With the advent of technology, the end product of food is changing. They are processed, preserved with preservatives, and over-processed. When I go to do my weekly shopping at the grocery, I buy my buffalo and barbecue chicken nicely spiced and ready to eat. All I need to do is warm it in the oven or microwave for a few minutes or seconds depending on which appliance I choose to use. When I cook my pasta sauce or stew, I conveniently buy the sauces in a jar and straight into the pan with sliced onions coupled with chicken, prawns, or minced meat.
What about breaded chicken (chicken nuggets) or breaded fish? The first food I ate with golden natural bread crumbs was fish fingers. Again preserved and processed, but advantageous, as it appears to be quicker and slightly cheaper as opposed to cooking from scratch and replacing with a healthier alternative like rolled oats or panko breadcrumbs. Disadvantageous for children who are challenged with ASD, ADHD, etc.
On the other hand, if you were cooking from scratch, what kind of chicken do you use: organic, free-range or normal chicken? I was fortunate enough to have grown up in Africa eating fresh food. Our meals were prepared fresh every day from scratch. We had a mini farm at the back of the house, and would you believe the chicken we had for lunch on the day was killed in the morning, prepared and cooked in stew? The tomatoes used were fresh whole plums (not in tins or jars). Our family meals were prepared fresh daily. Currently, I cook food that lasts 3 – 4 days maximum. If one has to make bulk, then it should be frozen, and consumed wi usually within a week or two.
If you have a special child with challenges, autism ADHD, OCD, Asperger etc, then you would need to make those resources available depending on the severity of the challenge. This involves mostly making time to prepare and cook the meals as opposed to buying ready-made and semi-ready-made meals. If at all this has to happen, it should be occasionally. Depending on the severity of the condition you may have to go natural all the way and be free from highly refined foods and artificial ingredients.
One step at a time, get your diet balanced, and get your special child tested for gluten and dairy tolerance. In the UK your child can have a blood test at your local GP. There are also private means of carrying out a full nutrition test. In future articles, I will write about the disbenefits of specific foods which can also be very addictive.
