School lunchboxes… it’s a never-ending job. Love it or loathe it, if you have a school aged child, there will be many more years of packing to come! I find that organisation is key. If you have a stocked pantry and freezer, packing a lunchbox is cinch. If you have a child with a food allergy or intolerance, or just want to avoid the nasties, a little extra preparation time and intention is required to stay organised. If your kids are anything like mine, they are always hungry! But how do you feed them nourishing food that will fill them up as well as meet their needs? It’s all about the good fats and proteins. Variety is super important when it comes to giving your kids a healthy diet. Here are some ideas in each category of what you could pack:

FOOD SOURCES

Vegetables:

Cut-up some cucumber sticks, or buy the mini cucumbers, carrot sticks, snow peas, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, green beans. Serve with hommus, pesto, guacamole, tomato salsa, or any other home-made dips. If buying from the store, SSS Foods Hommus brand is great, it has no preservatives and is made using olive oil.

Fruit:

– freshly chopped up or served whole. Try to stick to seasonal fruits as they are fresher and provide the vitamins and minerals needed for that season

Grains/legumes:

– sourdough (spelt, rye etc), wraps, brown rice and quinoa cakes, banana bread made with spelt or buckwheat flours (or gluten free if needed), banana mini pancakes, rice paper rolls, brown rice sushi, gluten free pasta or pulse pasta mixed with pesto, popcorn, roasted chickpeas, plain corn chips, homemade muffins or cakes (wholefood recipes, using good quality flours, fats and sweeteners).

Protein:

– boiled egg, meatballs, nitrate-free ham, shredded chicken, leftover roast meat, tuna or salmon, organic sausages, organic natural yoghurt (naturally sweetened), rice paper rolls with a protein and salad, mini frittatas or zucchini slice made in a muffin tin, baked beans, hommus.

Fats:

– guacamole, full fat Greek yoghurt, cheese (not processed), boiled egg, coconut flakes, coconut yoghurt. Bliss balls can be easily made and contain good fats such as coconut oil, coconut, flaxseeds, seeds and nuts (if allowed at the school).

For a full lunchbox guide, head to my website jokatenutrition.com and subscribe and you will receive my FREE lunchbox guide, which is packed full of childhood nutrition info, as well as ideas and recipes.

By Jo Whitehead.

Detox. We’ve all heard this buzzword and know it becomes particularly prominent at the start of a new year. We see it plastered across women’s health magazines and Facebook clickbait articles reminding you of your excessive holiday partying and now, come January 1, it’s time to reset your body and reclaim your health. The word detox has some outlandish health claims attached to it and it has led to many misconceptions around how to cleanse your body, as well as many expensive products claiming to be the “cure”.

You may be left wondering – what is detoxing, and is it even necessary? 

Detoxification refers to any process that reduces or removes toxins. In the body, detoxification occurs all the time, with the body converting the toxins into a non-toxic form that can be excreted from the body. Detoxification is a natural process occurring continually, but due to the modern diet and way of living and increased number of chemicals and pollutants, it is sometimes necessary to make a concentrated effort to support the body’s detoxification functions. In short, your body is already working to detox itself – so there are certain methods you can introduce to support the body’s natural ability to detox.

Supporting the liver’s natural detoxification processes comes down to more than just the foods you eat. Other factors include stress levels, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol and drug intake (both pharmaceutical and illicit drugs). A wholistic detoxification support program will include these five touchpoints:

1. Daily physical activity
2. Regular sweating (exercise, sauna or steam room)
3. Nutrition
4. Self-reflection: journalling, breathwork, relaxation exercises
5. Other therapies such as massage, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment etc.

When it comes to the foods you eat (and don’t eat), following a wholefoods approach is a safe and effective plan to give your digestive system a reset or kickstart healthier eating habits. If it is your first time “cleansing” I suggest implementing a 3 day plan before building up to a 7-10 day program. *Under the supervision of a health practitioner, there are more in depth and targeted detox protocols that may be required. 

Three Day Detox Plan 

Foods to remove from your diet:

1. Processed foods such as frozen meals, store bought cakes, cookies, snacks, sauces, dips, processed meat such as sausages (unless they are good quality with no preservatives), bacon, salami, hot dogs, deli meat etc
2. Sugar: cut out all processed and artificial sugars.
3. Alcohol and caffeine
4. Unhealthy fats: vegetable oils, margarines, processed and packaged foods, deep fried foods, low fat yoghurt and milk
5. White refined carbohydrates: flour, bread, pasta, cereals

Foods to include in your diet:

1. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruit provides you with fibre as well as antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals. Include all vegetables, especially brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and allium family (leeks, onion, chives, spring onion, garlic) and fresh herbs and spices such as turmeric, garlic, caraway, parsley, coriander etc.
2. Proteins such as fish, chicken, lean red meat, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds.
3. Healthy fats such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, grass fed butter or ghee, coconut products.
4. Tea such as green, decaffeinated black, dandelion, turmeric, fennel, chamomile
5. Water: 2-3L per day with added lemon juice
6. Whole grains such as: brown rice, rye, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, barley

Following a safe detox plan, as mentioned above, can be beneficial for your health and is generally considered safe compared to some of the more strict diets that encourage you to remove most of the food groups and eat only a handful of foods (hello the lemon detox diet!). It is “normal” to experience some mild side effects, such as irritability, fatigue and other mood related symptoms as your body gets used to not having caffeine, sugar and other addictive substances.

*If you start to experience more serious symptoms such as dehydration, nausea, cramping or diarrhoea, it is essential that you stop the detox and seek medical advice. Detoxing is not recommended for a woman trying to fall pregnant, currently pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a health condition such as diabetes, heart or kidney condition.

Three Day Detox Menu 

Start the day with a 600ml drink of water with lemon juice.

Breakfast options:

1. Vegetable juice (think colourful vegetables such as beetroot, celery, cucumber, spinach etc) and 2 x eggs with wilted spinach and fresh tomato
2. Fresh berries with coconut or Greek yoghurt and walnuts
3. Overnight oat & chia bircher with fresh seasonal fruit

Lunch options:

1. Miso soup
2. Rice paper rolls (with no sugary, processed sauces)
3. Quinoa & chicken salad

Dinner options:

1. Vegetable soup
2. Lentil bolognese with brown rice pasta
3. Shepherds pie with sweet potato mash & steamed greens

Snack options:

1. 1 cup berries with 1/2 cup walnuts
2. Banana or apple drizzled with almond butter
3. Boiled egg
4. Veggie sticks & hummus

References:

Hechtman, L. (2014). Clinical Naturopathic Medicine. Churchill Livingstone.

Osiecki, H & Meeke, F. (2005). The Encyclopedia of clinical nutrition – volume 2. Eagle Farms. Bioconcepts.   

Rakel, D. (2018). Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia. Elseiver.   

Romilly E. Hodges, Deanna M. Minich, “Modulation of Metabolic Detoxification Pathways Using Foods and Food-Derived Components: A Scientific Review with Clinical Application”, Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2015, Article ID 760689, 23 pages, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/760689

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