Struggling to get your kids to eat their 5 a day? Me too! Even with all my best attempts at hiding and bribing, yes, even all my attempts at Earth Motherliness have failed! With the best will in the world and a good diet, including plenty fresh fruit of veg, our diet is now lacking nutritional value. Due to aggressive food production methods, the current yields of fruit, vegetables and grains, no longer contain enough of certain needed minerals. Vitamins without minerals are useless to the human body. . So what do I do? Supplement! This then caused an additional battle with the Kids, as not only do I still try to encourage a healthy diet, when looking at the list supplements needed, was also trying to get my 2 kids to take about 5-6 tablets a day! Now, I have my own brand of supplements, so my expense and inconvenience was not as great as some other Mums, but, of course, the majority stayed on the dining table, or I found them hidden at the back of the settee, in drawers and my suspicions were raised when our mongrel Dog developed a fantastic shiny coat, the wettest nose and brightest eyes! Then a good friend of mine Neil Asher, who was starting to have the same concerns over his daughter Isabellas’ diet (that’s her on the font of the pack), took the bull by the horns and decided to come up with mix that would solve his problem and in doing so has developed a fantastic way that will help us all. Kidz 5 A Day, does exactly what it say on the the tin! Mix it up with a banana and milk, add a bit of honey to sweeten, sprinkle a tad of chocolate dusting powder on the top, (the stuff that comes with the sachets of Cappuccino, that I will not throw away and have cupboards full of!), To coin a phrase – My Kids 5 a day, Done! (btw, Neil used to work with Gordon Ramsay so he certainly knows his foody stuff, but probably wouldn’t dare nick Gordons’ phrase!) My Kids love it so much, they fight over whose turn it is to make it!! PS. Neil has given me a special link for you to try this for free (well ok, £2 postage!) I’m not sure how long this will last so go get it here Kidz 5 A Day.
What on Earth … are Antioxidants?
It appears, or so we are told, almost every food you can think of, is rich in antioxidants. So what are they and why are they important for good health?
I think the easiest analogy is if you think about Oxidation being the process that creates the breakdown which causes rust, usually on the surface of something, then Oxidation occurring on the inside of the body causes a breakdown of body cells, which then attack healthy cells, DNA, proteins and fats. This weakens the immune system and speeds up the aging process as well as being linked to several diseases such as cataracts, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s , diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, to name just a few.
Oxidants, aka “free radicals,” are introduced to the body by pollution, stress, alcohol, sun exposure, unhealthy food, and cigarette smoke.
Antioxidants, or anti-oxidation agents, reduce the effect of dangerous oxidants by binding together with these harmful molecules, decreasing their destructive power. Antioxidants can also help repair already damaged cells. Certain antioxidant enzymes are produced within the body, unfortunately, todays’ fast paced lifestyle, pollution and and poor diet has once again dramatically tipped the natural balance of things.
Other antioxidant agents are found in dark green leafy vegetables, foods high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene are believed to be the most beneficial. These can be found in fruits and vegetables, those with the strongest colours being healthiest. Orange and red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and carrots are examples. You can also supplement, but supplements are exactly that and should never be used as an alternative to a healthy, preferably organic, diet!
It all comes down to your ‘5 a day’, which is now being considered for an upgrade to a 7 and even that’s a minimum!