Feeding our kids nowadays has so many challenges: food specifically marketed towards children is mostly over processed, laced with numerous, potentially dangerous and unnecessary food additives and has little nutritional value.

Checking the labels and ingredients lists while shopping was a must for me and many products were crossed out. It took a while to finish my shopping initially, but in the long term I narrowed the products I buy and it helped me do the shopping quicker. Having said that, the food our family consumes isn’t completely free from food additives and preservatives. It is unrealistic to eliminate them all, especially when you have kids. Explaining to children that some foods very popular amongst kids can be bad for them is a complicated task. Not to mention the birthday parties junk food bonanza.

Cooking from scratch using organic ingredients whenever possible is an important part of healthy, sustainable living. In our busy lives when families have little time to sit and eat together, when food outlets are at every corner and shops are full of readymade meals, many are asking: why bother cooking?

Some benefits of healthy home cooking from scratch:

• Eat delicious, freshly prepared food
• Cook using all natural ingredients
• Avoid or reduce food additives
• Avoid or reduce food preservatives
• Avoid or reduce artificial flavours and colours
• Support sustainable living
• Enjoy nutritious food
• Cut on over processed food without nutritional value
• Avoid packaging
• Set an example for children
• Enhance the health
• Control ingredients
• Save money

Of course, there are healthy takeaway options and home cooked meals could be quite unhealthy, too. However, when cooking from scratch there is definitely less food additives and preservatives in there, if any at all.

Food additive categories

Food additives are divided into categories and assigned a number for easier identification internationally and I guess, to shorten and hide the long and in some instances scary chemical names behind those numbers. In Europe the numbers have E in front of them. The categories are:

• 100-182 Colours
• 200-297 Preservatives
• 300-385 Acidity Regulators, Anti-Oxidants, Mineral Salts
• 400-495 Vegetable Gums, Thickeners, Emulsifiers, Stabilisers, Gelling Agents
• 500-586 Mineral Salts, Anti-Caking Agents
• 620-641 Flavour Enhancers
• 900-1521 Thickeners, Vegetable Gums, Humectants, Artificial Sweeteners, etc.
• Flavours, natural or artificial, are not regulated and thus don’t have any numeric identification

Not all food additives are made same: some are natural and ok to use, others, however whether natural or artificial are unsafe for consumption, and have been banned in different countries. While researching the food additives, I came across several food additives tables that listed potentially unsafe additives. Every source was different so I decided to make a table of food additives for myself as my personal shopping guide.

I divided food additives into two groups: green – ok to consume and red – avoid if possible. The additives in green are either natural, regarded as safe for use or derived from natural ingredients. However, some could be either derived from a natural source or made artificially like citric acid 330 or turmeric colour 100. The additives in red have either been proven as unsafe, connected with health or behavioural problems, have not enough information about them or have been added recently to the approved list. My motto here is: if there is a question mark – it’s red.

The black numbers are the worst offenders. They are either banned in Australia or in other countries, or are suspected carcinogens! Just few of them are:

• 102 Tartrazine – Colour. Linked to hyperactivity, skin rashes, migraines, behavioural problems, thyroid problems, chromosome damage. Used to colour drinks, sweets, jams, cereals, snack foods, canned fish, packaged soups and a dye for wool and silk. Banned in Norway, Austria and Finland. Restricted use in Sweden and Germany.
• 249 Potassium nitrite – Preservative. Linked with behavioural problems, asthma, breathing difficulties, headaches, dizziness, possible carcinogen. Typical products include processed, cured and smoked meat and fish, root vegetables. Not permitted in foods for infant and young children.
• 621 Monosodium L-glutamate or MSG – Flavour enhancer. Should not be permitted in foods for infants and young children. Some of health problems MSG is linked with include asthma, hyperactivity, depression, mood changes, sleeplessness, nausea, migraine, linked to infertility. To be avoided especially by pregnant women, children, elderly and people with heart disease. Commonly found in potato and corn chips, powdered soup stock, snacks, crackers, sauces etc.
• 951 Aspartame – Artificial sweetener. Present in more than 7000 products worldwide. Linked to many health problems: cancer, asthma, nausea, depressions, hyperactivity, seizures, breathing difficulties, memory loss and many others. It is believed to be the most dangerous food additive on the market. Sold as Equal®, NutraSweet®, Canderal®, Benevia® and Spoonful® sugar substitutes. Commonly found in cordials, juices, snacks, deserts, vitamins, diet and low calorie drinks, soft drinks and many others.

Food Additives List – Free Download!

Disclaimer: I compiled this table from different sources (some listed below) for my personal use. The content is not intended to constitute professional advice nor it does include all information about every additive. If you find this Food Additive List helpful, you are welcome to download it for your personal use.

I didn’t write the names of the food additives because it would make the table too long. You can see the food additives names listed alphabetically here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_food_additives

or listed by numbers here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_food_additives,_Codex_Alimentarius

Manufactures have the choice of listing the food additives as a number or they can print the full name. For example monosodium glutamate or MSG can be identified on the ingredients list as: flavour enhancer (MSG) or flavour enhancer (621).To find out more info about a specific food additive by number or by name go to:

http://www.additivealert.com.au/

Food flavourings

Food Standards Australia New Zealand, FSANZ, states three types of food flavourings: natural, nature-identical and artificial. FSANZ definitions of last two:

“Nature-identical substances – means flavouring substances that are obtained by synthesis or isolated through chemical processes, which are chemically identical to flavouring substances naturally present in products intended for human consumption. They cannot contain any artificial flavouring substances.

Artificial flavouring substances -  means flavouring substances not identified in a natural product intended for human consumption, whether or not the product is processed.”

Unlike other food additives, flavourings aren’t assigned code numbers. They are listed simply as flavour or flavouring because as per FSANZ “It would neither be realistic to require, nor meaningful to consumers to be provided with the chemical names of the individual flavouring substances present, even if they could all be identified.”

To illustrate why it is unrealistic to list all the ingredients the artificial flavours contain, please read the ingredients list for artificial strawberry flavour:

“amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent. Yummmmy!” Source: http://mbm.net.au/health/guide.htm

One example of different wording: Pear yoghurt should contain pears, but pear flavoured yoghurt doesn’t. I usually buy plain organic yogurt and mix pureed or chopped fruit in. The best bet is to avoid flavoured products.

But wait, there is more!

There are two instances where food additives aren’t required to be listed:

• 5% loophole: additives in the ingredient that makes up 5% or less of the product.
• Processing aids – not listed although might have traces of it in the food. Example: enzymes used to pump up the bread.

Even if the label isn’t listing any food additives, we might be eating unknown substances.

Next time you go shopping or reach for processed food, please read the ingredients. Arm yourself with the knowledge about the food additives and don’t wait for the food regulation body in your country to ban or declare an additive unsafe. Be your own judge. Very often the authorities play down the research results linking specific food additives with health problems like asthma or hyperactivity. Also, the research is frequently concentrated on one additive at the time. But what happens when we eat dozens of them at the same time as a toxic cocktail, in doses well above the daily recommendations?

My main concern in regards to food is health of our kids and how to reduce the chemicals and additives they eat. The strategies I use range from buying organic whenever possible, growing some of our food, cooking from scratch to reading the labels and limiting the “bad” food, all the while risking the cross looks, complaints and occasional tantrums. Hope, our kids will appreciate it one day!

As said previously, to eliminate all food additives, chemicals, pesticides etc. is not a realistic task in 21^st century. But with one step at the time, everyone can steer towards healthier food choices. And as a final word in this post: preparing fresh meals shouldn’t be regarded as a chore. It’s rather a way of looking after your health and wellbeing.

P.S. On 10 June 2009 ALDI announced reformulating all its exclusive branded food items to remove the six food colours (102, 104, 110, 122, 124, 129) which have been proven to cause hyperactivity in children.  Currently ALDI is in the process of removing a further eight artificial food colours.

Read more: http://aldi.com.au/au/html/company/8821.htm and

Aldi’s exclusive brands now free of artificial food colours

References:

Eady Julie; Additive Alert – Your Guide to Safer Shopping

Hanssen Maurice; Additive Code Breaker

Wilkinson Giselle; The Conscious Cook

Winter is the perfect time to warm up and make some bread.  To celebrate the winter season, Make Bread offers a special price for Bread Making Birthday Parties during months of June, July and August .

Winter Special

The price for Kids Bread/Pizza making parties held or booked during months of June and July is $245 for 12 kids, additional child $20, max. 16 children.

More Info

Bread Making Party Bookings and Enquirers

Is there anything better than freshly baked, crusty bread?  Yes, there is:  homemade basil pesto on freshly baked, crusty bread!

Basil is a herb that likes to bake in full sun.  The basil season in Melbourne’s gardens is slowly coming to the end, so make the most of what is there.  Alternatively, buy fresh basil  available all year round.

Pesto can be made using mortar and pestle, chopped with a herb cutting knife (takes a while) or in a food processor.

Basil pesto can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. Pesto is suitable for freezing.

Click here to view the basil pesto recipe with step-by-step instructions and photos.

Enjoy!

There are several myths about bread making.  The common one is that bread making is a complex process.   Another common misconception is:  yeast needs sugar to grow.  Not true!

Only 4 ingredients are necessary to make yeast bread: flour, water, yeast and salt.  There is no need to add sugar when making bread as there is enough food in flour for the yeast to multiply.

Sugar, if added, is mostly in the dough for the taste.  For example, it’s necessary in sweet breads, traditionally added to bagels and sometimes to 100% wholemeal breads to balance a slight bitterns of wholemeal flour.

In bread making you can substitute honey, golden syrup or malt for the sugar if needed.

So next time when you make a loaf of homemade bread that calls for a teaspoon or two of sugar, you can omit it and avoid a few calories, too!

Easter is upon us and throughout March Make Bread has a special Family Bread Making Class: in addition to your chosen breads, learn how to make Hot Cross Buns!

Once you taste your organic homemade Hot Cross Buns, fresh out of the oven, anything else will seem like a compromise.

Make Bread supplies all the ingredients, organic of course.

This offer is available for a limited time, during March and Easter school holidays!

Bookings and Inquiries

Fresh yeast, also called baker’s yeast, cake yeast or compressed yeast is my preferred type of yeast when making bread.  It should be kept in the fridge and lasts up to 4 weeks.  Fresh yeast has no artificial additives.  Although not widely available in Australian shops, it is possible to find it in some delis and bakeries.

To by fresh yeast look for a nice creamy colour without any dark or dried out spots.  It should smell pleasantly and crumble easily.  Greyish yeast that is stretchy and gummy is past the required freshness and might produce unsatisfactory loaf.  If in doubt, mix a small amount of yeast in some warm water with a tablespoon of flour.  If it rises, it means it’s still active.

Dry yeast on the other hand can be kept for up to 2 years.   This is especially handy if you don’t bake with yeast very often.  However, dry yeast usually contains additive sorbitan monostearate (E491).

Common Yeast packaging

In recipes requiring yeast, different yeast types and amounts can be stated.  That can be very confusing.  Also, depending on the origin of the recipe the amount can be stated as a cube or a cake of yeast.  Here are the most common yeast packaging sizes:

• Dry yeast in small packs has most universal weight.  One packet, one sachet or one envelope weighs 7 grams (0.25 oz or 2 teaspoons).   1 teaspoon (5 ml) of dry yeast equals 3.5 grams




• Fresh yeast packaging differs significantly.  In Australia it’s commonly produced in 1 kg blocks and then cut up into prepackaged small chunks or sold at the counter according to the customer’s requirements.  US cake of fresh yeast is packed in 0.6 oz or 17 grams.  If a recipe of European origin asks for a cube of fresh yeast, the required weight is 42 grams or 1.5 oz or 2.5 US cake portions.

Fresh yeast to dry yeast conversion and vice versa

The packaging types, sizes and measuring systems aren’t the only thing needing conversions.  If you only have dry yeast and the recipe calls for fresh yeast, what do you do?  Fresh yeast to dry yeast conversion and other way round is an easier one.  Very often I read in different recipes suggestion to half  or double the amount to change the type of yeast.  That would result in too much of dry yeast of too little of fresh and longer proving time.

The rule of thumb is dividing or multiplying by 3:

• from fresh yeast to dry – divide amount by 3, eg. instead of 30 grams of fresh yeast use 10 grams of dry
• from dry yeast to fresh – multiply by 3, meaning 7 grams or dry yeast becomes 21 grams of fresh.

Another easy way to remember yeast conversion is:

10g of fresh yeast = 1 teaspoon of dry yeast

10 : 3 = 3.33 g

As you can see above, this is close to 3.5 g – the average weight of one level teaspoon of dry yeast .  Teaspoon volume varies depending on the manufacturer and the shape.  However, a few grams more or less of yeast won’t make a huge difference in your recipe.

Note:

The amount of dry yeast in recipes and on the packaging instruction is often exaggerated.  As a result the dough rises too quickly and has a yeasty taste.  Reduce the amount of yeast and allow the dough a bit of extra time if necessary.

Happy baking!

It’s back to school time!  For mums that means back to packing lunch boxes, morning rush and all that goes with it.  When it comes to breakfast, we need something that kids love to eat, quick to prepare, possibly warm (especially on cold mornings) and versatile: pancakes!

When I announce Pancakes for breakfast! our kids ask immediately: thick or thin? Thin pancakes are actually crepes and thick are pancakes. Considered as a French specialty, crepes are widespread and very common throughout continental Europe: if you order pancakes, chances are you’ll get crepes.

Our son likes “thin” pancakes (read crepes) and our daughter “thick” ones, pancakes, that is.  So when I make the latter, I thin out the last batch of the batter to runny consistency and make a few crepe-like pancakes.  But still have to alternate between the two varieties.

My favourite pancake recipe is with buttermilk. Buttermilk pancakes are thick and spongy with less fat needed to achieve the softness. There is always buttermilk in our fridge as I make my own buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute it with regular milk (1 cup) mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, apple cider or vinegar and let it stand 5-10 minutes.

The buttermilk pancake recipe:

• 2 cups self raising flour (if using plain flour add 1 teaspoon bicarb soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder)
  
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon melted butter or oil
• 2 cups buttermilk

Note:  To memorize this recipe easily, just think “2“: 2 C SR flour, 2 eggs, 2 C buttermilk !

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Beat the eggs and add melted butter or oil.
3. Add one cup of buttermilk to the eggs, mix well.
4. Pour buttermilk and eggs mixture into dry ingredients and mix all quickly into a thick batter with a whisker. By adding half the required liquid first the batter will be smooth and without clumps.
5. Now add the second cup of buttermilk and incorporate gently. Add more buttermilk if the batter is too thick.
6. At this stage you can add some corn, herbs, grated cheese or carrot for savoury or chopped fruit or berries for the sweet version.
7. Pour the batter into medium hot oiled pan or griddle – about ¼ of cup or more for larger pancakes. Cook as many at the time as you can fit in your pan without sticking together.
8. Turn over when bubbles appear on the top and cook the other side until golden.
9. Serve warm.

This is a simple buttermilk pancake recipe without sugar. We love it with avocado or other savoury spreads as well as jam or honey, hence the jam will lend the sweetness. To make sweet pancake batter just add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the flour when mixing dry ingredients.

Berry pudding (also called summer pudding) is one of my favourite summer desserts. It’s packed with goodness and bursting with flavour. Berry pudding is a perfect dessert for a hot Australian Christmas and by far healthier and more refreshing than a traditional Christmas pudding. Its crimson red colour and green garnish match perfectly the traditional Christmas theme.

We have just enough strawberries from our garden to taste, but usually go to the berry farms to pick larger quantities. My family’s favourite u-pick places around Melbourne are Kinglake area and the Dandenongs.

The summer berry pudding recipe

The berry pudding is really easy to prepare. There are only three ingredients needed plus cream to serve:

• 10 slices of day old white bread, 1cm (1/2in) thick
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, redcurrants or other)
• 60 g (2.1 oz) sugar
• cream to serve, fresh berries, mint or similar for decoration

Serves 6-8

For the above quantity you’ll need a 1.5 l (6 cups) capacity bowl. For smaller or individual puddings, here is the ratio I use to adjust the ingredients:

For every 250g or fruit use 10g of sugar and 1 cup (250ml) capacity dish. Simply remember

250g – 10g – 250ml

The quantity for bread is a bit trickier to give as it depends on the type of bread and the slice thickness. However, if you make individual puddings, you’ll need more bread.

The Method

1. Slice the bread and remove the crusts. Place the first slice at the base of the bowl and then the rest around, overlapping slightly



2. Put the berries and the sugar in the saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes or till juices start to run. Spoon slightly cooled fruit mixture into the bread lined bowl. If there is plenty of juice, leave some for serving.
3. Cover the top with the remaining bread slices (fold over side slices first).
4. Put a plate on the bowl and weigh it down with whatever is in the fridge: milk cartons, jars of jam or bottles of sauces. Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours or even better overnight (great dessert to prepare ahead for a busy day). To catch any juices oozing over the brim, put a plate underneath the bowl.
5. To serve, remove the plate, loosen the sides of the pudding with a spatula or a knife, place the serving plate on the top and invert the pudding onto the plate. Pour the reserved juice if any left, decorate with fresh berries, mint leaves or to your liking. I’ve used pineapple sage leaves to decorate my summer berry pudding on the picture above. Serve with whipped cream.

The pudding on the picture is slightly smaller (4 cup capacity). Besides being easy to make, healthy and really yummy, the pudding is a great way to use some dried out bread. For more idea on how to use the old bread read the post 12 ways to use up old bread.

Few more tips:

Bread: A homemade white loaf or one from the baker works better than a pre-sliced sandwich or toast bread (too soft to hold the shape), wholemeal, seeded, some sourdough or breads with large holes like ciabbata. Make sure not to press or flatten the slices when arranging in the bowl or they won’t soak up the juice.  This especially applies to shop bought white toast bread.

Sweet breads like brioche are also suitable for the summer berry pudding.

Fruit: Frozen berries can be used too. Prepare it the same way as fresh berries.

You can substitute 1/3 to 1/2 of the berry quantity needed with some other type of fruit like peaches or plums if berries are too pricey or you’re short of the amount needed.

Bowl: glass or ceramic (china) bowl works well, but you can use any provided it’s not too big or too deep so you don’t end up with a pudding that is difficult to serve or collapses. No need to line the bowl with the cling wrap or to oil it.

Freezing: Berry pudding freezes well, but allow the time in the fridge first to let the bread to soak up juices before freezing.

Food intolerance: Served without cream this dessert is dairy free.  Substitute coconut cream for whipped cream if desired.  If you use gluten free bread, summer berry pudding becomes an healthy and easy gluten free dessert.

Enjoy!

Learn how to make bread in the convenience of your own home.