There are so many different, creative ways you can pack a punch of nutrition into all your kids and family favourite meals, and at the same time curb their constant nagging for more food.

Take the humble porridge for example… you can watch me talk about how to pimp up your porridge here or just read on instead…

Why it’s already good?

Oats are rich in the B-complex vitamins which help convert our food into fuel, keeping our bodies energised throughout the day and help us have great hair and skin. Anti-oxidant vitamin E, protects our cells, organs and tissues from free radicals, warding off illness and disease. Oats contain soluble fibre which helps to keep us feeling satisfied as well as help our digestive system along. Soluble fibre also provides a food source for beneficial bacteria in the gut.

How you can make it better.

– Soak oats overnight in a warm water and yoghurt, kefir or buttermilk to neutralise phytic acid. Phytic acid is found in the outer layer of grains and blocks the absorption of essential mineral which can lead to deficiencies. Rinse off the oats in the next morning before cooking if you don’t like a sour tang to your porridge.  If you are dairy-free you can use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice instead. Adding in a small amount of whole wheat spelt flour or rye flour will also help to reduce the high levels of phytic acid as they contain phytase, a natural enzyme which works to break down the phytic acid and release the beneficial nutrients.

– Grind up some linseeds (flaxseeds) and mix through the porridge to provide a good ratio of Omega 3’s which are great for our brain health and behaviour These are relatively tasteless. You could use chia seeds as well.

– Once cooked, mix in some butter or cream, whose fat-soluble activators provide the catalyst for mineral absorption and they make it super tasty!

– Ensure you add a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup, raw honey or a sprinkle of rapadura sugar rather than highly refined, processed sweetener.

– Top with blueberries which are full of anti-oxidants and research suggests that in addition to protecting against heart disease and diabetes and improving brain function, they may also help reduce visceral “toxic” belly fat—a type of fat that has been linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome.

– Add cinnamon to stabilise blood sugar and for extra natural sweetness.

And voila, there you have it, a delicious, satisfying bowl of goodness which makes the perfect way to start the day.

Print

Pimped up Porridge

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 2

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat spelt or rye flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons whey yoghurt, buttermilk, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 small pinch sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of linseeds flaxseeds
• 1 heaped teaspoon butter ghee or cream
• 1 teaspoon your sweetener of choice - pure maple syrup raw honey, rapadura or coconut sugar, brown rice syrup (optional)
• Slices of banana
• Blueberries or mixed berries
• Cinnamon

Instructions

• Place oats and spelt flour in a small saucepan.
• Mix together the warm water and acid medium in a separate bowl
• Pour over oats and mix through.
• Cover and leave to sit overnight at room temperature or up to 24 hours
• Rinse oats in the morning to remove the sour tang of whey, yoghurt.
• Add oats back into saucepan with 1 cup of filtered water and pinch of salt.
• Simmer porridge until cooked, around 5 minutes.
• While porridge is cooking grind up linseeds.
• Once cooked mix through linseeds and swirl of butter, ghee or cream.
• Serve topped with sweetener ( optional - I find the fruit adds enough sweetness), banana, berries, nuts and seeds and a good shake of cinnamon

Notes

Recipe adapted from Nourishing Traditions

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration take a look at my ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved and take the guess work out of what delicious, healthy food to pack your kids for lunch!

Other breakfast recipes you might like Date and Walnut Bircher Muesli and Spiced Quinoa Porridge.

Bren x

They’ve never really needed encouragement to fill their cheeks to the brim, but the last few years their bodies have been demanding an insatiable amount of food. HealthyChildren.org explains that a surge in appetite around the age of 10 in girls and 12 in boys foreshadows the growth spurt of puberty. That pretty much explains what’s going on over in my house.

It’s mind boggling how much they need to eat and just how quickly they are growing, and how busy they can be, but I keep reminding myself about the enormous amount of change their bodies are going through and just how important good nutrition is to support their growth and development.

I recently some crafty ways I ensure shared on my instagram feed here.

According to RaisingChildren.net.au, your teenager will need extra calcium and iron during adolescence:

“…..enough calcium will help your child to reach peak bone density and build strong bones for life … expanding blood volumes and growing muscle mass means your child needs more iron in adolescence. Girls also have extra iron needs because of their periods.”

Feeding my insatiable kids can be a challenge at times, especially while trying to run my business on top of the endless home duties. On top of that, there is the added burden of dealing with the negative food influences surrounding my kids at school, sport and in their friendship circles, which become more intense as they become more autonomous and want to ‘fit in’. I see so many kids live primarily on processed sugars and starches primarily, which is a recipe for disaster for their hormonal health, not to mention their attitude and moods.

I recently shared some crafty ways and food ideas to ensure you get as much nutrition as possible into your kids here on my instagram feed. 

Carbohydrates are also important for growing children, especially if they are very active. Naturopath, Naomi Judge explains…

“It does depend on activity, if they fill up on carbohydrates and watch TV all day then they are most likely going to put weight on and get blood sugar problems. So lots of carbs are important plus extra sweet or white potato, rice, nuts and seeds as an extra carb source is a good idea. Dinner time is ideal for them to fill up and make sure they get all the right nutrients, that way when they sleep, bones, muscle, etc can grow and repair.”

I think the best we can do as parents is to provide as much tasty, nutrient-dense food as we can for our children when they’re at home, focusing on a good balance of mainly protein and fats (should be consumed at every meal as they are the building blocks of healthy hormones), plus some healthy carbohydrates as their body’s major energy sources.

Cheese, Ham and Spinach Hot Pots from Real Food for Hungry Teens.

Hence why it became my mission to create a list of delicious recipes designed to fill those ‘hollow legs’ without having to resort to a loaf of white bread at each sitting. Most importantly, they needed to be quick and easy to make for even our teens!

My blog is full of healthy, well balanced, family friendly recipes, so take a look around, as are my ebooks, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes, and  Real Food for Hungry Teens, which provides highly nutritious recipes specifically targeted at active, growing teenagers, and which aims to keep them coming back for more. My free recipe ebook, Think Outside the Cereal Box, has some great, nutritious breakfast ideas too.

Using everyday foods rather than hard-to-get items, all recipes are truly a reflection of how we love to eat when at home.

Bren x

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing family nutritionist Kim Holmes from The Healthy Little B about the importance of a healthy gut when it comes to our kids health. Here’s a breakdown of what we discussed and the video interview in case you missed it.

Where do I start?! Our digestive system of gut as it is commonly known is what I like to call the ‘Hub of Health’. It really is so important to have a healthy functioning gut and a lovely balance of good bacteria. Not only is our food digested and excreted here but it also functions to:

1. Immunity

• Interestingly, 70% of our immune system lies in our gut flora
• Our gut lining + cells are like the protective barrier against invaders we don’t want
• If your child seem to be battling back to back colds, there is a fair chance his/ her gut might need a little TLC

2. Mood manager

• Another interesting fact, is that our lovely happy hormone Serotonin, is primarily produced in our gut
• The gut has been called the ‘second brain’ as it is closely linked to the brain via the enteric nervous system
• Once thought that when we are nervous or anxious; we can have diarrhoea or become constipated, tummy pains. As well as top to bottom, we now know that link is also reversed, gut to brain (healthy gut = happy kids)

3. Digestion

• Enzyme production (starts in the mouth, where salivary amylase is produced – chew food slowly!) Then onto the stomach were we need adequate HCl acid production to break down proteins ready for assimilation in the small intestines (where most of the gut action happens!)
• Important nutrients are absorbed in the small intestines (the lining again needs to be super healthy or large undigested molecules can escape into the bloodstream)
• And obviously the large intestine acts to excrete waste

4. Skin Health + Inflammation

• Many skin problems can stem from gut imbalances
• When the gut is out of action + its lining impaired, large molecules can leak into the blood stream having a systemic inflammatory effect showing on the skin
• A ‘Leaky gut*’ can manifest in the body systemically on the skin (eczema/ psoriasis etc)

WHAT CAN CAUSE GUT PROBLEMS?

• Poor diet choices (excess sugar/ gluten/ wheat/ dairy/ processed foods)
• Parasite infections
• Lack of good bacteria/ yeast infections
• Chronic stress
• Over use of NSAIDS + over use of antibiotics

 WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD’S GUT HEALTH MAY BE IMBALANCED?

• Food intolerances/ sensitivities/ allergies

• Bloating/ cramps/ diarrhoea/ constipation/ IBS-like symptoms / undigested foods in stool/ mucus in stools (inflammation)

• Sinus infections/ recurrent colds/ runny noses/ hayfever/ allergies

• Irritability/ anxiety/ mood problems/ impatience/ fatigue

• Skin rashes (eczema/ psoriasis)

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Lifestyle

• Reduce stress
• Reduce use of NSAIDs (Panadol/ Nurofen etc)/ anti-bitoic use – is it always necessary?

Diet

First of all remove the nasties that can be the cause:

• Sugar
• Gluten
• Dairy
• Processed foods
• Trans fats
• Soft drinks

*Leaky Gut – now well known around the medical industry, this is where the gut lining can become permeable – large molecules of undigested food can make their way into the bloodstream; this can lead to inflammation + manifest as some of the above signs + symptoms

Eat the right foods that promote good bacteria, healthy gut and reduce inflammation:

1. Omega 3 foods

• Oily fish
• Walnuts
• Eggs
• Flaxseeds + Chia seeds
• Anti-inflammatory turmeric

2. Probiotic rich foods

• Yoghurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Miso
• Tempeh
• Fermented foods

• Real whole foods diet
• Lots of green veg + other veg
• Broths/ soups/ stews/ slow cooked
• Gelatin
• Organic grass-fed meats
• Sustainable seafood
• Good fats (coconut/ avo/ etc)
• Pineapple + papaya are full of enzymes to aid digestion

GLUTAMINE – the ultimate gut healer – found in green leafy veg, cabbage, parsley + legumes. IS destroyed by heat so eat these raw. To get full benefit, take it as a supplement.

Other:

• Chew food slowly
• Don’t drink with meals
• Eat in season produce
• Eat organic where possible
• Drink lots of filtered water

Supplements to aid healing and promote gut health 

• Probiotics/ Prebiotics
• Turmeric
• Glutamine

To learn more about how to create healthy food habits check out THRIVE, RAISING KIDS WHO LOVE REAL FOOD  which is a 21 day eCourse helping parents help their kids to broaden their food repertoire, ditch the additives, dissipate fussiness and so much more. It aims to help parents instil a positive food attitude for the rest of their lives. If you want more information about how you can support your children’s health both now and in the future, take a look at THRIVE!

Next round begins Wednesday 22nd May 2019