Latest Articles
What is the most important factor for food safety in childcare centres?
That ALL staff, from the director to the kitchen staff and trainees, understand the importance of storage & preparation and the risks of contamination of children’s food. As the majority of childcare centre staff are not qualified food safety specialists, it is important to convey the food safety & hygiene messages and highlight the consequences of poor hygiene when preparing food for children in your care. The well known issues include: 1 – Staff personal hygiene with washing hands after going to the toilet or returning from a break; 2 – That children wash their hands before eating a meal; and 3 – Having clean crockery, cu...
Drink Up!
Summer time is here and it’s Slip Slop Slap and …..Slurp time. Getting children to drink regularly is important especially during the hot months of summer. The body is made up of 50-75% water and losses from sweat, urination and general functioning of the body needs to be replaced regularly. The Dietitians association of Australia recommends...
Love and Candles – A great idea for helping your child deal with the arrival of a new baby
For weeks, a six-year-old boy kept telling his Grade One teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house. One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event. The t...
Constipation – keeping you and your baby regular
Constipation is when a person has difficulty passing a hard bowel motion (poo), causing pain and discomfort. A healthy diet; having enough to drink; exercise; correct toilet training, and regular toilet habits are important to prevent and help treat constipation in children and adults. Chronic infant constipation may require expert advice from a...
Simple recipes to make you and your baby more regular
Vegetable Bake – Family and blended for babies from 7 months Ingredients: 250g dried penne pasta 1 onion finely chopped 2 tsp olive oil 50g olive oil margarine 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour 375 g crushed tomatoes 1 cup corn kernels 1 zucchini sliced 1 carrot sliced 1 head broccoli cut into florets 145g (1 1/2 cups) coarsely grated cheddar Method: ...
4 calcium-rich recipes for your family
Salmon Patties (dairy free) Ingredients: 425 g can salmon 1 table oil 1 table flour 1 onion 2 stick celery 1 carrot Garlic, ginger to taste Salt, pepper 2 potatoes (cooked and mashed) 1 egg (lightly beaten) Method: Finely chop onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ginger and fry for 5 mins. Add flour, salt, pepper. Add drained salmon with bones. Add po...
The importance of dairy in your diet
Calcium-rich foods are important in everyone’s diets, especially those of young children. It is an essential mineral for strong bones and healthy teeth, and the best source comes from dairy foods. If your child can’t or won’t eat dairy however, don’t panic, there are plenty of other foods to choose! For example, look for foods that are f...
Immune boosting, healthy recipes
Beef and Bean Wraps (Makes 6 large wraps) Ingredients: 500g lean beef mince 400 g can baked beans (an excellent source of protein) 400 g can crushed tomatoes Taco seasoning Shredded lettuce Sliced tomato Grated carrot Grated cheese Salsa or tomato sauce Tortilla wraps Method: Brown mince and add baked beans and can of tomatoes. Use taco seasonin...
It’s cold! Time to boost our immune systems!
It’s that time of year when the cold weather can wreak havoc with our bodies. A healthy diet filled with powerhouse vegetables, fruits and herbs could be all that’s needed to prevent the winter blues and stay energised, healthy and alert this winter! If your diet is not quite up to scratch, especially during the first few months of motherh...
How much food is enough
Children have a simple yet perfect appetite control mechanism – if they are hungry they eat and if they are thirsty they drink (better than the average adult!). Good eating habits are established in early childhood and many eating battles could be avoided if parents let children eat the quantities of healthy foods that they choose to eat. Stud...
