as much as I can, but the kids love them so much and I want to make it fun for them too. I trust Hoppers brand which contain sugar, maize starch, maltodextrin and natural colours including copper chlorophyllin, beetroot, spirulina, curcumin, paprika & gardenia. I also use Summer Hill Pantry brand which is made with minimally processed ingredients. The fruit sprinkles are made with 100% fruit, nothing else. The freeze drying process locks in flavour, colour and retains nutrients.