What’s The Issue with Sugar, MSG and Sulphites?

Once upon a time, food was just food. One knew that sweet were for parties and social get-togethers, and the rest was produce, prepared in various ways according to culture and availability. These days? It's a minefield for us to navigate and teach our kids what's what.

Our kid's brain development and growth during their early years is the foundation from which the rest of their lives is built on, so, ensuring their diet is full of nourishment and low in nasties is definitely preferable to get them off to a good start.

I've given a lunch-and-learn talk many times on the major additives used in foods marketed to children and I wanted to turn it into a detailed guide so that we could reach more people with it and eliminate any budget barriers.

The three biggest red flags in processed foods are excess/added refined sugar, MSG (monosodium glutamate and its chemical cousins) and sulphite preservatives. Each of them has their own complex issues, but at large, they can affect cognitive function, mood, digestion and energy levels in everyone but especially in growing little people. Not to mention all the other additives out there that we need to be aware of these days.

The sooner we identify the things that have no place in our children's diet the better. The good news? We've included plenty of tips and tricks to entice your little humans to eat healthier options at home and school with very little fuss.

While this guide was developed for parents with children in pre-school and primary school, almost all of the information can be applied to adults, too if you're just starting out on your food awareness journey.

I've also created this guide to support child care centres and canteens so that we can collectively work together fast to remove the main offenders in our children's daily options, without my having to try and speak at every child care centre which is just plain impossible.

Thanks for working with me to do better by our beautiful little people!

Why Would This Guide Work For Me?

You might be here because a practitioner suggested you eliminate a wide range of additives including MSG, sugar or sulphites from yours or your child's diet, or perhaps you’re acutely aware of the huge changes you see in them when they consume certain foods and you want to get to the bottom of it. Either way, this guide is going to shift your approach to how you feed them.

If your child experiences any of these symptoms then this guide could be a great starting point for you and your family - at the very least to experiment with reduction or elimination to then be able to say to your doctor "we've done this and it's helped / or helped a little but don't think we're at the bottom of the symptom cause yet'!

• Hyperactivity and shortened attention span
• Rage outbursts
• Mood swings.
  Itchiness, rashes or eczema
• Poor immunity and a tendency to constantly get sick
• Dislike of healthier/ bitter foods like broccoli, greens and other vegetables
• A diagnosis (or suspected diagnosis) of ADHD
• Carrying excess weight
• Lack of energy
• Sugar addiction of cravings.
• Constipation/Diarroea or both.
• Complaints of frequent migraines or headaches.
• Nausea
• Stomach cramps
• Asthma or other respiratory conditions.
• Poor sleep, insomnia or falling asleep in class
• Depression or anxiety
• Burning sensation, tingling or numbness after consumption
• Head banging
• AF (atrial fibrillation) or heart palpitaions
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain