A HEALTHY SPIN ON SNACK TIME!
My son James is ice pop obsessed, even in winter. Every shop we go into he stands by the freezer with a long face then he looks up and flutters his long eyelashes pleading with me for “just one mum”. Like a broken record I explain to my four year old about ice pops having too much sugar but of course he doesn’t care because he’s four and I sound like a demented lunatic in the shop trying to reason with a child who simply does not care about the health benefits or lack of in the ice pop he so dearly wants.
I know the rules or indeed the advice about not using food as a reward system or using sweets for treats as it may lead to emotional eating problems in later years but I live in the real world and we have to deal with so much on a daily basis that sometimes ice pops and the odd sour squirm have indeed been used to preserve my sanity at times.
It’s for this reason that I’m really excited about Claudi & Fin! But who and what are Claudi & Fin I hear you say. Well they are none other than the ice pops to end my ice pop nightmare. Let me explain: There are a few things I am extremely passionate about in life. One is supporting other mums in business and another is trying to get our kids to eat healthier and this week London based mums or “Mumpreneurs” Lucy Woodhouse and Meriel Kehoe are answering at least one of my prayers by launching one of the UK’s healthiest lolly brands called Claudi & Fin into Ireland.
Like most parents nowadays Lucy and Meriel became frustrated at the lack of healthy snacks available for kids so Lucy said they decided to see if they could come up with something themselves so they hit the shops, stocked up on tonnes of healthy ingredients, whipped out the blender, and the rest is history.
The frozen lollies are named after their daughters and chief taste testers, Claudia and Fin – both 3 ½. They are made from Greek style yoghurt and jam-packed with fruit. The lollies are made with absolutely no artificial ingredients and come bursting with added Vitamin D. With obesity rising at an alarming rate its good to know these lollies are also low in sugar and calories
All the ingredients were chosen very carefully for example the creamy Greek style yoghurt has two benefits; the first is that it tastes amazing and the second is that it has almost twice the protein of ‘normal’ yoghurt and lower levels of naturally occurring sugars. It’s also a good source of calcium, potassium, zinc and vitamins B6 and 12.
They use full fat milk because not only does it taste better but when you strip out the fat, you also strip out the vitamins; A, D, E and K. Add to that a growing body of recent evidence that shows us a clear link between reduced-fat products and weight gain in children. There’s also lots of real fruit puree in the lollies as they provide essential vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
If you ever been to one of my shows or heard me being interviewed it’s unlikely you’ve escaped my vitamin D obsession. James asks for his every day now and believe it or not an astonishing 70% of children aged between 1-4 in Ireland are deficient in this vital nutrient, leading to serious issues like rickets and bone deformities. It’s really difficult to get the quantities of Vitamin D we need from a normal, healthy diet (just 10% comes from food) and as we reduce our exposure to sunlight for other health reasons, things don’t seem likely to change. The government now recommends we give kids aged between 6 months and five years Vitamin D supplements. So if you are choosing a treat at least these treats have 30% of your child’s recommended daily intake of Vitamin D added to them.
I imagine my little man will become dazed and confused when we are in Supervalu next week and he asks for an ice pop and I get more excited than him and maybe I’ll even have one myself!
The lollies are available in Supervalu and Centra and come in two delicious flavours – Mango and Strawberry, both priced at €3.50