Local and in-season foods are best, and buy organic if you can. Below is a list of 6 of my kids’ favourite nutrient-rich and enzyme-rich raw foods. I hope your little munchkins love them as much as mine!:

1. Avocado – Available all year round, it is rich in protein, enzymes, fibre, potassium, vitamin E and healthy fats. Spread on toast or sandwiches, add to smoothies (which thickens while creating an ice-cream like consistency), make guacamole, or add to sushi rolls.

2. Blueberries – Blueberries are a wonderful way for children to get a natural sweet fix. They are a superior source of antioxidants, which are important in fighting harmful “free radicals” which can lead to cancer and other diseases. Add blueberries to morning smoothies, to cereal, in your healthy muffins, or mixed into yogurt.

3. Lettuce – In season all year round, lettuce is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, manganese and chromium, as well as being a very good source of dietary fibre. My kids have fun making” iceberg lettuce cups” which they fill with lots of healthy fun stuff like prawns, tuna, grated carrot, cucumber with a squeeze of lemon or lime, roll and enjoy!

4. Almonds – Almonds are high in fibre, contain healthy omega-9 oleic fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Kids can sprinkle raw almonds on their muesli or yoghurt, have a handful as a snack, or use almond butter instead of peanut butter (most processed peanut butters on the grocery shelves today are loaded with sugar and partially hydrogenated fats). Almond butter can be spread on anything from bread, to lettuce leaves or apple slices, or be added to smoothies.

5. Coconut – Besides being anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, coconuts are highly nutritious & hydrating. They are also rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. We choose the baby coconuts at home and drink the water and eat the flesh as a complete snack or add the water and flesh as the base for our mango or berry smoothies.

6. Raw Honey – This is an unprocessed sweetener which has all its vitamins and minerals intact & can help with seasonal allergies. Drizzle on top of yoghurt or muesli or dip pieces of cut up fruit into it – yum!

Other wonderful and nutritious raw foods to enjoy this summer include apricots, raspberries, strawberries, peaches and nectarines, melons, plums, passionfruit, pineapple, beans, beetroot, capsicum, celery, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, zucchini and sweet corn.

If you love some of these raw ideas, perhaps you would like to attend one of my Plentiful Workshops in February. Tickets can be booked through Facebook under Brenda Janschek Health & Lifestyle

Have a plentiful day.

Bren x

Believe me, I know what it’s like in this time-poor existence, rushing to get the kids to school so that we can get to work on time, and we reach for what is convenient (or what we’re told by marketing is convenient). But with a bit of preparation and the right ingredients in your kitchen, the family could be enjoying highly nutritious morning meals, and still get out the door on time.

So many breakfast cereals are marketed as health foods. Little wonder it’s the main form of breakfast for most families. We’re far too trusting, assuming it must be good because that is what the advertisements say. According to NY Times best selling author, Dr Mercola, “The unfortunate reality is that the cereals aggressively marketed to kids have the worst nutritional quality of all cereals. An analysis, published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association found that children’s cereals have more sugar, sodium, carbohydrates, and calories per gram than cereals not marketed to kids. They also have less protein and fiber.”

Here are 5 things to think about before you reach for the boxed cereal in the supermarket. Cereal is:

1. Highly processed – to make the flakes, shapes and puffs, the grains have  to be heated up to very high temperatures and extruded at high pressures. The shapes are then sprayed with synthetic vitamins and food colours

2. Nutrient deficient – the processing destroys many valuable nutrients in grains, causes the oils to become rancid and renders certain proteins toxic

3. Difficult to digest – cereal grains contain phytic acid, a substance that binds up nutrients and makes it difficult for you body to absorb and therefore difficult to digest

4. High in sugar and carbohydrates – most of the cereals marketed to kids have 30-50% sugar content which raises blood sugar levels very quickly

5. Health issues –  all of the above points can cause bloating, constipation, IBS, allergies, infections, concentration issues and contribute to weight gain, obesity and more

Breakfast is important fuel after fasting during sleep so that our bodies can rejuvenate each night. So it’s a prime time to feed our bodies real foods, whole unprocessed foods that contain protein, fat and carbohydrates, and come from plants and animals, to give us the best start to the day.

If you want to achieve vibrant health for your whole family, try these 5 quick healthy breakfast ideas instead of boxed cereal:-

1. Bircher muesli – rolled oats mixed with nuts, seeds, coconut, soaked in milk or coconut water and yoghurt overnight. It can be made and stored in the fridge for several days

2. Smoothies – simple combinations include milk, raspberries, bananas, raw honey and yoghurt, can be whizzed up in 5 minutes

3. Eggs – scrambled/poached/fried eggs on sourdough or sprouted toast with a spread of avocado

4. French toast – sourdough bread soaked in a mix of eggs, milk and cinnamon, lightly fried in butter, served with a drizzle of Canadian maple syrup and topped with fresh fruit

5. Fruit and yoghurt parfait – create layers of yoghurt, nuts, seeds, fruit, coconut or homemade granola for a delectable breakfast treat

So why not prepare your fridge and pantry with some of these staples, to make preparing a nutritious and delicious breakfast a breeze? Download my FREE BREAKFAST EBOOK with 10 delicious recipes to make your morning’s shine. 

If you need some guidance and inspiration to change your kitchen into a real food haven, check out my programs here

Bren x