Green Monkey™ news
Green Monkey™ Spring Newsletter
Life at Green Monkey™ has been really busy. After being completely overwhelmed by your response we are now making it even easier for you to get your hands on Green Monkey™. We have just started our roll out into New World supermarkets nationwide. Rather than stopping there we also intend sending Green Monkey™ off-shore as there has been such strong international demand for premium New Zealand organic products in recent times. So the good news is you will start to see Green Monkey™ pouches everywhere, if you struggle to find them make sure you demand them from your preferred shopping outlet.
Other news:
 Green Monkey™ turns Gold and scoops three awards
Green Monkey™ was delighted when it was announced the winner of three Massey University Food Awards for its super premium organic baby food that is born naturally in New Zealand. The Canterbury based business won the Packaging design award, FMCG Meal solution award, and the Crop and Food fruit and vegetable award. >more...
You will also see Green Monkey™ in this month’s Healthy Food Guide "things we love" section. Speaking of Love, in October we are giving away three prizes worth $65 each. Each prize pack will contain 8 of each flavour of our pouches (24 pouches in total) delivered to your door.
Prize Draw - How to enter
Tell us why you LOVE Green Monkey™ by writing to us with your name and full contact details. Email your entry to competitions@greenmonkey.co.nz . All entries will go into the draw and will be selected at random. Entries close on October 30th 2008.
What I think of Green Monkey
Charlotte Rebbeck MD of Green Monkey™: I love eating good quality food. Green Monkey™ offers an easy, yet delicious meal for Eve when I haven’t had time to make it myself. Not only that, I love what Green Monkey™ stands for, green, sustainable and acting Green… I am proud to feed Green Monkey™ to Eve and always taste test some myself. I run with the theory that if I would not eat it, there is NO WAY I would feed it to my baby.
Featured product: Green Monkey™ - Pumpkin, Silver Beet and Sweet Potato.
The hearty sweetness of pumpkin and sweet potato combined with the iron rich, healthy silverbeet. This is a perfect first food and also great for toddlers. Serve on its own for a delicious and nutritious meal. Add to cooked pasta, noodles, mince, roasted meats or alongside your own meal.
Ingredients: Organic Pumpkin 60%, Organic Sweet Potato ( Kumara) 20%, Water 16% and Organic Silverbeet (Chard) 4% = Total 100%.
Recipe - Nikki’s Pumpkin Silverbeet and Sweet Potato Cous Cous
2 tsp of Cous Cous
4 tsp pf boiling water
1 Pouch of Green Monkey Pumpkin Silverbeet and Sweet Potato
Cover Cous Cous in boiling water and let it soak for 5 minutes, heat pouch in a cup of boiling water for 2 minutes, open pouch and then combine ingredients. Leave to stand before serving and always check temperature first before serving baby.
Nutritional advice from Nikki.
Portion Control for Littlies
Early childhood is the key time when lifelong eating habits are formed. The normal growth and development of a child is determined by the provision of good nutrition. However, it is important that children do not put on weight too quickly. A USA Paediatrician has reported that “babies who gained 100g above the normal weight gain each month had a 25% increased risk of being overweight by the age of seven”.
The energy needs of a child are dependent on:
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Their rate of growth
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Gender
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Physical activity levels
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Body size
Preschool children’s petite size and high levels of activity mean they have a small sized stomach that empties quickly. Because of this they should not be expected to eat adult sized portions and will need more frequent meals and snacks.
How much food should I feed my toddler?
Evidence suggests that preschool children can regulate their own food needs by responding to their own hunger signals. A parent’s responsibility is to provide the food but by about 2-3 years of age a toddler can serve themselves and be responsible for what they want to eat.
The estimated daily energy for 3 year olds is approximately 6100KJ (1460 kcal). However, this is dependent on the activity levels of the child, rate of growth etc. By the time the child is aged between 4-6 years they can eat adult sized portions 7500KJ (1800 kcal).
Too much parental control at meal times has been linked to the cause of eating disorders. Therefore it’s not good to make a child finish everything on a plate if the child is not hungry.
Snacking before dinner is not necessarily a bad thing if the food being selected is raw vegetables - it can often stop the battles at the table if your littlie doesn’t like cooked vegetables.
How much of each food group should my toddler eat?
There are 4 main food groups.
It is recommended that preschool children eat:
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At least 2 servings of fruit and at least 2 servings of vegetables
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At least 4 servings of breads and cereals
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At least 2-3 servings of milk and milk products
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At least 1-2 servings of meat, chicken, seafood, eggs and beans.
It is not essential that a child eats the exact number of serves a day but over a week all food groups and amounts should be eaten.
Children aged 2-3 years of age need about 2/3 of the portion you would offer a 4-6 year old (except milk).
Preschool children who attend day care for 8 hours should be provided with around 50% of their daily requirements while attending day care. This should be from each of their food groups (1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 2 breads and cereals, 1 milk and milk products, and 1 meat servings). The other 50% of their daily requirements should be eaten at breakfast and dinner.
What is a child sized portion?
A child’s hand is a good tool to determine food portion without the fuss of measuring. As the child increases with age so will portion size.
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A thumb = a half serving of cheese. 2 thumbs = 1 serving
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A fist = 1 serving of fruit, vegetables, cereal, yogurt, bread
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A palm = 1 serving of meat, chicken, fish
Q & A’s
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If your 4 year old has not eaten sufficient dinner then they will wake up ravenous! Don’t forget that 4-6 year olds can often eat adult sized portions due to growth, activity etc. To avoid excess calories if you are concerned about your littlie gaining too much weight, choose higher fibre options such as brown bread, high fibre white bread, higher fibre breakfast cereals and so on as their breakfast options.
Please remember if you have any questions please email us at info@greenmonkey.co.nz
Until next time,
The Green Monkey™ Team
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