Nourished Beginnings was founded by Katie Harding, a Nutritionist, whole food enthusiast and mother of two beautiful girls. Since becoming a mum, eating nutritious whole food has become not only a passion but a way of life. It’s with this passion, expertise in children’s nutrition and first hand experience working as a child care food coordinator that I aim to effect positive change within the child care industry and family unit that can only serve to improve the health and well being of our children and our society as a whole.
So, what exactly is ‘healthy’ eating? There are so many different viewpoints on this topic that it is extremely easy to get caught up in the confusion and just throw it into the too hard basket. This is particularly evident not only around the family dinner table but also in a setting like a child care centre where time and money are both limited resources. It has also become an issue in many households due to hectic and demanding schedules. That’s where Nourished Beginnings comes in. I can help remove the stress and confusion and make healthy eating super easy and fun. I believe that healthy eating comes down to a combination of things that make up your food philosophy or food values. It’s certainly not just about what food you eat.
At Nourished Beginnings, our food philosophy is broken down into four categories:
Simplistic – Nourishing – Educational – Joyful
And it all starts with: The Whole Food Principle
Whole food is food that is eaten as close to it’s natural state as possible. No additives, unprocessed, unrefined and little to no traces of chemicals. It is thinking about where our food comes from and the processes that are undertaken to get it to our plates. Whole food is enjoying the food we are eating whilst appreciating and understanding the nourishment it is giving our bodies. Wholefood is real food.
With hectic lives and busy centre schedules, we don’t often give our children the opportunity to learn to appreciate real food. We think that vegetables must be hidden in order to be eaten. This is where our society has lost it’s way. We are so busy in our lives we think it’s easier to hide vegetables than have to sit down and enjoy our meals with our children and talk about food. To explain the foods that are nourishing for our bodies and why. To explain that fast food is a sometimes food and why.
In a child care setting, and around the family dinner table you have the perfect opportunity to sit with the children and talk about food. To encourage them to try new foods. To explain what foods help them run faster, concentrate better, or make us feel better when we’re sick. This is crucial in setting them up for a healthy relationship with food for life.
Simplistic
Eating healthy food does not have to be hard or stressful. More often than not, the most delicious food is that which is prepared simply, highlighting the natural flavours of each food.
Nourishing
The most basic principle of eating is to nourish our bodies. With the body and mind of a child constantly changing, growing and developing, the demand for nutrient dense food is essential. If we want to give our children the best chance in life, we are obligated to do our best in providing them with not only the foods they need but also the education that is essential to see them develop healthy eating habits as teenagers and later as adults.
Educational
Like learning to walk, talk, write or ride a bike, learning to make healthy food choices is something that is a learned behaviour. Children need to learn how healthy and unhealthy foods make them feel. They need to learn the difference between sometimes food and real food. They need to learn the effect eating certain foods have on their bodies.
As a child care centre, you have a fantastic opportunity to give your children the education they deserve and encourage them to try different foods and think about what they are putting into their bodies. And the same goes for the family dinner table. What better opportunity is there to educate your children?
Joyful
This is just as important as anything I have already mentioned above. You need to make eating a joyful experience so that your children will grow to have a positive relationship with food .Making food joyful will ensure they continue to make the right choices when it comes to eating. To know that it’s okay to have sometimes food (junk food) occasionally but they can connect with how it makes them feel. And most importantly, eating should be a happy, loving, joyful experience.
It is with a combination of these elements that Nourished Beginnings has developed a food program that will see you take a positive step toward nourishing your children.
Healthy Children = Healthy Future
My Story
To me it is as simple as wanting to provide the very best start for my child. I just don’t expect her to eat ‘food’ that is synthetic and not even close to it’s natural state. We are not made to consume ‘fake food’ or fast food on a regular basis . Our bodies thrive on nutrient dense foods that are as close to their natural state as possible – whole food. It is so sad to see that highly processed foods have become the norm and now shape the majority of many children’s diets.
This doesn’t mean I am super strict all of the time. I believe that if I educate my daughter in eating the right food at home then when she goes to a party she can eat what she chooses. I can only educate her on how to make healthy choices. The rest is up to her. I am happy knowing that she is having the right food 95% of the time. As she gets older, she will know what foods make her feel good and what foods taste processed and make her feel sick and she will hopefully make the healthier choice.
Have I always been healthy? Definitely not. As an eighties baby, I had my fair share of packaged food with the microwave being used on a daily basis. My parents generation were at the height of the convenience food phenomenon – ‘it comes in a packed and I just add water? WOW’ how convenient! But just what was in said packet? Plenty of preservatives, a splash of ‘flavouring’, a dash of food colouring…oh, and a pinch of actual food’.
Needless to say, my twenties were filled with white pasta and a jar of pasta sauce. It actually wasn’t until I met my husband (the same year I started my Nutrition degree) and he taught me how to cook (you know, from scratch!) that I began my love affair with food. It has been many years through trial and error, lots of reading, experimenting with vegetarianism, consulting with many nutrition clients and becoming a mum that I have finally figured it out. There really is no secret formula.
Whole food, simple food, as nature intended.
It saddens me that I see children consuming unhealthy food on a daily basis. It has become the norm to consume large amounts of processed foods because we are too busy, too confused, too tired and far too bombarded with unhealthy food advertisements within the media.
Does eating healthy take more time? Yes.
Should we be slowing down our too hectic schedule and get back to simplistic food as nature intended? Absolutely!
My mission at Nourished Beginnings is to set a new standard for what is acceptable nutrition in child care centres and family dinner tables throughout Australia. Our children are our future and it is my aim to assist child care centres and families in providing them with the absolute highest quality food education and nourishment that their children require to grow and develop into healthy adults with strong food values and a healthy relationship with food for life.
Making a healthy change can really be simple and joyful. Are you ready?
Disclaimer
The purpose of this website is to share with you cooking tips and nutrition information for babies, toddlers, families and early childhood services. The content on this website is written by a qualified Nutritionist, however it must be used as a general guide and not as the only source of information on children’s food and/or nutrition.
This website is not intended to dictate what is considered adequate or appropriate care for your child/the children in your care. The information on this website is not a substitute for the recommendations of your independent, qualified health practitioner. You must always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Whilst we undertake to provide accurate and up to date information, we do not represent or warrant that the information contained herein is accurate, complete or current. Neither Nourished Beginnings, Katie Harding or contributors will be liable for loss, injury or damage, of any kind whatsoever, howsoever caused, arising out of or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content on this website. It is always your responsibility to make your own decisions regarding your child’s wellbeing.
While we are happy to share our recipes and knowledge with you, please only use, download, display, print and reproduce material on this site in unaltered form for your personal, non-commercial use.