The food industry is a multi-trillion dollar industry and much of their advertising dollar is spent targeting children. In their competition to remain viable, these companies are lacing their products with colour or flavour enhancers to attract and make your child an addict. Once addicted, your child may start to reject real, wholesome foods.

 

Why Foods Contain Colouring

People associate certain colours with certain flavours, and the colour of food can influence the perceived flavour in anything from candy to wine. Sometimes the aim is to simulate a colour that is perceived by the consumer as natural, such as adding red colouring to canned cherries (which would otherwise be beige). Imagine beige cherries, Yuk!

 

Some children are sensitive to dyes used to colour foods, in particular Red 40. Studies have shown that children who eat red dye are more likely to be hyperactive and out of control than those who avoid it. Parents often notice calmer dispositions and better attitudes in their children once red dye is removed from their diets. By the way, did you know that it is made from petroleum?

 

Read the Labels

Do you let the terms “natural” and “all natural” in food labelling and marketing sway your purchasing decision? In some countries the term “natural” is defined and enforced. In others, such as the United States, it has no meaning, so beware of foods bearing these terms in their labels. Avoid things that have ingredients that you cannot pronounce or if the ingredients list is very lengthy. The items in highest quantity are typically listed first in the ingredients list. Avoid things that have sugar, sweeteners, added flavours and colours in the first 5 ingredients.

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Junk Food to Avoid:

 

Snacks

-Candies

-Biscuits

-Fried chips

-Cheese trix

-Donuts

-Pastries

 

Drinks

-Sugar-based drinks

-Fruit drinks

-Flavoured water

 

Proteins

-Sausages

-Salami

-Peperoni

-Hamburger meats

 

Real Food Alternatives

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Snacks

-Fruits (oranges, mangoes, sour sop, otaheiti apples, pineapples, bananas, etc.)

-Fruit smoothies

-Frozen yogurt (with live cultures)

-Carrot sticks

-Raisins

-Seeds and nuts

-Beans

 

Drinks                             

 

-Purified drinking water

-Real fruit juices

-Coconut water

-Almond milk

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Protein

 

-Fish – salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, etc.

-Chicken and eggs (with yolk) – hormone-free, free range

-Beef or mutton – grass fed, antibiotics-free, hormone-free, lean

 

As you send your children back to school, remember to send them out with a nutritious breakfast with protein. Pack their healthy snacks and work with the school canteen to provide healthy alternatives that you approve of. Let us give our children the best possible chance for a successful future.