Help your kids get the most out of their school year! Advice on school lunches & tips on keeping the kids healthy with Herbs of Golds range of children’s health supplements. Pop into Mountain Health & chat to our staff about your concerns and we can offer recommendations to suit your children’s requirements.

Back to School Food Allergy Concerns

Avoiding food allergens can mean steering clear of a life-threatening emergency for some kids. While peanut and tree nut allergies cause some of the greatest concern, food that comes into the classroom can also affect children who suffer from conditions like celiac disease or a dairy allergy. So whether your child suffers from an allergy — or the child that sits next to your child suffers — it’s important to be aware.

Do you struggle with what to pack for snacks and lunches in a nut-free school zone? Here are some practical tips to help make it easier.

• Read labels. Improved allergy info is now available on most packaged foods. Check ingredient lists for things like peanuts and tree nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios), and look for disclaimers that read that the food contains a specific allergen or if it was “processed in a facility that also processes” things like nuts, milk, eggs, soy and wheat.
• Opt for alternatives.  Experiment with allergen-friendly options like sunflower seed butter and certified allergen-free snack foods. Many kids can’t even tell the difference.
• Go fresh. When packing a nut-free snack for your little one, start with fruits or veggies such as raisins, apples, carrot sticks or a banana. Then add another component to keep things interesting such as fava beans or organic popcorn.  Make the snack energizing and satisfying with a balance of healthy carbs and protein

Mountain Health has many allergy friendly snacks available. Including the Orgran range, the easy to make Funch snack bar mixes, “Food for Health” bars & the delicious Happy Snacks Fa-va beans. There are also non-dairy alternatives to cheese, cream cheese & yoghurt. The staff at Mountain Health can recommend the best products for your specific requirements.

Happy Snack Fa-va Beans

Nut free lunchbox friendly natural snacks, with the taste your kids love! Super crunchy, deliciously tasty Fav-va beans in classic Pizza , lightly salted and barbeque flavor carry a Five Star Health Rating . Made from natural ingredients, and guaranteed nut, dairy and gluten free, give them something you’ll both feel good about. Convenient snack packs perfect for the lunch box or as an after school hunger buster.

Happy Snack Fav-va Beans are:

• 100% gluten free
• 100% nut free
• Five Star Health Rating
• High in Protein
• Free from artificial flavours and additives
• Not blended or extruded

Grown, made and packed in Australia

Funch Superfood Snack Mixtures

Funch’s Superfood Snack Mixtures include a Superfood Snack Bar Mixture, six different Protein Power Ball Mixtures and a No Bake Superfood Slice Mixture.  These easy to make, healthy snacks are similar to the ‘cake mix’ concept, except with Funch products you end up with a delicious, wholesome, healthy snack.  Funch is bridging the gap between health and convenience, giving busy people a great snack food choice as each Funch recipe is packed with great wholesome ingredients. The ‘make at home’ part of each product includes an easy to follow recipe.  The Funch snacks are great energy and nutritious hits for the kids but they also are nut free and suit the ‘nude’ packaging requirement that many schools have introduced. 

Keeping your kids healthy

Day-cares and schools are notorious breeding grounds for bugs. It is common that once kids are back in school, families start fighting off colds & flu more regularly.  By simply supporting your child’s general health and wellbeing on a daily basis you ensure they get the most out of their days. There is natural support to help your child stay in front of the pack!  Try Herbs of Golds childrens range.

Children’s Immune Care: a delicious strawberry-vanilla tasting chewable tablet, specifically formulated for children with Echinacea and nutrients to support and maintain a healthy immune system. Made with tooth friendly xylitol.

 Healthy Chocolate Crackles

This popular recipe is perfect for school lunches, gluten, dairy, sugar & nut free!

Ingredients


100ml  of extra virgin coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup of desiccated coconut (optional)


2-3 tablespoons of cacao powder (more cacao will make it more chocolately)


2 cups of puffed grain, puffed brown rice is good but it would work with millet, quinoa or activated buckwheat (or a mix).

1/2 cup of dried blueberries or goji berries (optional)

** up to 3 tablespoons of rice malt syrup can be added if you like them sweeter

Method

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Put in freezer to harden for five minutes.

Remove from freezer and stir again.

Spoon into cupcake cases and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Take them out of the fridge and serve immediately. If the crackles are left out too long the coconut oil will melt. Store in the fridge/freezer.