This weekend at the Oranjezicht City Farm market at Granger Bay, we’re doing it for the kids! We will be selling signed copies of the brand new kids’ book, “Raising Superheroes” by the authors of the Real Meal Revolution. Jonno Proudfoot says, “This is the most important book on childhood nutrition in the world. You simply cannot raise a child without reading it.” Powerful words – and we agree! A 2014 report from the “International Obesity Task Force” estimates that worldwide more than 200 million school age children are already overweight or obese!

The sad fact is that children who are obese are likely to become overweight as adults, with all the associated risks such as Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Gout, Cancer and Dementia. This is especially high if obesity occurs before age 10.

So let’s join together and focus on raising happy, healthy children. The first step is through food education and eliminating sugar and harmful grains like gluten from the diet. It’s about having fun with food, but respecting it at the same time. To encourage this, we will have some exciting kid-friendly treats at the market.

In the meantime, here is a super-simple recipe for sugar free gummy sweets – that we just love and the kids do too!

(Makes 10 – 12 gummy sweets)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice or juice from mashed raspberries/ strawberries
4 leaves gelatine, soaked in water for a few minutes or 3 Tbs powdered gelatine/ agar agar for Vegan option
2 – 3 Tbs xylitol or 30 – 40 drops liquid debittered Stevia

Method:

Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan
Heat over low heat until mixture starts to liquefy and gelatin has dissolved
Transfer mixture to an easy-pour container
Pour mixture into shaped rubber ice tray moulds
Allow gummies to set for 10 – 15 minutes in the freezer
Remove sweets from moulds and store in the fridge