Heavily processed, hydrogenated, “trans” fats and oils that are used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body.

However, fats and oils from whole foods and other high-quality sources can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly.

Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place. A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies and leaves feelings of energy, fulfilment and warmth. When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness.

Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold. There are many sources of healthy fats and oils, here are my three personal  favourites.

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Avocado

Mmmmm, no member of my family can live without these! They are rich in monounsaturated fats, high in vitamin E which fights free-radical damage, they boost the immune system, keep skin nourished, youthful and glowing. They boost your good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce the bad type (LDL) They are so easy to add to you menu in smoothies, dips, spreads, dressings and spread over sourdough toast.

Get more avocado in your diet with this Chicken Burrito recipe or with this Hearty Sweet Corn and Black Bean Quesadilla or this cleansing salad.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil has high levels of monounsaturated fat which is great protection against heart attacks, and may protect against strokes as well, It has important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Oleic acid present in olive oil may protect us against certain cancers as well. Always look for extra virgin, cold-pressed, and unrefined varieties. Drizzle over this Super Cleanse Salad, use it to roast your vegetables, or make this exotic Middle Eastern Spiced Chickpea Rice.

Brands: I love this cold pressed Australian olive oil or Cobram Estate.

Coconut Oil

Coconut is high in saturated fats “But what’s interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives “good” HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it’s saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so”.  Plant based oils also contain anti-oxidants and other healthful substances which contribute to overall health. Coconut oil’s fatty acids are particularly wonderful at improving brain and memory function.

My favourite way to use it is in my vegan, paleo treats or no-bake treats. Whilst the extra virgin varieties are preferable because they are less refined with more health benefits, my family find the taste of extra virgin taste too strong, so I opt for virgin coconut oil to suit their palette.

A teaspoon of coconut oil is great to pop into your tea to ward off sugar cravings, delicious in healthy treats and great to cook with.I mix my pure essential oils with olive oil or coconut oil and use it on my skin as a moisturiser as well!

Get more coconut oil into your diet with my gluten and dairy-free Raw Cacao Balls ,  Brownie Cake Squares, or Home-made Granola.

Brands: I love this Topwil Organic Coconut Oil or the Macro Virgin Coconut Oil.

Other Delicious Fats

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils which I love:

• For sautéing and baking, try butter or ghee (clarified butter).
• I love oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed but they are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains.
• Macadamia oil has a delicious nutty, buttery flavour which is great for pan frying fish, baking cakes and slices, and in salad dressings.
• Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini.
• Other whole foods containing good fats are olives and coconuts, along with wild salmon, sardines and pastured or organic eggs.

Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which work best for you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest-quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes. Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined. Words to avoid are expeller-pressed, refined and solvent extracted.

Bren x

Infertlity led me to a holistic fertility centre where my naturopath helped me to discover the negative health affects we can experience from consuming foods with artificial additives, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and other chemical residues.

Certified organic foods have a higher nutritional content and are much kinder to the environment. Today, nothing is more important to me than keeping myself and my family safe from these toxins.

Here is a rundown of some of my favourite produce and products which proudly wear the trusty Australian certified ‘bud logo’ and I’ve shared a few recipes which incorporate them.

Certified Organic fruit and vegetables can be purchased from your local health food store. It’s worth asking which fruit and vegetables may not be supplied by Organics Growers of Australia (a small producer initiative from Australian Certified Organic), because not all are. Some OGA suppliers to my favourite health food store About Life are Champion’s Mountain Organics

On those super busy days when I’m running really low on produce, I occasionally pop into Woolworths or Coles to pick up the odd thing or two but the fact that the produce is wrapped in plastic really bugs me. I understand that they do this to keep the produce from contaminates when it’s in the warehouse, and through delivery as they are larger supply chains, but I still use them for emergencies only.

The best way to ensure you are purchasing ACO products without the plastic would be to use a home delivery service such as Organic Angels or Aussie Farmers Direct and Daintree Organics.

Here are a couple of recipes to help you use up all those beautiful seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Fresh and Raw Zucchini Noodle Salad

Mix ‘n Match Muffins.

It’s super important to me where my meat comes from and I only buy chicken and meat from sustainable farms which allow their animals to graze freely on pastures and live and eat as nature intended. Meat accumulates all the toxins in our environment, yet another important reason to buy Certified Organic.

My favourite chicken is from Inglewood Farms and we’ll have a roast chicken every week, keeping the bones to make another round of chicken stock. Inglewood chicken can be found in health foods stores, speciality shops and some supermarkets.

Here’s a delicious quick and easy Sticky Orange Chicken recipe my family just loves!

Coconut oil has got to be my absolute favourite pantry staple. Not just for it’s taste, health benefits but for it’s versatility. I use it fry frying, sautéing, and in bliss balls

and add it into smoothies too.

Coconut oil is also my everyday skin moisturiser, makeup remover, hair de-frizzer and more! Buying organic ensures that it contains no synthetics and no insecticides and also that no chemicals are used during the extraction and processing of ACO coconut oil.

Tamari is a wonderful flavour you can add to most dishes from stir fry, to soups, dressings and I even add it to my Mexican dishes. Spiral brand is my trusted favourite.

Photo credit: Spiralfoods.com.au

Absolute Organic brand of raw honey is much loved by the kids. Raw honey is a great choice of sweetener, particularly if eaten raw (not cooked) because it contains all it’s enzymes, vitamins, nutrients and minerals. (unlike refined sugar or pasteurised honey which has all goodness stripped out of it). Raw honey is our favourite sweeter to use in my famous Notella.

Often I’ll find I’ll stock up on Global Organics passata, especially when I find it on sale. I avoid buying anything in tins due to the chemicals in the BPA cans, but especially tinned tomatoes because the acid from the tomatoes reacts with the BPA causing it to leach into the tomatoes. So not feeding that to my kids! We use it in Mexican, Italian, soups, stews, slow cookers. It’s divine in this Slow Cooked Lamb Shank and Barley Soup

We are a cheese-lovin’ family and have a healthy rotation of variety in the fridge, but our everyday cheese is  Barambah Dumeresq Organic Cheddar which comes from a farm whose farmers cares about the wellbeing of it’s calves and cows and allows them to  graze on mixed pastures and are mostly grass fed. My kids love this cheese melted on some buttered sour dough bread in the grill, or grated onto some baby spinach and ham wraps which we then toast.

And something else you’ll find in my cupboard is the old vodka. Nothing beats sitting down with a certified organic vodka, soda and fresh lime as the hubby does a bbq after a big weekend of shopping, kids activities and a big cooking. Ahhhhhh!

What are some of your favourite pantry staples?

Bren x

By Kristin Cosgrove

I always thought I was pretty healthy.

When I was growing up, my Father had a fruit and vegetable business. As children, I remember always having an abundance of beautiful fresh produce available to us, which we were happy to take advantage of.  Friends would visit in the summer and be in awe of the trays of peaches, boxes of cherries and huge bowls of every kind of berry sitting on our bench top. We always had great things to eat but as I got older and left my parents home, things started to change for the worse.

I was busy with work and shall we say, a very active social life. All I could really cook was a few simple pasta dishes and chicken cacciatore! I began to rely on jars of this and packets of that. Cereal became a big part of my diet as did bread, pasta and take away Thai curries.I began to experience weight gain, skin problems and the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome – bloating, constipation, discomfort and tummy upsets. I began to make connections between what I ate and how I felt.

I became more interested in cooking and passionate about food.  I loved shopping at markets and visiting specialty shops. My husband gave me a Jamie Oliver cook book for Christmas one year and I remember how inspired I became, how I couldn’t wait to make my own pasta, to invest in some good quality kitchen ware.  My education in food was slow moving and self led but I was on my way.

When I became a mother, the idea of being healthy took on a whole new meaning. I started to think about food as nourishment and began buying more organic food and cooking more.  My first daughter suffered with a mild dairy intolerance.  We stopped giving her milk and she improved so we forgot about it. When my second daughter was born it was clear by the time she was six weeks old that we were facing some serious problems.

After seeking help from several doctors, Maternal Health Nurses, Dieticians and Naturopaths, Francesca was finally diagnosed with intolerances to wheat, dairy, soy, fish and nuts when she was eighteen months old. I didn’t know what to feed her!  I panicked at first, then burst into tears at the thought I had been causing my baby such discomfort through the food I was feeding her.  Then as all mums do, I decided to take control of the situation and educate myself about true health, real food and whole food eating.

It turns out that there is a lot to eat without wheat, dairy, soy, fish and nuts!  Vegetables for a start! Fresh fruit, good quality grass fed and free range meat, eggs, beans and pulses and gluten free grains like rice and quinoa.  I actually enjoy getting up in the still dark morning to prepare a proper breakfast for my kids – it is so satisfying. Rice porridge with stewed fruit, scrambled eggs and delicious super food smoothies has replaced the boxed cereal with skim milk combinations I had once relied on.

The more we learnt about what food was healthy for my daughter, the more we realised we could all be eating this way. And in time, we all felt the benefits.

I am so grateful to have been faced with the problem of food intolerance. Yes, it can be difficult at times…not everyone understands and many think “just a little bit won’t hurt”.  Travelling can be challenging and children’s parties are a nightmare but I am lucky in that my gorgeous girl understands what works for her body and appreciates feeling well, healthy and strong.

In fact, I would say living with food intolerance has been less a problem and more a blessing, one that has improved the health and well being of our whole family and developed a keen interest in growing, preparing and eating food in all of us!

Sticky Orange Chicken

This is a simple dish that takes no time to prepare and can be cooking in the oven while school bags are unpacked, home work assisted and tales of the day are told.  My kids love it!  I usually serve it with some roasted potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients

10 free range or organic chicken drumsticks or lovely legs (I prefer the skin off but it’s up to you)

Coconut oil, melted, about ¼ cup

2 oranges

A good drizzle of honey (around 2 tablespoons)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Preparation

Rinse and pat dry the chicken then place in a baking dish.  Pour over the coconut oil and massage it in to the chicken.  Cut one orange in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken.  Slice the other orange and tuck it in around the chicken pieces, along with the juiced orange.  Drizzle over the honey and season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 200C for about an hour, turning once or twice.  Serve drizzled with the pan juices.

Kristin lives by the beach with her three children and her husband, who is part time due to work circumstances.  She is passionate about healthy food – cooking it and eating it!  She loves yoga, travelling and learning new things constantly.  Her friends and family provide much adventure in her life and also give her a reason for celebration.  They keep her busy and entertained and at the end of the day (well, most days) laughing!

http://Mamacino.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/mamacinoblog

By responding to a personal challenge with an open heart, she’s managed to build a business that helps not only her own family, but many others as well.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m very blessed to be married to my best friend for the last 13 years, we are parents to two very spunky and lively little ones ( a boy and girl) who came to our family through intercountry adoption.

I am also the owner of an online children’s lifestyle store called Lime Tree Kids www.limetreekids.com.au  which keeps me busy! My son has some needs that require him to be gluten, dairy and “numbers” free .

This is a huge part of our lifestyle now, sourcing great food for us all to eat that doesn’t affect his behaviour or health!  I’m also an avid believer in play and that all great things start with fun! Bonding, learning, growing in all areas are so much easier when it’s in a relaxed manner.

Why did you create Lime Tree Kids?

Basically I started Lime tree kids as a way of bringing all of the products I had searched and located for using with my son and his play therapy. When he first came to us he had some attachment issues and needed help learning to trust and bond with us as his main caregivers (parents).

We did this by spending hours of time playing with him every day and developing a relationship through fun and eventually laughter! He learnt to trust us as we developed a relationship through play and meeting his needs continuously.

When I was searching for toys and items to play with it was so hard to find toys that were wooden and long lasting rather then plastic and flimsy. I found that things like sleeping bags and baby carriers and anything else I needed like sandwich cutters to help make eating fun etc where spread all over the internet and that no one store had everything I needed .

So I decided to start a “hobby” out of my bedroom and opened an online store that sold most of these products. It pretty quickly grew into what it is today. We just turned 2 and  have just moved into our first office warehouse facility , have over 250 brands and 1500 products lines. I’ve bought on board my brother as a business partner and he looks after the warehouse and packing of orders , my niece is in charge of Customer Service / Admin and we have another lady , Louise as well helping out doing accounts .

Why is play important for kids?  

I believe that children learn through play and it’s all they need for that stage in their time.  Play is like children’s work, they learn skills like interacting, sharing , communication , how far their boundaries can go , that they are safe or unsafe , encourages fine and gross motor skills which in turn help them with every day skills we use as adults every day.

There are so many reasons why just playing is important. Its impossible to list them all!  I remember being shocked when I learnt that the reasons that things like chalk boards and children using them and painting and  drawing on a board using up and down strokes, actually taught them to use the strokes that they use when learning to draw and write .. things like that amaze me !

What does healthy eating mean for you & your family?

Healthy eating to me and my family generally revolves around my sons dietary needs. We have managed to keep him off behaviour medication and turned around his ASD diagnosis by tweaking his diet.

We eat organic when we can, fresh vegetables and meat. We don’t eat anything with preservatives or additives if we can help it. I’ve learnt to cook a lot better and search the internet for resources ! If there are skin issues we address what food he has been eating and try adding or deleting that food.  It’s a constantly evolving thing as I wasn’t raised thinking of food as a source of nutrition and goodness.  I’m also a terrible cook so those skills are being tested as well !!

What are 5 of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Coconut Oil

Almonds (for flour or cooking)

Coconut milk

Rice pasta

Rice cakes for snacks

What do you indulge in?

Coffee – I’m trying to give it up at the moment but I just LOVE coffee !!

What are some of the things you value most in life?

Some of the things I value most in life are my husband and our marriage and relationship. My children and their needs, my good friends who are always ready to hear my crazy stories! My family, and creating memories with them as well as my friends. And SLEEP !!!

What is your favourite quote?

Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid !  – Albert Einstein.

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

I am very, very bad at this. My idea of nurturing myself at the moment is to take a bath, to go to bed early with my son (whom I lie down with each night and listen to sleep music) . I am about to start Yoga though so I can take some time out from everything !

What do you and your kids like to do on the weekend?

We lead a very busy life, so generally on the weekend, we will hang out around the house and just chill out, staying in our pj’s and slothing around. We will also go to the market and get some fruit and vegetables and do grocery shopping (woot woot!) . Every second weekend we catch up with extended family and have lunch and a play together.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

One of our favourite family recipes is from Quirky Cooking Jo’s blog. http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/thermomix-fried-rice.html

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Shelley as much as I have.

You can connect with Shelley here:

www.limetreekids.com.au

www.facebook.com/limetreekids

www.pinterest.com/limetreekids

I have always, or rather thought I had always been really healthy. In 2002, my body, after giving me signs which I chose to ignore, developed tumours in my spleen. That was a turning point in my life. Going through an experience like that is such a highly personal experience, I have never felt so alone, although I had the support of my family and friends, it was an extremely personal battle that I had to endure myself. The insight into my body, spirituality and life itself was incredible at this time. I nurtured my body to wellness, after having a splenectomy (my spleen removed) and have since lived an organically rich life – living and breathing all things healthy.

What are some of the things you value most in life?

Above everything else: family. Family and having great family relationships is the foundation for a happy, healthy life.

Friends: I am extremely blessed to have several groups of friends, most of who have known me for most of my life. I have three girlfriends who I have been friends with since I was eight years old. I have another group of friends who I have been friends with for half my life – every year we go away together for a girls weekend and it is such a joy to experience such incredible fun times together.

Health: our health is so important and having experienced a health crisis it is so important to value our bodies – most of us don’t and we take our body so much for granted and that is not in anyone’s best interest. We only have one life (in this body anyway), it is all about nurturing the body mind and spirit. We don’t have to grow old expecting to get frail and ill, the more we nurture and look after our body now, the more it will reward us in years to come – see healthy lifestyle practices on www.theresekerr.com – I share a lot of information on health and wellness from myself and an array of people as my goal is to educate. When we are educated we can make informed decisions as to our health.

Happiness, peace and joy: It is so important to me to feel content and happy and at peace in my life. I am releasing a book in the not too distant future as to how I have achieved this and I share incredibly personal experiences in the book in the hope that people who have experienced similar things get to understand that their past in no way defines them or what they are capable of. I have a peace that radiates through my being now and it is such a magical place to sit in.

Can you share with us the benefits you and your family experienced once embarking on a focussed, healthier, more holistic lifestyle?

Personally, I have never felt as fit and healthy in all my life. Energy radiates from my core and my cells feel as though they are alive and vibrant and as a result I am truly living an active, balanced life. My skin glows, my hair shines, my body feels strong and vibrant and that was not always the case. I had a live blood analysis not that long ago and most people’s blood is about 12-14 years older than their physical age, the practitioner told me that my blood “age” looked about 12 years younger than my physical age and I don’t have a spleen (your blood filtering organ so that in itself is testament to the benefits of living a healthy life.

Miranda is the epitome of health, she lives and breaths health and nutrition.

None of our family, including John’s parents, Peter and Anne are on medication. Peter is 82 and Anne is 77 – not a bad result to be medication free at that age – testament to living a good healthy life.

Is organic produce best, and why?

“Certified organic” is the only true organic product. There is a huge misrepresentation in the world over in the use of the word “organic”. A product only has to contain one carbon to be classed as organic yet can contain a thousand or more chemicals. Certified Organic is the consumers guarantee of quality of product, their guarantee that the products don’t contain the nasty chemicals so commonly found in foods, chemicals such as food additives, pesticides, insecticides, preservatives, colourings, msg, etc. On average women put around 200 chemicals a day on their skin. Chemicals like sulfates, parabens, TEA’s, DEA’s, glycols, formaldehyde, formaldehyde derivatives, ethoxylates, artificial colours, flavourings, etc etc and we wonder why we don’t feel alive and lit up by our presence here.

I believe most people in our society are not giving their bodies the adequate nutrition needed in the first place and then they place the additional load both in and on their bodies by eating nutrient depleted, chemical laden foods and by applying a concoction of synthetic substances to their skin.

We like to use the analogy of a bucket, There is only so much water a bucket can hold, right? When the bucket reaches 99.99% capacity it only takes a few drops of additional water to overflow the bucket and inevitably there will be a mess to clean up. Likewise, we believe at some point the body will not be able to handle additional chemicals, without some adverse reaction, illness or disease resulting.

How important is it have a healthy diet and lifestyle from a young age?

A healthy diet from an early age is vitally important. Avoiding sugar is a must for parents with children and for every person. Sugar will cause bone, fertility, obesity, pancreatic and all sorts of challenges so it is vitally important to eliminate refined sugars from the diet. As a family we don’t eat sweet things that often. We live by the 80/20 rule where we are mostly healthy and a little indulgent. The funny thing is, the more healthy you eat, the healthier you want to be and you don’t put bad, highly processed, highly refined, high sugar content foods into your system as you don’t crave them.

By starting early with living a healthy life, you are giving your body the best chance not to age and to remain healthy and disease free. The World Health Organisation (WHO) state on their website that one of the critical concerns faxing the world today, even in Western culture is malnutrition – malnutrition meaning the lack on nutrient-rich foods. We can eat all we want but there is a big difference between “diet” (what we put in our mouth) and “nutrition” (what nutrients our body absorbs from the food we put in our mouth). Education is the key and that is what I am all about and I surround myself with people who are wellness focussed and want to share the benefits of living a healthy existence and living that through to a ripe old age – it totally is possible..

What are the must have ingredients in your kitchen, and what types of food do you regard as poor choices that we should avoid, and why?

• Certified Organic Coconut Oil is by far one of the ingredients I must have. It has a high heat resistance and is the only oil I cook with.
• I use Olive and Macadamia Oil in my salads as well as coconut oil as they are some of the most nutrient-rich oils as well as Chia Oil from the Chia company
• Fresh healthy certified organic green leafy vegetables, eg Kate, Spinach, Silverbeet, lettuce, Bok Choy and all greens generally – they are a high alkaline food and are so beneficial to the body. I put all of these in my healthy shakes, see my recipes at www.theresekerr.com. Each day I include a heaped handful of raw kale and spinach, silver beet in my shakes – you could not ever get a child to eat that amount of raw green leafy vegetable so by adding this to a shake, they get super nutrient rich food in something they will love.
• Avocado – a super food and one I include in my shakes as well.
• Chia Oil and Chia Seeds, along with Acai, Maca, Mesquite, Cacao, Spirulina, Vital Greens, nuts and more nuts – these are superfoods and fill the body with incredible nutrients, support the digestive system and 60-70% of the immune system operates from the digestive system so I cannot overemphasize the importance of looking after your digestion
• I use Quinoa, Almond or Hazelnut Milk instead of dairy – low GI, (Quinoa is a high protein alternative), fantastic alternatives to dairy
• Fresh baby coconuts are the base for most of my shakes – I use the coconut water and the flesh and it is incredibly nutrient-rich. Coconuts are one of the understated superfoods – coconuts should be in everyone’s pantry
• Broccoli is a superfood – but only eat certified organic or farm fresh from the markets (as long as they don’t use pesticides and insecticides)
• Homemade Bioactive yoghurt – I make it myself from Progurt starter and it is so great for your tummy and digestive system
• Rejuvelac – I make my own fermented grain products including fermented rejuvelac (grain juice) and then use the grain to make fermented porridge – great way to kick start your day is by having high enzyme, sprouted porridge and rejuvelac – these become a broom for the intestines.

Can the foods we choose to eat impact on our moods, behaviour and energy levels?

Without question our diet or rather our nutritional intake or lack thereof impacts every part of our life. Having adequate nutrition in our body and not having chemicals in our foods, personal care and household products impacts every part of our lives, including moods, behaviour and energy levels. Our foods are filled with chemicals, additives, preservatives and we wonder why the incidence of ADD, ADHD etc has escalated. We are eating nutrient deficient foods and to add further insult we are adding toxins that our body then has to eliminate in some way. In our society today, I believe our liver spends so much time detoxing that it doesn’t get the opportunity to perform other vital roles, one of which is breaking down fat.

An example of how the food we consume impacts our mood, etc… The higher the sugar content is in the food we consume, the higher the energy peak will be but it is only short-lived. As our body craves more energy, we get agitated, can’t concentrate, we crave more sugar there begins the continual roller coaster ride because we then beat ourselves up because we had that extra lolly or cake. Anything containing high levels of sugar is what we call quick releasing energy food, but the challenge is if we have too much “sugar” or highly refined, highly processed foods, high carbohydrate foods, anything in excess of what our immediate needs are, our body converts that sugar to fat as opposed to burning it. It is estimated that in America, for example, people are consuming four times as much sugar-type foods than the pancreas can actually handle. Frightening statistic.

Filling our body with nutrients is essential for mind as well as body health. Our bodies need vitamins and minerals and essential oils to function effectively. Our body also needs adequate rest and downtime as well a high quality filtered water.

Your new book, Lunchbox Solutions, incorporates the ideals of healthy living you describe above, and the graphics are yummy on their own! Do you feel that families let themselves down nutritionally when it comes to lunchtime?

I feel that families do the best with what they have and what they know. One of our goals as authors or Lunchbox Solutions is to educate people, because it is only when we are educated about nutrition and/or the lack thereof in our foods, that we have the ability to make informed choices as to our health. We wrongly presume that what is in our foods is healthy and will provide us with everything our bodies need, that is certainly not the case. With a lot of the foods currently available on supermarket shelves, you might as well eat the packaging because the nutrient-content within is so depleted.

Buying quality fresh produce, produce that doesn’t contain all of the nasty chemicals is one of the best things you can do for your body and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Go to the local farmers markets (see www.theresekerr.com for local farmers markets around the world), as certified organic is usually reasonable at the markets and/or if you can’t buy CO product buy farm fresh produce.

Avoid sugar and any foods that rapidly convert to sugar, eg pastries, pasta, anything containing sugar and/or anything that is highly processed. Avoid trans fats (found in a lot of our foods), they are poisonous to the body. Use certified organic coconut oil as your cooking oil (certified organic) and avoid tinned or packaged products wherever possible. Also avoid low fat, low sugar. We, including our kids, need healthy, low GI, sustaining meals and Lunchbox Solutions provides those answers. See http://theresekerr.com/books/lunchbox-solutions/ to access some incredibly healthy, nutrient-rich, low GI, sustainable alternative lunches – great for all the family!

How easy is it really to prepare healthy lunches for ourselves and our children, and what are some preparation tools you find useful?

It is easier than you think. Like everything it is all about preparation.

Sometimes it seems a whole lot easier to just give into children and throw into their lunchboxes that vegemite or jam sandwich, packet of chips and a cupcake. There is no doubt that this type of approach to lunches is quick, simple and easy. But the question is: Is life simple and easy when we have tired, angry or unwell children? Isn’t it easier to get through the day when our children are vibrant, happy and healthy.

What we eat directly influences our health, our energy, our capacity to learn and our relationships. If we can see value in this then we will be able to find the extra time we need to create nourishing food.

The reality is that everyone is busy and yet we naturally prioritise whatever activity we value. If we value exercise, then we organise our day so that we have time to visit the gym or go for a run. Our choices are always influenced by the value we place on them. That said, there are plenty of ways to economise your time in the kitchen. Even though preplanning menus, sourcing and purchasing high quality food and preparing nutritious meals may take more time, we can assure you that once you get used to creating a few meals and snacks at the same time (best done on the weekend) and making larger quantities of a meal (so that you have pre-planned extras) you will find that making lunches in the working week becomes a breeze.

Here are a few tips:
• Think ahead and plan – If you know what is on the menu for the week ahead you will save countless trips to the shop as well as the stress of having to decide what to create for lunch and dinner each day.
• Cook pre-planned extras – Sometimes when you make your evening meals, double the recipe so that you have plenty of leftovers or what we call “pre-planned extras” – for lunch the next day.
• Keep your pantry well stocked with staples – these might include healthy grains, flours, pasta’s, rice, beans, cans of coconut milk, healthy tuna, salmon and sardines, and rice and nut milks so that you always have ingredients to make meals and nutritious treats when time allows
• Keep your kitchen well stocked with snacks – the simplest being fresh certified organic fruit and vege’s. You can also buy a selection of dried fruits, nuts (preferably activated nuts) and healthy crackers, all of which can be used as quick additions in lunchboxes.
• Consider lunches the night before – make sure that everything you need is ready. Sometimes nutrition gets left behind in the moring madness and we focus on simply getting “something” into the lunchbox, as opposed to getting “something healthy” in there.

How do you deal with picky eaters?

Children observe everything we do, they always have. If we truly want them to participate in life in a healthy manner, then we have to be an inspiring example of that. In order for our children to develop broad, healthy palataes they need to notice how we honour our body – there is enormous power in role modelling. When our children observe us eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing to drink water or eating a nourishing breakfast every day, they will follow suit – Monkey see, monkey do.

Become the “Health Guru”. Because you can only teach what you know, the onus is on your to become knowledgeable. We say, elect a food captain, someone who is in charge of the household’s “food culture”. This person not only researches and sources healthy food but also monitors the family’s diet, ensuring adequate intake of fruit, vegetables and water, for example.

A powerful way of teaching is to invite your children to help you plan and cook meals. Explore healthy recipe books together and have them select what they would like to eat. While cooking or shopping you can teach them about wholesome ingredients and how to prepare food; these are wonderful life skills and their participation will encourage commitment to new lifestyle habits.

Talk your kids up – everyone loves praise especially our kids! Develop the habit of giving your children praise about how healthy, strong and vibrant they are, here are a couple of examples:

“You are a powerhouse, look at those muscles… It must be all the good food you eat.”
“You are one of the best eaters I know.”
“I love seeing you look after your body like that – you are amazing.”
“I am so proud of the choices you make.”
Be a stand for what’s possible for your children’s health. Take out sugar and highly processed foods, highly refined foods. Flynn, for goodness sakes is only two years old yet he loves olives, grapefruit, paw paw, eggplant and foods that you wouldn’t expect a two year old to eat. When we are a stand for our children’s health, they only know what we know and therefore accept what we accept as normal.

What’s next for Therese Kerr?

Breakfast Solutions will be released around April this year and I am so excited about that. I am also releasing three other books in addition to Breakfast Solutions this year so stay tuned for that. I have moved out of the GM role of KORA Organics to undertake more public speaking and to take on the event management role as I love more than anything sharing the benefits of living a healthy life with others. I have sat in an office for most of my life and my heart sings more when I am out with the people hence making this very exciting change.

I am also releasing my own certified organic household products – again another exciting venture and I am creating programs for health and wellness so this year is going to be an exciting time for myself and my family and I am so looking forward to what lies ahead for us all.

More than anything though I also intend to take more time for myself and my family, to spend quality time with Matty, Flynn, Miranda and Orlando and Johnny.

I will be giving more of my time to Kids Helpline as it is an incredible organisation that supports all children in Australia. A child phones Kids Helpline every 60 seconds in Australia, and on average, Kids Helpline receives between 12-14 youth suicided related calls every night. I am off to Peru in November for Kids Helpline, fulfilling my own personal dream of trekking Machu Picchu and in the process raising much needed funds for KHL – to put it bluntly, 40% of all kids aged between 5 and 25, who phone Kids Helpline can’t get through and we need to change that. If you would like to help me help the kids of Australia by donating to this non-government funded organisation you can do one of two things or even both if you feel inclined:

• Participate in the Peru trek with me
• Donate to my fund-raising initiative to help raise the money for KHL

To do the above please go to: http://kidshelplineperu.gofundraise.com.au/page/ThereseKerr and together we can make the difference to many lives.

Would you like to share one of your nutritional kids’ lunch box ideas plus its health benefits?

Roast two chickens at dinner time – one for the meal and one for leftovers. Use the drumsticks in the lunchbox (ensure you have the adequate insulated bag to keep the food in the lunchbox cool and safe). Add to the lunchbox ½ a sliced cucumber, some grapes and an apple. You may also like to make in advance a mini quiche or falafel balls with our dipping sauce and include. You could even add a healthy fruit spelt bun – all of this information can be found in Lunchbox Solutions.
In Lunchbox Solutions we provide so many healthy lunchbox options for you to make and you can make them on weekends and then freeze them – even frozen they are a much better option that the high GI, high fat, highly refined and processed food options currently filling the lunchboxes of today.

Most of all, enjoy the journey on taking your kids on a healthy adventure – the rewards will be enormous – you will have happy, healthy, children who are equipped to learn more efficiently and are less likely to get bored, hungry or even anxious at school.

Enjoy and let your little lights shine.

Love Therese xxx