I know what the media and marketing ads tell me about what I should eat, shouldn’t eat…and then of course there comes the big issue of taste. So why is it so hard to truly eat healthy with my family when there are so many options out there?

In my experiences working with families and children, there are 5 key reasons Aussie families find is challenging to get healthy snack options for their children, and I hope to alleviate them all!

1. Lack of knowledge – you just don’t know what you don’t know
2. Mislead and misguided – modern marketing is great is misleading consumers with hype terms and ‘super foods’ you must eat, but don’t understand
3. Confusion – with so many options, so many messages, and so many ingredients to look out for…it can be really confusing.
4. Reluctant to change actions – when you’ve eaten a certain way for so long, it’s really hard to start making changes, especially when it comes to your family habits.
5. Getting out of comfort zone and being challenged – trying new to things can be daunting, and challenging yourself and your family to eat in a new way can be scary but also can be liberating!

Its too easy to ignore and disconnect with the hard facts with all the marketing noise.  But actually it is so important not to get desensitised by it.

Be sure to follow those brands and organisations that align with your values and can offer you the information and options your family needs.

Many times we make contradictions with consumption when it comes to our values and our food choices –but we urge you to seek knowledge and the truth and your family with be stronger and healthier in the long run because of it.

And lastly, be strong minded and independent – set an example and be the person you look up to and others strive to be – a leader!

At The Tropical Fruit Tribe, we aim to shine the  light on issues with health, food, consumption and complex toxic ingredients and expose truths and/or unknowns of the origins of these ingredients and their effects in a simple, fun, entertaining way.

We provide you a different perspective to help understanding on all levels, so be sure to check out our recipes and our fun kids zone with heaps of activities to engage your children on a different level with food!

The post 5 Reasons Why You Could Be Making Bad Food Choices appeared first on The Tropical Fruit Tribe.

I’m sure I don’ t need to tell you how important nutrition is when it comes to children. In  today’s modern society, unfortunately more and more children and adults are becoming food intolerant. And while one positive is we are getting more healthy options for foods…the negative is the health affects on our children.

Allergies and intolerances create known health risks, but actually, all kids are adversely affected by heavily processed food.

Our bodies are able to endure so much, but we tax them with ingredients that have only been invented and used to improve the production and popularity of processed foods and not our health. Small bodies cannot recognise and process these ingredients in large quantities, and the compounded effect leads to lack of focus, fatigue, and poor energy levels, making children unable to participate fully in class and extracurricular activities such as music and sports.

Here are the scary statistics:

• In 2007, the Australia Bureau of Statistics reported that 1 in 4 children were overweight or obese. This can lead to health disorders such as type 2 diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, hypertension, and sleep apnoea.
• Food allergies occur in 1 in 20 children and food intolerances are increasingly becoming more common.
• Australian kids consume more than 30 teaspoons of sugar a day! Over-consumption of sugar is associated dental disease, diabetes, obesity, mental health & behavioural issues, chronic inflammation, and even some cancers.

What does this mean when it comes to our children and our families? 

Luckily it is not all doom and gloom! We are fortunate enough to have an abundance of healthy, whole food options at our finger tips. It is all about education, and making the right choices for your family.

Here are a few of our hot tips to eat healthier:

1. Always read the labels! Check for the nasty ingredients. Are there any additives? Are there any preservatives? Chances are it’s not a great options!
2. Eat whole! Eating foods that are in the closest to raw form is always the best option as that is how nature intended.
3. Shop fresh! Try to find and align yourself with the best brands and businesses that are offering truly healthy options.

At The Tropical Fruit Tribe, we want to make these choices even easier for your family. So when it comes to finding snack foods to fill you and your children up, we’ve got you covered.

We’ve also got a whole range of healthy snack recipes and health eating guides you can take advantage in our Recipe section, so be sure to check it out!

The post Three tips to start eating healthier TODAY! appeared first on The Tropical Fruit Tribe.

This definitely applies to kids and nutrition when taking into consideration the clever marketing tactics that consumable corporations use that easily influence kids and implant false knowledge and beliefs about their products to boost sales.

As of late it has become fashionable for the modern family to visit local markets where organic fruits, vegetables and natural snacks are easily found. These markets inspire wellbeing and welcome moms and dads still clad in heels and ties to stop by on their lunch break to pick up foods that will support their family’s health.

The past few years have been witness to dramatic growth in the availability of fresh whole foods at such markets, and also the increasing awareness of chemical additives in common foods and the risks they pose. One of these additives, sulfur dioxide, is a preservative capable of causing allergy-like symptoms, headaches, and vitamin deficiency.

Often times, the guilty foods  are the prettiest on the shelf, disguised by tricky labels. Sulfur dioxide can be found in your children’s snack food, many dried fruits, cereals, meats, and yes, even wines!

Fortunately, through consumer education we can work together to shed light on this pesky additive and provide the community with the tools needed to build on the foundation of self care.

Think back to a day spent in the sand and surf with the family and an eski full of the best fruits from the market. After choosing the sweetest piece of pineapple from the lot, it drops deep into the sand. Quickly, it is recovered and rinsed, looking as good as new and ready to be enjoyed. Crunch. Crunch, crunch. The sand has made its way into all of the pineapples hiding spots.

What happened to the pineapple is very similar to the process freshly harvested foods go through when exposed to sulfur dioxide. Sulfites, a salty form of sulfur dioxide, are dissolved in water where the foods are soaked for a period of time. The purpose is to preserve the foods appearance and increase its shelf life by killing off naturally occurring enzymes and bacterias. This is done at the expense of flavor and vital nutrients such as thiamine.

The water is then boiled to get rid of the sulfites, which can still hide in the cells of the foods, just like the sneaky grains of sand in a pineapple. In the natural world, volcanos release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere where it lingers as a chemically active gas. There, it converts to another form and joins with water to fall as sulfuric acid rain, known to deteriorate even the greatest of buildings. The burning of fossil fuels can have the same effect.

Understanding this can make it hard to believe that forms of sulfur dioxide are used to preserve many common foods, such as sun dried tomatoes, muesli bars, hot chips, guacamole, yogurt, minced meats, wines, and chocolates.

The effects on the human body can vary in severity depending on age, sensitivity, and amount of exposure. Asthmatics and those prone to allergies can experience more prominent effects including headaches, rash, itchy throats and runny nose, and restricted lung performance.

But don’t chuck your bottles of wine out of the window just yet, concerned parents! Do your research to become label-savvy on your children’s snack food, and pour yourself a glass of fresh, organic wine while you take in all of the information.

Regulating agencies list guidelines for companies to follow when labeling for sulfur dioxide that is present in a product, but it is not uncommon for them to claim all natural if the amount measured is below a certain number.

Do these four things, and you are on your way to a more informed, rich and tropical life!:

• Check the ingredients list for preservatives 220-228.
• Be aware that some products such as wine have a limited number of naturally occurring sulfites and the production of other ingredients like corn syrup involve the use of sulfur dioxide.
• Have faith in the growing abundance of fresh whole foods that are becoming more accessible than ever.
• Share your knowledge with others to build understanding of whole foods and remind them of the power they have to create a happy, healthy, vibrant lifestyle made through mindful decisions

The post What’s in your wine that’s REALLY causing you headaches? appeared first on The Tropical Fruit Tribe.

Welcome to the very first Tropical Fruit Tribe wholefood adventure blog post!

On this wonderful adventure together, we will navigate around and explore a range of ideas, facts and issues surrounding one of our most important, very enjoyable needs that we focus on everyday that is food and eating!

There is so much information out in the world about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to nutrition and eating ‘healthy’. With increasing concerns around disease, growing obesity rates, diabetes and food intolerances in adults and children, it’s no wonder food and health have become such an obsession and a very hot topic!

More people are waking up, joining the food revolution and making better choices with the food they are consuming because there is easy access to real information about food available on social media sites. This is fantastic! But it is also important to recognise that there is a lot of media out there that doesn’t really help in clearing the facts as most of the time it is unclear which large corporations are supporting and funding research, advertising and reports that warp public perception.

It really is so confusing!

So do we blame the fats? Do we blame the carbs? Is it the sugar or dairy we are consuming? And what are all those toxic chemicals that are being used on and in our food, what effects do they have? And are they really safe?

Through our adventure together we want to empower and inspire you through knowledge and awareness about the everyday foods that you encounter so that you are able to make more informed, conscious decisions about the food you choose to feed yourself and your family.

If this sounds like something that tickles your fancy and you take an interest in giving you and your family the best care because you understand the need for real, healthy, nutritious food to be happy, and full of energy and vitality, then you are in the right place!

Join The Tropical Fruit Tribe community to receive all our fun email updates that are full of great resources to empower and inspire your wholefood adventures and follow The Tropical Fruit Tribe as they discover their awesome wholefood powers and help protect their friends from danger!

Adventure on!

Tribe Leader
‪#‎WholefoodAdventures

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