Are Nuts making us NUTS? - Belinda Norton

Are Nuts making us NUTS?

There is an epidemic and it is all about nuts and the variety of side’s people take for the good or bad of this delicious nutritious food.

In social media and within the health fitness world it’s all about the nut milk. It started with soybean (with its nutty flavour and now nut milk has hits its peak with the humble almond > almond milk and also coconut inclusive of coconut water and milk /oil being so beneficial to us all. These naturals foods provide our bodies with endless amount of nutrients and health.

YET>

Everyday in my work I encounter the simply stupid rules of school foods > foods that children are NOT allowed to eat or have at school.

We have more and more children every year being diagnosed with food allergies or anaphylaxis (an acute allergic reaction to an antigen to which the body has become hypersensitive).

Suddenly our schools and other school related activity zones have a list of FOOD FREE SCHOOL ZONE. Now these lists have become simply ludicrous over the years to say the least.

Children are now unable to bring to school:

anything nut related (peanut butter sandwiches, nut crackers, homemade muesli bars, nut bars, almonds or any nut related drinks including coconut, soy or any nut)
they can not have tuna, fish, salmon or any food with fish
they can not have dairy products, yogurt, milk, cheese

As you can see from this list this leaves very few options for children and parents to provide to eat because of these NUT free, DAIRY free, FISH free zones.

Therefore children are forced to eat high salt, sugar and carbohydrate loaded food options for most of their meals. These are meals times that are feeding their young brains to learn for their future and ours. We encourage fruit and vegetables to school however children also need complex carbohydrates and every part of the well developed food pyramid.

b. truth: I went on a year 4 school camp last week to a very popular and highly Sport after Recreation Centre run by the Queensland Government Sport and Recreation. This facility is phenomenal and so is the excellent sport and rec staff however I encountered an unusual problem.

I took a jar of peanut butter to eat my rice cakes and banana. This being a very nutritious snack for the busy human! Yet I was heavily and quite rudely reprimanded like a criminal. FACT: my bag was sort through by a staff member and removed from where I had left it in the dining hall. When I sort to find my bag, I was told it had been confiscated due to me having a contaminated substance in it. WHAT THE???? Peanut Butter.

I was then told to come to a private room (no windows) to discuss my peanut butter. At which two men and me (female alone) were asked of my reason for me having the peanut butter where I told them how I used it …on rice crackers with banana.

They then told me nuts are banned here > we will need to sterilize this entire area due to you bringing nuts into our dining room. We have children with anaphylaxis here to nuts. I handed over my peanut butter without a worry but I shake my head in disbelief. Firstly, you see most of these people who have nut allergies (and in our schools case) it is indigested nuts allergies and these people/children all are aware of their allergies and make adequate decision to ensure their own safety > by NOT eating it.

You see the food at this facility is simply horrendous and I refuse to eat it. Many of children also did not like or consume the food, some even becoming ill within 30 minutes from the food. We had children vomit from the food NOT due to hygiene but simply due to the food choices available. These food options are simply outdated for today’s young eaters as they have well developed palettes are NOT used to this high fat, high salt food options.

I believe these people with allergies do not want to create all this fuss over it and children in particular are highly embarrassed. These people and children can walk through shopping centres, go to theme parks, join in sport and all these places are NOT nut free zones. I always think what about the bus they travelled here upon, the handrail they touched on the bridge, the money they use at the canteen, the football they hold are all these checked to ensure they have not traces of nuts/ dairy / fish. Of course not because that is ridiculous!

So why have we all gone nuts over nuts and we are providing our children with food options that are simply wrong and bad for them. All for just for a few people who know their allergies and are quite capable of avoiding the foods they cannot eat.

Dear Schools, schooling facilities and our Queensland Government,

I believe we all need to reevaluate this whole anti-food strategy because right now you are starting a epidemic of bad food choices by taking a small minded view on nut, dairy and fish. We need to look towards a future of food acceptance for health and wellbeing for all. Currently, you are working on wellbeing for a minority and this still is NOT working.

b.tip: Feed your children, nuts, fish and dairy and often because it is good for them and good for you too!

b.funny: I liken it to, let’s rip out all the flowers because I get hayfever… when I go near lilies, it gives me a reaction and this could cause blindness, when I get blurry eyes from sneezing so much, my chest does also tighten up…. Making it hard for me to breathe. So everyone if you could not have lilies anywhere in the shop, houses, farms, restaurants, events, weddings, parties…. that would be better for me…LOL. AS if…

Health and Happiness always,

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