Let’s Party… Additive Free!
I am welcoming the gorgeous Melanie Avery to the blog today. Melanie is a very special friend and it’s through her, that I learnt about the harmful effects of food additives. She is such a kind and generous natural, new age mum and is spreading her message far and wide with other mums. Let’s find out some more……
Tell us about yourself
Hello everyone. My name is Melanie and I am the mum to three special kiddies Connor aged 7, Bella aged 9 and Mackenzie nearly 11. Our family has lived in Singleton, NSW for 7 years.
Some of my favourite hobbies are scrapbooking family photos and Zumba classes. Reading, listening to music, yoga, meditation, inspirational quotes in various forms, collecting crystals, using essential oils daily and sharing my time with others who inspire me, are the special things I do to make me, me.
Tell us about your passion
I am the author to two self published books, Let’s Party! Additive Free and Let’s Celebrate Christmas! Additive Free as well as an e-Book Let’s Visit! Additive Free. Upon publishing my first title, I launched my website, Let’s Live Additive Free to offer continuing support and information to the many families that are travelling down the path of change.
So, what exactly are food additives?
Food additives are preservatives, flavours, colours, flavour enhancers, anti-caking agents, antioxidants, stabilizers and the like that product manufacturers add to food to alter it’s shelf life, appearance, consistency or taste. These are mostly artificial with those that are derived from natural sources often from questionable sources such as wood pulp or human hair.
What problems do food additives cause?
Food additives can cause a large range of health effects such as:
Migraines, behavioural problems, hypersensitivity, skin irritations, behaviour and learning problems, worsened asthma, nettle rash or hives, DNA damage, depression, fatigue, headache, insomnia, allergic and supersensitive reactions, gastrointestinal ailments, eczema, dermatitis, inattention, irritability, neurological problems, restlessness, sleep disturbance, aggressive behaviour, hyperactivity or head banging. These reactions vary between additives. Some additives have links to cancer, are prohibited in foods for infants and may damage DNS cells.
Does everyone have to avoid additives?
People choose to avoid food additives for various reasons. All of my three kiddies have different sensitivities to food additives which was how our journey began. As my knowledge and experience has grown, it is my belief that we can all benefit from removing food additives from our diet. Our nation’s health and well-being is on the decline and I believe that food additives are playing a major role in this. I live by a simple rule: if I cannot pronounce the name of the additives or buy the additive in a shop to use in my cooking then it is not for me.
Is it hard to avoid food additives?
Initially, avoiding food additives can take some extra time, especially when you do the grocery shopping ,but it isn’t difficult. Once you are armed with the tools and knowledge, there is no stopping you! Begin small, changing a few products at a time until your knowledge grows and before you know it, your whole diet will have changed.
My website and books provide information to help you live an additive free life. I present all of my information, research, ideas and recipes is an easy to understand format so you don’t feel bogged down or overloaded. Both of my books come with information on additives as well as recipes and shopping lists of products available to purchase when shopping that are additive free.
I offer a complimentary newsletter each month with up to date information, product reviews, recipes and more to help keep you on track.
What is your best party tip?
It occurred to me that children just love a fun, colourful party, so we should forget the focus on food and put it on having fun! I like to have old-fashioned games like apple bobbing, blind man’s buff and egg and spoon races. Take a look at the games section on the website.
What do you like to put into a healthy party bag?
Stickers, tattoos, balloons, small bubble containers, stamps, fairy wands or crowns and small cars are just some of the fun things you can include.
What’s one of your favourite additive free party recipes?
NUT FREE APRICOT AND COCONUT BALLS
INGREDIENTS:
500g organic (sulphur free) dried apricots, chopped and soaked
1 cup organic (sulphur free) coconut
1/3 cup chia seeds
2/3 cup rice flour
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup organic tahini
Extra organic coconut for coating
METHOD:
1. Add all the ingredients and process until combined.
2. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls and then roll in extra coconut.
3. Refrigerate until firm.
How can people get in touch with you?
Phone: 0439 874 481
Email: melanie@letsliveadditivefree.com
Giveaway
This giveaway has now closed. The winners were Jade and Rhianon.
Melanie is kindly giving away two copies of her fabulous book, Let’s Party, Additive Free!
To enter the draw:
* Be a Natural New Age Mum blog subscriber (add your email to the box on the top right).
* Be a Let’s Party Additive Free monthly newsletter subscriber (go here and click on the pink subscribe button).
* Comment on this post, telling Melanie what your favourite additive free party food is.
Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is only open to Australian residents. It closes on the 16th of March at midnite. The winner will be chosen from those meeting the entry requirements using random.org. Best of luck!
Thanks for stopping by Melanie and sharing with us your additive-free passion!
For additive free party food, you really can’t go past a beautiful fruit platter!
I like home made dips.. especially hommus, carrot sticks and rice crackers. I also like to make my own chocolate crackles using coconut oil and raw cacao.
We love skewers at our house! I think just being on a stick makes the food more appealing 🙂 my boys love fruit skewers, veggie skewers with cheese, and for a real treat strawberries and marshmallows with a drizzle of dark chocolate over the top … So yummy 🙂
For my 6 year old’s birthday party last year we made chocolate covered bananas. We used the chocolate recommended by Tanya Winfield from Additive Free Pantry and natural 100’s and 1000’s. My daughter loved making them with me and the kids at the party loved eating them! Huge success!
Pastry treats are always popular and can be made additive free by tweaking recipes and by using Pampas Butter Puff Pastry.
Two favourites are sausage rolls (using organic beef mince) and mini quiches.
I have never really looked into addictive free party foods before however the recipe above for NUT FREE APRICOT AND COCONUT BALLS are defintaly making me look ito this more for the daughter’s upcoming 3rd birthday! Thank you for making children’s foods so much better.
I’ve known about Melanie’s work for a while, through Cyndi O’Meara’s website. However, I don’t have any of her books, so would love a copy! I’ve recently cut dairy and grains from my own diet and my new fav foods are green smoothies and fruit and nut balls. Of course my DD13 and DS8 don’t want to miss out, so I’m thrilled!!!
You really can’t go past good old air popped “pop corn” – so easy but the kids (and adults) always love it!
I have discovered natural food colouring, from Hullabaloo Food, and use this to decorate cakes and cup cakes. Have a simple, no-fail cake recipe that can be made gluten free if necessary.
The colours that are created with the natural colouring are fantastic and don’t ‘scare’ you with there brightness and un-naturalness!
Also, a very simple variation on the apricot balls:
2 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup dried apricots (no preservative) – we use home dehydrated ones
1/6 cup honey
30g coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds
Process all ingredients until well combined.
Roll into balls with wet hands
Roll in coconut
Store in fridge
yum ! thanks for sharing
Popcorn! I make it up with Herbamare and fill paper cups. Then you don’t get one kid hogging the big bowl (there’s always one! lol!)
My nearly 6 year-old is requesting homemade banana-choc ice cream and avocado cacao mousse. I have to admit that I haven’t mentioned that it’s got avocado in it!
From the Additive Free party ideas, I think would be sausage rolls. I have made a cake that’s gluten free and dairy free cake and the icing has avocado! I’ve had 4 kids go back for 2nds (and 3rds!) for it! It will be made again!
avocado is amazing stuff!
Fruit kebabs are always a hit, this seems to be our ‘to do’ thing especially for school parties & sadly seems to be the only fruit to make an appearance at the class parties
I always take fruit to those sort of things… at least my kids will have something to eat!
NNAM’s healthy chocolate crackles are a great party treat.
Also frozen banana icecream (frozen bananas whizzed in the thermomix).
For me it would be fruit… there are just so many varieties and ways to present it… rainbows, kebabs, using outer shells/skins as bowls, many fancy tasty juices and drinks… its so colourful and most of the time kids will eat whatever is there to eat 🙂 Sae goes for veggies really!
Our favourite additive free party food is sushi. A hit with adults and most kids especially ours 🙂
My favourite creations are with fruit! You can be so creative and kids love it!I recently made a cake purely out of fruit that looked like a castle. It was fun! I also have kids with allergies so am always looking for ways to keep birthday parties additive free and safe!
Those balls sound good!!
My girls are still very little so we haven’t gone the whole hog with party food as yet. We will be there soon tho, so would love to win a copy of this book!
My fave from my own childhood would have to be the hedgehog – half a grapefruit covered in silver foil with toothpick spines of pineapple and cheese cubes (and glace cherry eyes back then, dread to think what’s in those?!) And over here the pineapple would be fresh, none of that canned 70s British stuff 😉
Subscribed to both 🙂
and we would have called it an echidna!! 😉
ALWAYS after some healthy kids snacks – many thanks for sharing the recipe – that’s ace 🙂
I’m a big popcorn fan. I think there are great ways to add to it the natural way plus endless way to present it in a fun way. I have a 1st Birthday party coming up so would love the book!
Our favourite yummy party food a friend just recommended was chickpea ‘chips’! Just drizzle chickpeas with a little oil of choice, and your chosen spice. Heat in the oven for about half an hour. You can choose to have them softer or very crunchy! (Just be careful with the age of the child).
I have a party in two weeks and plan to use most of this advice – great post, Thanks 🙂
Yay!! Love it Emily – let me know how you go – would love to hear all about it. 🙂
Air popped popcorn – a hit with kids of all ages. You can print off own paper popcorn bags and roll into cones.
fruit platter, pop corn, hot wedges and dipping sauces. Fruit smoothies. Iceblocks made from Yoghurt I have made. But with 4 kids I run out of ideas fast so a book would help rectify that 😉
Like many others have said – fruit! It’s one thing I always eat at a party when we go out – I know it hasn’t got anything suspicious in it 🙂 Mmmmm watermelon..
Subscribed x2!! And a fruit platter with plenty of watermelon is always a winner!!!
Loving all these party ideas! The best idea I saw was at a friends birthday party for her son. She had made a shark head out of a huge watermelon and put chopped watermelon inside (its mouth). The kids loved it and were very enthusiastic to eat watermelon!
Fruit served in lots of fun ways is always a hit!
We are only beginning to going additive free, but we always have home popped pop corn and home made fruit salad cups with cute forks and cups they can take home! It’s a hit!
there is nothing better than making and decorating the birthday cake knowing it is additive free and ‘good’ for the kids …. and nothing more rewarding when ppls ask for the recipe cause it tastes and looks good and telling them how and what it was made from … sharing the info, the goodness and knowing its all for the kids 🙂
For girls parties we love our ‘make it pink’ smoothie. A green smoothie turned hot pink with the addition of beetroot. I might have to create a blue version for my son. We are yet to try freezing them but I think that would also be great.
it would make an excellent popsicle!
Frozen bananas blended into “ice cream” 🙂
A bowl of carrot and celery sticks always goes well with the kids!