Healthy parties – dodging E-numbers at toddler parties
When
it's party time it's all too easy to stock up on sugar and
additive-laden goodies.
Jessica Foster explains that healthy doesn't
have to mean dull and suggests some fun alternatives.
A simple rule of thumb when trying to cater healthily for your baby is to chose the food with the shortest
ingredient list, avoiding tasters fillers, added salts and sugars and
potentially dangerous e-numbers.
The first birthday
Being healthy at your child's first birthday party is not usually too much of
a struggle – most one-year-olds have not yet developed crisp and
chocolate cravings and if they have they probably can’t tell you.
At this age babies like to feed themselves and their birthday meal
can contain lots of simple finger foods.
Here are some ideas:
- steamed carrot sticks, broccoli florets or potato wedges
- grated cheese
- handfuls of cereals – my two children loved cornflakes and rice
crispies
- mini rice cakes – two raisins and a well-placed piece of cheese will transform them into a smiley face!
- sandwiches can be made special by using pastry cutters – animal
shapes are fun.
You can make your own cake with organic or free-range eggs and good
quality flour and sugar – or if you are really busy cheat and use a
decent cake mix.
Avoid anything containing salt – little kidneys can’t cope with salty
snacks such as crisps or cheese biscuits. Health food shops sell organic
biscuits which are good for a treat and there are loads of good quality
brands of ice cream available for sweet-toothed tots - it’s also a
treat for any guests too young for finger-foods.
It can be helpful to warn parents in advance what kind of meal we
would be providing and at what time – that way they could adjust their
routines.
The second birthday
By the age of two a toddler may have made special friends at playgroup and will
have firm ideas about what foods he likes and dislikes. They may well
expect a party to be full of sweet treats, crisps and sausage rolls but
at this age kids are still very flexible and they’ll tuck into
healthier alternatives with relish.
Beware of flavoured crisps which often contains MSG (monosodium
glutamate) and yellow colourings such as tartrazine that can be harmful
to children, especially asthmatics. Vegetable 'crisps', available from
some supermarkets, are a
good alternative but may be pricey. Otherwise try rice cakes with toppings
such as a mild guacamole, cottage cheese or hummus.
Popcorn is popular and is good flavoured with cinnamon or try
breadsticks and cheese straws – watch out for nasty additives in some of
the commercial cheese-flavoured biscuits though.
Steer clear of fizzy drinks – very dilute fruit juice can be turned into a
party drink if it is served in an open plastic cup with a straw but be
warned, it could get messy!
Jelly without the additives is available from health food shops. There is one made by Just Wholefoods that is consumed by the litre in
our house. Green and Black’s organic chocolate is out of this world
but it is not for those on a tight budget.
Fruit served on sticks or in chunks is popular, but dipped in high cocoa-content chocolate
(try Green and Black again), it becomes a real
party treat.
And on a safety note steer clear of peanuts and other whole nuts,
they may cause allergies and are a choking hazard to young children.
E-number facts
- E100-E181 are colourings.
- E101 is Riboflavin or vitamin B2 and E160(a) is carotene – these are
both ‘good’ additives.
- E200-E290 are preservatives. Avoid most of them, though E270 (lactic acid) is
general considered to be OK.
- E296-E385 include antioxidants and mineral salts.
- E300-E304 are
ascorbates and a source of vitamin C.
- E306-E309 are tocopherols and are
a source of vtamin E.
- E375 is Niacin of vitamin B3.
- Avoid E310-E312, E319-321and E385.
- Avoid E407, E513, E524-5 and E541.
- E621 is MSG (monosodium glutamate) and E951 is aspartame
which has been at the centre of several health scares.
- Saccharine at
E954 has been linked to cancer and tumours in animals.
In short, most E-numbers are worth avoiding - healthy E-numbers should
be labelled as vitamins and should be easy to include in your baby’s
diet.
Where to next?
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