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Recipes created by Jessica DonovanFood photography by Emma Holdsworth

energetic mamaHealthy Kids:

FOOD SECRETS OF KIDS THAT RARELY GET SICK!

5 FOOD SECRETS 2

How do I

Prevent my kids from getting sick all of the time?

Boost my Childs immune system?

Get my kids interested in healthy foods?

Boosting the health of our children is important to all parents but the

truth is nutrition is confusing! One expert is telling us to avoid x but the

marketing messages of the x food tells us it is healthy!

I am on a mission to clear up the confusion around nutrition for kids and

make it simple again. These 5 food secrets of kids that rarely get sick are

just the beginning of what I have to share with you. I have put them

together from my experience as a mama and my knowledge as a

naturopath.

Jess xx

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Kids that rarely get sick

1. Eat Real Food

As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our kids have plenty of

good, healthy, wholesome food available to them. If the bulk of our

children‟s diet is made up of nutritious food, the odd packet of processed,

sugary junk isn‟t going to be the end of the world.

Kids make food choices based on what is in the kitchen at home so if

there is an array of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other healthy foods on

hand that is what they will eat.

If your kids are used to having packets of chips, biscuits, lollies and soft

drinks at their disposal there is likely to be some “there‟s nothing to eat”

complaints to deal with as you are transitioning to a more whole food

kitchen. Once they are equipped with some fresh food skills you won‟t

look back and they will be well on their way to a lifetime of healthy habits.

Try swapping

Sugary snacks with a colourful fruit platter

Salty snacks with homemade popcorn with sea salt or some dry

roasted nuts

Biscuits with Veggie sticks and dip.

Tip: Start with raw veggies they like and gradually introduce other

raw veggies such as capsicum, snow peas, baby corn, cherry

tomatoes and celery.

Refined ‘shape’ crackers with wholegrain crackers with a

nutritious topping such as avocado or cheese

Sugary yoghurts and custards with natural yoghurt, fresh fruit

and chia seeds.

Tip: Sweeten with a little honey or maple syrup as they get used to

the more tart taste.

Muesli and other snack bars with bliss balls

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Nut Free Bliss Balls Makes 8-10 balls

Ingredients

½ cup raw buckwheat

½ cup pumpkin seeds

4-6 dates

¼ cup chia seeds

½ cup coconut

1 tablespoon raw cacao

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 t vanilla

Method

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and roll

into balls. Add a little water if the mixture needs to be wetter. Set in

fridge for at least an hour. You can chop all ingredients by hand if you

don‟t have the appropriate equipment.

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2. Eat a nutritious breakfast

Think outside the cereal box at breakfast time. We are brought up to believe cereal is the best way to start our day but most boxed breakfast

cereals are nothing more than processed grains, sugars and other bits and pieces to make them look „healthy‟! Starting the day with

carbohydrate and sugar rich foods makes it difficult for our kids to concentrate and leads to energy and mood fluctuations. So forget

everything you‟ve seen on T.V. about breakfast cereal (yes even the so called „healthy ones‟) and avoid the cereal aisle in the supermarket.

Here are some ‘out of the box’ breakfast ideas for kids

Homemade muesli packed with nuts and seeds and topped with fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Porridge with a boost of flaxseeds, served with honey and milk.

Boiled Eggs with sourdough soldiers.

A slice of Pumpkin, date and almond loaf or homemade banana bread.

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Pumpkin, Date and Almond Loaf

Makes 1 loaf or 8 serves

Ingredients

2 cups raw grated pumpkin

1 cup dates, chopped (I blitz mine in the Vitamix)

2 cups almond meal (I blitz my own almonds in my Vitamix and

leave them chunky)

3 eggs

¼ cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pumpkin seeds to garnish

Method

Preheat your oven to 150 C fan forced or 170 C no fan. Combine

pumpkin, eggs, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger and sultanas. Add almond

meal and mix through. Pour into a loaf tin lined with baking paper and

sprinkle pumpkin seeds on the top. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked

through. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before

turning out onto a cooling rack. Spread with organic butter to serve.

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3. Don’t eat much sugar

I am yet to meet a child that is not attracted to sugar is some shape or

form. Sugar is addictive and the truth is that there is WAY TOO MUCH of it

in the average child‟s diet. Sugar is not only found in obviously sweet

foods but creeps into kids diet in so called healthy breakfast cereals and

bars, juice drinks, savoury sauces, dips and marinades, crackers, wraps

and breads as well as many, many more foods.

We are all aware of the behavioural changes sugar causes in our children

but did you know it is harmful to the immune system too. Sugar depletes the immune system, leaving the body more vulnerable to infection. It also

has countless long term healthy implications such as increasing their risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

It is very difficult to avoid sugar all together but the first step is making

more food from scratch at home. This might sound a little daunting at

first (I can hear your „well I don‟t have time for that‟ resistance but I promise once you know how it is quick, easy, enjoyable and delicious!)

4. Drink water

If soft drinks or fruit drinks are regular guests in your fridge then it‟s time

to rethink your drink. We are all aware of the health dangers of soft

drinks but these is much confusion around fruit juice. 100% juice is ok for

most kids in moderation but fruit drinks are a different story. Fruit juice

drinks have less fruit and other ingredients added such as sugar, flavours

and sweeteners, often making them just as bad for you as soft drinks.

They both contain empty calories, meaning they provide no nutritional

value but lots of calories. These nutrient depleted beverages do not fill

kids up so can lead to weight gain and other health implications long

term. Water is the best drink choice for children, here are some other

ideas

100% fruit juice mixed with sparkling water to give it a fizz

Organic milk (dairy, almond or rice)

Coconut water smoothie

Herbal teas such as rooibos or peppermint

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5. Don’t eat white bread

The bread we feed our children can be wholesome and tasty or unhealthy

and tasteless. White bread, no matter how much fibre it has added,

should never make it into our supermarket trolley! White bread has much

of the nutrition taken out and can be likened to a big square of sugar! It

is often chemically bleached and full of preservatives. Here are some

considerations when choosing bread for your family.

Be aware of multigrain breads which are often white bread with

extra grains added to make them appear healthy.

Buy your bread from your local farmers market or bakery instead of

the supermarket.

Sourdough breads are easier to digest and more nutritious

Try alternative grain breads such as rye, spelt and buckwheat.

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Here’s what other mamas are saying

“Not a single cold or runny nose in months. I recommend this course for

anyone who wants to see their kids thrive!” - Carly frost

“This course is jam packed with valuable insights and implementable

changes to improve the health and wellbeing of the whole family.” -

Claire Byrt

“Every parent must do this course for the welfare of our little people!” -

Kamila Bali

About Jessica Donovan

Jessica Donovan is a mama of 2, naturopath and

holistic health expert who helps families thrive. She

is passionate about educating parents on nourishing

their children with real food, helping to boost their

health and heal naturally. Jessica combines her deep

naturopathic knowledge with a realistic, empathetic,

inspiring and down to earth approach to empower

women to look after themselves and take charge of

the wellbeing of their families.

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