WHY YOU NEED TO TRANSITION TO ADDITIVE FREE

An irony of our modern day lifestyles is that we have never had so many conveniences, yet at the same time find ourselves more time poor than ever!  
 

Over the last few decades, there has been a huge increase in the supply of convenience foods, and whilst this may have helped juggle the demands on our time… it has come at a cost… not just a financial cost, but at a cost to our health as well.  This is one of the reasons that you need to consider the transition to additive free.

It is no coincidence that the surge in allergies, anxieties, behavioural disorders, breathing problems, skin conditions has risen so dramatically. There is a large body of scientific evidence linking the additives in convenience foods with the increasing prevalence of behavioural and medical conditions.

The good news though, is that there are a growing number of people and organisations that know this, and are here to help. Great tasting, wholesome food that is free from additives is readily available.

So why start the additive free journey?

Food manufactures put additives in foods for a variety of reasons:

– to lower the cost of production,
– lengthen a product’s shelf life and/or
– trick our tastebuds into craving more

are just some of these reasons.

Great for the food manufacturer – not so great for our bodies, especially our children.  

Young minds and bodies are much more susceptible to toxic agents than the adults.

Additives can cause numerous issues for our children:

• Digestive issues (diarrhoea, tummy pains, colicky pains)
• Nervous disorders (hyperactivity, insomnia, irritability)
• Respiratory problems (asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis)
• Skin problems (hives, rashes, eczema)

I personally started my additive free journey nearly ten years ago after the birth of my first child. Seeing him struggle to breathe and realising his asthma was caused by harmful additives kick started my personal journey. Since then, we have been blessed with 4 more kids who are all effected by additives in different ways, and all have benefited from the additive free journey that our family has been on.

But it’s not just for the kids. Additives can have serious long and short term health impacts on us all, starting with our moods.

We have 2 brains, one resides in our head, the other in our gut. Our head and stomach “brains” are connected by the vagus nerve. This nerve is the primary route that gut bacteria use to transmit info to the brain. Toxicity in your gut can flow throughout the body into the brain, causing mood swings and behavioural changes.

All people are impacted, including our youngest as toxic chemicals can be transferred through the placenta and breast milk to developing brains.

Our bodies are impacted too. There is an old saying: ‘food is medicine”. Digestive issues, respiratory problems and skin problems can have a debilitating impact on a family. By removing additives from your family diet, you can usually reduce or potentially eliminate these symptoms and restore peace and calm back to your family!

By making a few simple changes – the immediate benefits will be evident and the long term improvements significant. Just think of the potential money and time saved from reduced doctor’s visits, pharmaceutical lotions, potions and pills, time off school, time off work, sleepless nights etc. And that’s before we even count the cost of stress and anxiety!

So how do I get started on my additive free journey?

Getting started on an additive free journey might seem a little daunting, but it’s not hard and certainly doesn’t have to be another drain on our otherwise time-stretched lives. Like all change, the key is to take those first couple of steps.

These first steps could include:

• Introducing more fresh and lightly processed foods into your diet.

• Read your labels – if you don’t recognise and ingredient as being in your pantry, don’t buy it

• Join the Additive Free Kids community group – a great place for free support from hundreds of other mums that are on the same additive free journey.