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Do Expiry Dates Matter?

do expiry dates matter

How seriously do you take the best before and expiry dates on the food products you buy? Every perishable item for sale in our stores includes some kind of date and some people refuse to eat anything past their expiry and best before dates. We know that these dates are a good indication of how fresh the food is, but exactly how necessary is it to abide by these dates?

After a bit of research I discovered a very interesting fact.

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Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables – What SA Moms Say – Part 2

get kids to eat vegetables

Our panel of South African moms came up with so many excellent ideas for getting kids to eat vegetables we decided to dedicate an entire blog post to their great ideas. If you are having trouble with your children and their eating habits, perhaps you’ll find a tip here that will be of help. (See part one of this series for more tips)

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8 Fab Tips on Getting Children to Eat Vegetables: Part 1

children eat vegetables

It’s an age old question. How do you get children to eat their vegetables? I’m sure you remember your experiences as a child faced with a vegetable you particularly disliked. Did your parents work hard to make sure you ate the vegetables despite your reluctance? Are you now finding yourself in your parents’ place and struggling to get your children to eat their vegetables? Here are some fab tips from around the net:

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Baby Food Combo Ideas

Baby food combo ideas

As several people I know are about to welcome, (or have just welcomed) little bundles of joy into their lives, I can’t help but think how useful Sinchies pouches are for babies transitioning onto solid foods. Here are some great baby food combo ideas that are quick and easy for busy moms.

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Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate and Black Bean Brownies

Gluten Free chocolate and black bean brownies

If you have ever baked chocolate brownies, you know that their delicious fudgy texture is mostly because of an embarrassing amount of sugar. Believe me, I love chocolate brownies (I could do with one right now), but I cringe whenever I make them because of the sugar. So, if you want a chocolate brownie treat, what can you do to reduce the sugar and keep the texture. This gluten free chocolate brownie recipe extraordinaire uses black beans (Yay for hidden veg!) for the texture allowing you to use less sugar. Did I mention, it’s also Gluten Free!

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Gluten Free Snacks for Lunchboxes and at Home

Gluten free snacks

One of the hardest allergies to cater for is a gluten allergy. What gluten free snacks can you add to those lunchboxes? I’m sure you and our children can take only so much in the way of rice cakes and crackers. Also, rice cakes tend to go stale very quickly in a lunchbox – especially if you put anything on them. But never fear, I have some ideas for you!

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Additives and Preservatives Round-Up

additives and preservatives round up

I recently wrote a series of articles on some of the various additives and preservatives commonly found in our food. I thought it would be nice to have an additives and preservatives round-up article for easy reference should you wish to check up on a particular additive.

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Additives and Preservatives: What is Aspartame

aspartame found in diet food products

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in diet drinks, yoghurts, chocolate and other food items of a similar nature. It was discovered in 1965 and was approved for use in the food industry in 1981.

Aspartame is made from aspartic acid and phenylalanine which are both naturally occurring amino acids. As Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than standard cane sugar, the amount required to sweeten food is much less than that of sugar. However, despite this, many people are worried that Aspartame may be bad for your health.

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Additives and Preservatives: What is Sodium Benzoate

sodium benzoate in sugary drinks

Sodium Benzoate is a common food preservative. It is produced through a chemical reaction between sodium hydroxide and benzoic acid and is mostly used to preserve acidic foods such as fruit juice, carbonated drinks, pickles and salad dressings.  It is also used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry.

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