Good Morning! I hope this finds you all well! I am super excited to have a guest blogger today! Through the wonderful world of Facebook I get to meet so many inspiring people. I am touched by the warmth and generosity of these people when they want to ‘give back’ to the families out there who need encouragement and support….this beautiful Mum is someone who I have connected with and I was honoured when she agreed to share her story and some recipes with me and my Cut out the Crap friends…it’s a long one…but well worth the read! Why not make a cuppa and sit down and enjoy!
Angela Rako
www.healthyangels.com.au
Angela – Mum of 3!
Hi, l am Angela Rako and owner of Healthy Angels. I am so delighted that Collette has asked me to write a blog about my journey into the world of food additives and am really grateful for this opportunity. I really hope you will enjoy reading my story xo
When l was at University studying my Bachelor of Applied Science l learnt a little about the effects of food additives on short and long term health as well as behaviour whilst undertaking a unit on Autism. Once l commenced working in Community Services l got to see first hand the theory put into practice and immediately changed my diet.
When my beautiful husband and l became pregnant with our 1st child my obstetrician kindly supplied me with a list of foods that a pregnant woman should avoid as they are considered dangerous to mum and bub. This list included things such as ‘soft cheeses’, processed meats and condiments to name a few. They were considered dangerous due to the risk of Listeria but there was no mention with respect to food additives. Whilst pregnant, not once did l ever receive any information about the risk of ‘hidden nasties’ on my prescious baby. Luckily l had some insight into the effects of food additives so it is here where l researched it a little more and was blown away by what l had discovered and to be honest a little overwhelmed… so this is where my journey into the world of food additives commenced as l wanted to protect my unborn child as much as possible and did not want any toxins passing through the placenta or my breast milk.
For the first 6 months when my son commenced solids, he was ‘safe’ from the world of food additives because all his food was home cooked and majority of his fruit and vegetables were home grown… from here, well l was shocked at the amount of baby, toddler and children snack foods that contained hidden nasties even if the packaging stated it did not thanks to the 5% loophole in food labeling laws within Australia. I found it incredibly difficult to find suitable snacks that did not contain any of the hidden nasty artificial colours, flavours or additives. I found it difficult to spend time at the supermarket finding suitable snacks and reading labels when my very inquisitive toddler took joy in seeing how many shelves he could climb and how many trolleys he could push around.
In June 2009 my husband and l were delighted with the arrival of our second child (darling daughter) and April 2011 our baby number 3 came (darling daughter number 2).
Having worked in community services for over 18 years and advocating for people’s rights, combined with my passion for educating people on the effects of food additives, wanting to be a stay at home hands on mummy, blown away by the cost of living an additive free lifestyle for a family of 5 and pressed for time with 3 children 4 years and under at the time l thought there has to be more people in a similar situation so l thought why not start my own business and there it was in January 2012 Healthy Angels was created.
My mission was to combine being a stay at home mummy together with providing people with information on the effects of hidden nasties, regular product alerts and a one stop online shop where busy people have the opportunity to shop with confidence and purchase great tasting products minus the hidden nasties at a reasonable price (with no pressure).
Angela and her hubby!
People often comment… ‘ how on earth do you find the time to do what you do’ and my response is PASSION!
Talking to people about artificial colours, flavours and additives is something l am passionate about. I love enlightening mummies, daddies, grand parents, caregivers and anyone really that will listen about the effects these terrible ‘hidden nasties’ have on our short and long term health and well being (physically and mentally). I love being able to have an impact on changing people’s lives for the better and in some cases influencing a disfunctional parent –child relationship to a functional one. For example, l met a lady who was described herself as being ‘stuck’, she felt like she had failed terribly in her role as a mum and really did not enjoy spending time with her daughter. After we had a conversation about diet and she herself came up with an action plan of some of the little changes she was going to make to her daughters diet and implemented it, after only a week she phoned me to say how things had changed and how she actually enjoyed spending time with her daughter.
I love being able to give people options of a more natural lifestyle. For example on another occasion l met a mum who was telling me how her son was having breathing difficulties and had quite bad eczema, would wake up with terrible nightmares on occasion and had some behavioral issues… as l was speaking to her the word ‘SULPHUR’ appeared bright red in the forefront of my mind. We began a conversation about his diet and discovered he loved his dried apricots and fruit bars. I asked her to trial a 2-week period without any sulphur dioxide in his diet and if she was not sure of safe options to please contact me as l am always up for a chat. After 2 weeks on a sulphur free diet all of the above described effects had disappeared. This child did lead pretty much an additive free lifestyle prior to our conversation but this mum was mislead by manufacturer marketing ploys that she was giving her child ‘healthy foods’ for example that all dried fruit was good for you. She was not aware that many dried fruits actually contain sulphur dioxide a poisonous, toxic substance.
So when you really believe in something and are so passionate about it, finding time is not an issue. I work around our beloved 3 children (5 years, 3 years and 1 year old). I am very much a hands on mummy and as a general rule no ‘computer’ work whilst the children are awake, l do this kind of work when my healthy little angels are sleeping. I combine my ‘informal’ work with being a mummy. We have a ‘no television’ policy in our household throughout the day so we spend most of our days exploring nature, jumping in puddles, singing in the rain, building sandcastles, doing art and craft, playing lego, play dates with our friends, playgroup or visiting the many parks around us and it is here where l get the opportunity to speak with people about the effects of nasty food additives. I am mindful that not everyone chooses to adopt this lifestyle so in no way am l pushy and it is only if it happens to come into our conversation that l do this.
When my healthy little angels are sleeping this is when l am able to get on the computer and provide my subscribed users which l refer to as my Healthy Angels family with regular product alerts or l compile my additive of the month write up that is posted on our kids come 1st page of our website. This is when l provide information and education to our Healthy Angels family via facebook and this is when l process orders.
I am really quite blessed to be able to combine being a full time mummy with working in an area that l am so passionate about.
Why do l think it is important to be additive free?
I am so used to hearing people say ‘ah come on Angela, it is a load of rubbish, look at us we ate it all and we are okay aren’t we?’ my response is, are we?
Some of the effects of food additives are short term including but not limited to hyperactivity, attention span difficulties, nightmares and aggression but many have long term effects. So my question is how do we know if we (or our children) will be okay in the future if we consume food additives on a daily basis? The scary bit is many people consume these nasty food additives unknowingly on a daily basis because they are hidden in our foods either by numbers or healthy kind of sounding names, for example MSG can also be called Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein or Yeast Extract.
Let’s look further into one example of why l think it is important to live additive free. Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG 621) is in many foods including take away food, chips, frozen foods, canned soups, stock powders to name a few. 621 is linked to infertility, depression and asthma. Please take a moment to reflect… if you give your child a packet of chicken or other flavoured chips on a daily basis that is loaded with MSG 5 days a week how can you be confident that this will not impact on their ability to conceive a child if this is the journey they choose to take later in life? How can you be confident that it will not impact on their mental health with one in 5 Australian adolescents experiencing mental health issues including depression and 15% of the adolescent Australian population experiencing behavioural issues that interferes with their concentration and learning (Eady, 2004) and 14.7% of the Australian population have asthma another one of the long term health issues that can be caused by MSG.
I am sure you will agree with me that there has certainly been an increase in the incidence of cancers over the years and l believe this is linked to the amount of additives hidden in our foods. For example, Aspartame (951), is an artificial sweetener that is in many yoghurts, cordials, sugar free gum, frozen desserts, topping mixes and pre mixed hot drinks that many adults and children consume on a daily basis. Aspartame has been proven to cause cancers and even seizures in children and adults. How do we know what the impact will be to us individually and to our precious children if we consume Aspartame in the here and now in 10 or even 20 years time? Personally, l will not risk it, l want to live to see my kids live their dreams in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and hopefully more!
I have seen too many times where people are wrongly medicated including children given behavior management drugs where in fact if we looked at the holistic picture including diet l am sure we would discover that many people are wrongly medicated.
Please do not misunderstand me, l am not saying that food additives will definitely effect everyone or that all of the problems of the world are because of these hidden nasties but knowing what we know about their short and long term effects why would we risk it when we have safer options? Especially for our children, we are responsible for and they look to us for guidance and protection so it is up to us their parents and caregivers to make choices for them that will influence their paths later in life so lets help them foster a positive start!
Do you want to start your journey into fostering a positive start?
It is not as difficult as it may seem taking one step at a time, joining groups that promote not just ‘healthy eating’ but additive free eating and lifestyle. Do not be mislead by the words ‘healthy’ or ‘natural’ as sometimes these ‘natural’ products are just as bad for us. For example natural colour 120 is made from beetle shells and is linked to hyperactivity and can be toxic to the embryo (Eady, 2004) but because it is classified as ‘natural’ people may be inclined to believe it is good for them… WRONG!
Take time to read labels or shop with confidence at places you know and trust. Invest in some books or spend some time researching on the internet. I would love for you to join our family at Healthy Angels via facebook and at www.healthyangels.com.au to receive regular information on additives and safe or unsafe products and please do not think we will send you hundreds of emails ‘pushing’ you into buying our products. If l can influence just one person a day to adopt an additive free lifestyle with the information l provide then my work is done. We often promote ‘safe’ brands available at your local supermarket or make available recipes for you to use and make your own stuff as we do always promote that fresh is best and home made always tastes better. The reality is that we all live busy lifestyles and sometimes playing in the park is more fun than baking at home so in those instances we at Healthy Angels provide people with safe food options.
Some people think that opting for an additive free lifestyle means you have to give up flavour and that it costs the earth well it doesn’t. I have people always asking what we eat as a family. I can honestly say living an additive free lifestyle we still have lots of flavour, colour and scrumptious food on a daily basis. My kids still have lollipops, coloured icing, chips, ice cream and all those things that most kids want without the additives (and yes these are sometimes foods) with a lot of their diet consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables.
I can not believe that my husband and l will see our first baby that l spoke about earlier in this blog commence school this year (sniffle sniffle). It seems like yesterday this all began with him and now 5 and a half years later l am thinking about school lunch box ideas for him and kindy snack box for our darling 3 year old daughter. Here are some ideas l would like to share with you:
A healthy lunchbox from Angela – the sign says “0 additive – $4.05 cost”
- Wraps or sandwiches filled with left over home made roast chicken, nitrate free ham and a variety of salad fillings. Make sure your bread is preservative 282 free (Bakers delight, organic varieties, Aldi Bakers Life and Safeway homebrand are all safe).
- Cherry tomatoes whole (they love the sensory feeling of when the tomatoe explodes in their mouth) combined with cucumber slices and slices of cheese on a stick.
- Plain rice crackers and dip please be mindful of no antioxidant 319 in the rice crackers.
- Fresh fruit and or vegetables.
- Sulphur free dried fruit (Dried mango, pineapple and banana are a hit in our house).
- **Sulphur free muesli bars. Why not try making your own? It is so easy and l have attached a very easy one step recipe for you to try.
- ***Savoury or sweet pita chips… they love them and another easy recipe for you to try that l have attached.
- Rice cakes (plain or yoghurt topped).
- Olives, pickled onions.
- Banana bread.
- Sulphur free fruit bars.
- *Energy balls (another recipe for you to try that l have attached).
- ****Home made muffins. Recipe attached.
- Roasted broadbeans or chickpeas (this is probably making you cringe but honestly the taste will surprise you. We sell some at healthy Angels or make your own by toasting them in a slow oven and sprinkle with a dash or garlic powder and onion salt).
My biggest advice, plan ahead, make as much as you can yourself and if this is not an option, read the labels or shop from a place you trust. Trust in yourself and do not let other people’s negative attitudes or comments bring you down as you will get people saying it is a load of crap either because that is their personal belief or it is just too hard for them. Think that you are doing the best you can for your children, your family and you and when it gets tough surround and talk to like minded people. Try as much as possible not to have any additive filled foods in the pantry. Have family foods in the household that everyone can eat. Take one step at a time and make one change at a time and celebrate your successes! One of my biggest successes is that my 5 year old pretty much now knows what he should and should not eat. Additive free lifestyle is a lifelong journey for all.
Go on why not try and foster a positive start?. You are not alone and if you ever have any questions about safe choices or are keen to connect with like minded organisations / groups or people please do not hesitate to contact me….. think of it as a long term investment in your health.
I really hope you have enjoyed this blog and thank you for taking the time to read it. I would love any feedback you have for me.
With love, passion and never short of a word of which l could go on and on
Take care
Angela xo
PO Box 538 Chelsea VIC 3196
0405 141 037
SOME GORGEOUS RECIPES FROM ANGELA…..
*Energy Balls
1 cup oats
½ cup sulphur free coconut
1 cup peanut butter (organic or if looking for cheaper alternative Woolworths homebrand is additive free)
½ cup organic honey or Agave
1tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sulphur free dried cranberries (or you can use any sulphur free dried fruit you like).
Place all in a bowl and mix. Roll into bite size balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Makes approximately 20 balls.
Energy Balls
*** Dried Pita chips
1 piece flat bread (preservative 282 free. I use the Aldi one).
Olive oil
Grated parmesan cheese
Cracked salt and pepper
Mixed herbs
With a pastry brush glaze the pita bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper. Bake in an oven on 120 degrees for at least 30 minutes or until it becomes hard. Break into pieces. Stores in an airtight container.
Or another one of our favourite toppings
1 piece flat bread (preservative 282 free)
Organic raw sugar
Cinnamon
With a pastry brush glaze the pita bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake in an oven on 120 degrees for at least 30 minutes or until it becomes hard. Break into pieces. Stores in an airtight container.
Pita Chips
**Home made sulphur free museli bars
- 1 ½ cups of sulphur free mixed dried fruit
- 2 cups of oats
- 1 cup of sulphur free desiccated coconut
- 2 Weet-Bix, crushed
- 225 grams of nuttelex
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- Preheat an oven to 180 degree.
- Mix the dried fruit, oats, coconut, crushed weet bix and sugar. Melt the nuttelex and add to dry ingredients mixing well.
- Line a square on stick baking tin with baking paper and spread mixture in here patting firmly.
- Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for approximately 35 minutes.
- Cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate overnight.
- Cut into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Muesli bites
****Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins
1 ½ cups of Self Raising Flour
½ cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons rice bran oil
2 eggs beaten
1 cup yoghurt
1 cup frozen berries (you can use which ever you like, l buy my own organic grown and then freeze them)
100gm choc chips (white or milk)
Mix it all together and bake in oven at 180 degrees for approx. 30 minutes. This recipe works best when baked without patty cases but we used them for photographic purposes.
Mini Muffins
A massive thank you to Angela for taking the time to share her story and these gorgeous looking recipes!
Please don’t forget to pop by and say HI to Angela on Facebook or leave some words of encouragment on here for her! We do this for YOU…..so it’s nice to know that we are not just talking to ourselves!
Have a fantastic day!
Take Care of You,
Collette x
www.facebook.com/cutoutthecrap
Guest Blog "Angela" from HEALTHY ANGELS!
