Friday Q&A: Rhiannon Lambert Makes Food Exciting Again!

0:00Rothy's is up to something big. The famous Flats brand has reimagined their iconic point shoe to be better than ever. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Rothy's made the point even more beautiful and comfortable than before. Every closet needs a little black flat, and Rothy's makes the best one of all. Discover the point at rothys.com and learn why this timeless shoe is so special. That's R-O-T-H-Y-S dot com. Most women have been there. Something feels off. You don't feel like yourself. Yet your doctor says everything looks fine. Spoiler, it's your hormones. Midi is a virtual care platform built for women by women and offers specialized hormone care from trained clinicians.

0:41Plus, it's covered by most major insurances. Getting started is easy. You can book your first visit with a clinician right away. It's not you. It's your hormones. Visit joinmidi.com to book your first visit. That's joinMIDI.com. Insurance coverage varies. Check with your plan for coverage. Hello and welcome to Made by Mamas, the podcast. I'm Zoe Hardman. And I'm Georgia Dayton. And this is your parenting safe space where no conversation is off limits. With five kids between G and I, we have seen a lot.

1:11Georgia Dayton: We really have. Each week, we'll be joined by some famous faces and experts, and we'll chat about the brands and products that have saved us along the way. In short, we're the parenting podcast for you. Before we get started, hit subscribe or follow so you're the first to know when each episode lands. And they're on Tuesdays and Fridays. And it really helps if you leave a rating and a review. You can also find us on Instagram, we're on at Made by Mummers. But for now, George, should we get into it? Hello and welcome to Friday's episode of the podcast, a returning guest on the podcast today. Somebody who we cannot wait to sit down and chat to again.

1:44I think today's guest has been on what?

1:46Georgia Dayton: The third time. This is the third time today. who better to come on and talk about nutrition and this is her first ever kids cookbook please welcome riannon lambert you walked in i had no idea that you were pregnant i haven't really been featuring it much on the nutrition channels but yeah that baby three third time on the podcast yeah because you are my og the first ever motherhood podcast i've ever listened to it It was made by mamas. So I've listened to you both since, God, I was doing Feed the Thought podcast, so 2018. Oh my gosh. Was that when you launched? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, 2017. I think it was, we started recording, but I think maybe it didn't go out till then.

2:30Georgia Dayton: Remember we used to like almost record in like a big, yeah, and then now in literally like the day before. You don't come back on for a fourth time because it might be like before. Yeah, who knows what will happen. How are you feeling? Do you know, I'm doing okay. I'm third trimester now. I will say with two kids already, third pregnancy and a climate change heat wave is a bit challenging. But aside from that, I'm just feel blessed. I feel very blessed. You look. Yeah, I was going to say, I know it's really annoying when people are like, but you just look glowing. You look so glowing. And you're thinking, I feel awful.

3:03Georgia Dayton: But just before we get into the chat, we've obviously, you know, you've been a guest numerous times before. But you are, you've just launched your first kids cookbook. Just tell us a little bit about the why and like what we can expect. it is a it's a big move for me to move into children's nutrition I think first of all because I've just contributed so much to the adult nutrition space you know I've this will be my ninth book I believe but yeah which is insane in itself and um the reason being is I kind of got to this pivotal point this year where I just want to make a difference and I'm not seeing we're not seeing the changes in public health nutrition in terms of demographics of good health going up we're seeing it go down yeah so we have to target the future generations to make a difference and cooking is now a life skill and it kind of dawned on me that in this strange UPF convenience world that we're all living in right now where things aren't straightforward it's very confusing cost of living is going up if children are not armed with the tools of how to cook how can they navigate an expensive world of food yes and eat healthily and be healthy individuals so I'm doing a lot of work with food charities the food foundation veg power this summer I'm taking nutrition to parliament September and I really wanted to create the it's the first of its kind there's never been a book for this age group for around probably six seven year olds plus to cook from that teaches them about nutrition it I'm a bit nervous because because it's not been done before.

4:38What's it called? It's called Ready, Set, Cook. And there's 30 easy to cook recipes, but I've put them in sections where children, like there's so many infographics. The designer is incredible and it really hooks the kids in. They learn about their belly bugs, you know, food for happy tummies, food for their heart, food for energy, what to eat on sports day or before school. And really the knowledge in a fun, accessible way. You know, I've got a six-year-old and a four-year-old boy and they know already they talk all the time about the bugs in their tummy wow and they know that you know I have to eat color and they associate food so positively I just feel every child deserves yeah oh you've nailed it you know what

5:20Georgia Dayton: it's really interesting because I think we've had so many conversations in the past like obviously Zoe has spoken about having an eating disorder and I think there's that fine line isn't there between like saying to them that's not healthy and you shouldn't eat that and and teaching them to just understand food that fuels their body without making it like a thing a thing because that's the thing that always worries me like I've got a daughter who is really like active but eats nothing like as in like she she'll eat like a tiny bit of chicken and then she's like I'm full and you think you can't you can't be but she'll now have five packets of crisps yeah you know and I and I'm trying to be like ah like don't worry it's fine but I'm not because it's not fine yeah but equally you don't want to I don't know give her a complex that's why you're good parents because you care yeah ultimately every parent wants what's best for their child it's not for lack of trying you know and it's what you do most of the time that makes the difference rather than those odd days but I mean the relationships around food that tricky conversation but equally one that should be had and I just believe if we focus on nutrition positively there's nothing about taking foods out and all that sort of thing particularly in my cookbook obviously because it's such a young demographic six plus but if we really empower people to think wow you know okay I can have that bag of crisps but if tonight my mom's going to make this um you know lasagna or something or classic that's a great thing for my tummy and for my heart then that's positive yeah and also it's it's a rewiring for parents as well like I was an 80s baby I was brought up on pizza and chips yeah sausage and mashed potato fish fingers and chips every single night not my parents fault that's just what happened because my dad was was the chef my mum didn't cook she's weird around food you know and he was working all the time so it was kind of like I didn't grow up knowing how to cook.

7:25I never grew up knowing what was good, what wasn't good, what was right, what fueled me. I just didn't have that knowledge. So now as an adult and a parent, I'm rewiring that whole system. So I would love to be able to cook with my kids. I want to give them that life skill. And that is a real priority for me. It's interesting you say that. And obviously, we're all working with mums here. We know how hard it can be. So if we date back to 1950s, which is when the women first entered the workplace majority of us speaking um and that's when convenience foods were created and built you said you know i'm a child of the 80s that's what there was because men didn't step up to fill the gap in the home so there's like this empty gaping marketing hole and that's what shaped the food industry and it's left women i do just want to say this as a working mom because i don't cook every single day of the week or do this every weekend with my kids but most of the time I try to do what I can it is so hard we have such pressures and loads on our shoulders and it's still not 50 50 and it's not equal and that's why that convenience era came about and finally and one of the stats I was looking at for this book is obviously getting cooking lessons in the national curriculum yep now in some private schools I also had a look into this what's so interesting is that in most girls schools they have some degree of cookery.

8:46Boys schools, no. So there's still, I know, I can see your eyes widening. It's absolutely shocking that there's still such a gender divide of roles. And you know, I'm a mom of boys at the moment. I've got two boys. And I cannot believe that they would be raised in a country that still believes that cooking just falls on a woman. And that's why this book is so important to me as well, because I want to show men and women, this is a life skill. yep yeah take control of your health why are women responsible for men's health still yeah in

9:19Georgia Dayton: 2026 do you know what my husband and i've had this conversation because i taught myself to cook my mum didn't really cook my nan was an amazing cook so i did have that like you know i used to watch it but i always knew i wanted to like learn how to cook i sound so sad but like i used to love like delia smith and people like that growing up i love her but i really like i used to love I'm laughing, but I'm not doing it. I used to love like all of that, like, you know, cooks on TV growing up. That was the 80s deal. But my husband could cook. He lived on his own for not that long, maybe like a year.

9:58Georgia Dayton: But I used to go up at the weekend and he would cook. He knew how to cook. The second I moved in, he stopped cooking. Okay, just completely stopped. And then there was a little period where I think I was living in London and he was living on his own. And a younger boy came to live with him through work. And he taught him how to cook. And I was like, oh, that's interesting. Now he does no cooking. Yeah, neither does dogs. And my daughter will join in with me, wants to help me cook. Like if I'm making pancakes or whatever, she wants to whisk in the eggs. She's like, mommy, can I help? Can I help?

10:34Georgia Dayton: And I say, Axel, who loves food, come on, come and help. He's like, no, you're right. And we had this conversation the other day. and I said that's because he thinks you can't cook but you actually can so you need you just even if it's once a week like just just do just show him it's not for me because I actually like doing it it's for him now because and also GGOs for both of them just to see that you are doing the cooking and it's just subconscious isn't it they then get interested like I've opened a can of worms oh yeah yeah but it's true that you know gender roles modeling in the household but you know to keep it really positive it doesn't have to be gourmet cooking I'm talking children's recipes can just be at least they know how to open a jar of baked beans and put it on some toast yeah can we just get basic staples so they're not going out and buying ready meals and packets which we know does not equate to a healthy outcome as they age you know and already kids are so deficient in this country 86 % of school-aged children do not get enough fiber you know that's 96 % of adults don't hit the mark we the UK as a nation we have to do better so yeah yeah I'm a bit of a mish she's on a mish get ready new prime minister yeah we'll be right back after this short break

11:59Georgia Dayton: Rothy's is up to something big. The famous Flats brand has reimagined their iconic point shoe to be better than ever. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Rothy's made the point even more beautiful and comfortable than before. Every closet needs a little black flat, and Rothy's makes the best one of all. Discover the point at rothys.com and learn why this timeless shoe is so special. That's R-O-T-H-Y-S dot com.

12:52M-I-D-I dot com. Insurance coverage varies. Check with your plan for coverage. Who says Halloween only lasts one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home. From larger-than-life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house, Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic all in one place. Because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night. They're made all season long. Shop Halloween decor now at Wayfair.com.

13:27Welcome back to this episode of Made by Mamas. Now, where were we? Let's kick things off, Rie, because we've got loads of questions. Okay. Lunch ideas for kids and parents on the go. Okay. On the go, as in lunch boxes that we're going to film. Yeah, maybe, yeah. Or just kind of during the summer holidays, lunch ideas for kids, because we're right in the middle of them. Move away from your sandwich and crudités mindset. like crudités I think are a great all-day thing to have out and always something good that you can put in but don't fear picky bit scenarios for your family as well you don't have to cook three gourmet meals a day no no no one can do that it's exhausting in the summer holidays so I'd say utilize different types of carbs as your base to think right if I cook up rice I can mix rice with peas and sweet corn and make it fun and chuck in some salmon or whatever your kids will eat or serve it alongside those things separately however it rolls for your family wraps let's get creative with wraps again why don't we try heating them in the pan and then melting some cheese on top we do that yes quesadillas yeah quesadillas oh i'm saying it wrong i think you did say that quesadilla yeah cheese and ham that's what you're down with a burrito you know that there's so many things you can get and i think also utilizing really humble ingredients peas contain iron they contain protein they contain fiber it's in a frozen bag you can mash them into a dip you can mix them with hummus if your kid wants something green pea and feta on

14:52Georgia Dayton: toast is delicious yeah pea and feta on toast it is what i mean you wouldn't think to do it but actually when you mix it together and equally for a child remember you can serve it separately not everything has to look like it's one full meal let alone for parents that is dealing with sensory issues for children and food that's a whole other complicated ball game but just it does not have to be a curry every evening and a perfect spag bowl at lunch yeah it doesn't have to be like that yeah so we're very much in our scrambled eggs and smoked salmon era with kit because he's just started eating scrambled eggs like how long has it been six months probably mine's still eating eggs which is so annoying but that's like a massive breakthrough for us so i'm quite happy if that is what we are having before school every single day now that's amazing that's amazing yeah fine and also your kids are probably getting egg and other items they don't realize i do eggy bread yeah exactly i make eggy bread and then they have that with like you know other stuff yeah it's just it breaks my heart because that egg's my actual favorite one day they might turn around one day and you're they're going to a restaurant they'll order a board egg what i think i'll drop on the floor and feel like i've made it um what about after school snacks oh my kids and teens but I guess just across the board what should we be giving the kids after school across the board you mix the fruit with the things you know they're gonna eat and a lot of the time they're starving and they will eat it especially primary school age but you've specifically have mentioned older kids and teens yeah that is such a difficult age group also the most nutrient deficiencies like our girls in this country is so deficient in iron god we're not hitting our calcium targets you know it is they're very neglected as a you know maybe one day in the future that's a project for teenagers but right now I've got to tackle primary school after school it really is getting the fruit getting the berries splashing out a bit if that's the more expensive fruit but it's the thing they'll eat and you have to just prepare a little bowl I always have a bowl in the car for both boys maybe mine are a lot younger it's easier but they eat it they eat it if I put edamame next to the dark chocolate, if I put the chocolate rice cakes that they love, you know, even the yogurt-coated rice cakes, not always the dark chocolate, you know, ones, next to the carrot sticks and the red pepper, most of the time they'll eat it.

17:11Okay. Yeah, and if they leave it, I don't mention it, and I put what they've left on their plate at dinner. Okay. Right.

17:17Georgia Dayton: Because that is the thing with teens, isn't it? Teens are different. Yeah, because they have a level of probably independence where they might be walking home after school. I mean, I see them all outside the chip shops, like buying a packet of chips. And I'm so, like, I don't know, conflicted with this because I think that's part of teenage life, you know, like walking home from school, maybe hanging out, talking over a packet of chips. Is it really the worst thing in the world? Well, is it for a minute every day? But yeah, exactly. And that's the thing, isn't it? Do you know what's really quite scary is that only as of two weeks ago, energy drinks were still able to be purchased at any age in this country.

17:54so things that contain high amounts of caffeine they've only just put the ban in place for 16 plus for energy so after school you'd have all these kids yeah consuming all these drinks they should not be consuming so actually we need some sort of regulation in that area as well massively but you're right where's the joy but equally that is not joyful if it's every day no no and also it becomes habitual rather than an experience anyway yeah so and also i just want to i just want to flag because I know that listening to you talking then like I have two children that would love and do eat all the berries and the red peppers and the crudités and the girls but my son yeah hasn't you know he's a he has not touched a fruit or berry or anything like that or vegetable since he was weaning basically yeah he just doesn't so there is there anything for a child I mean I've obviously offered it to him a million times he at the moment just that's just not in his sphere so we tried to do like ham sandwich on brown bread would he have hummus with crisps um yes he will eat hummus with crisps so at least things like that let's try and think outside the box can we a bit yeah because hummus still contains iron yeah fiber chickpeas you know olive oil depending on the type of one you get yeah and if you i know this sounds really pedantic but don't give him a whole bag of crisps yeah and just measure out the portion and just put a few next to some breadsticks and then maybe he can dip those and it's yes it's but not every child is going to eat all the color in the world not every child's going to have that easy ride everyone's got a different thing but just to put it into perspective like one red pepper is a whole daily intake of an adult's vitamin c like two oranges contain calcium and i think we overthink it too yeah yeah we do i get how stressful that is yeah my anxiety is already been any fruits any fruits like would he eat a kiwi no no no smoothie i make a banana milkshake every day with peanut butter can you put kefir in it uh he would notice would he notice yeah i can i can do natural or like greek yogurt perfect full fat greek yogurt i put that in with peanut butter and i blend it up you

20:02Georgia Dayton: have one of those every day yeah but the rest of the time it's literally either a bagel or a smoked salmon sausages that i've cooked but like i make sure they're like the best sausages in the world and cut them up it's just movie like small amount and they'll be ground down and you probably won't see those and that's omega-3s and different things and then in some situations that's where we talk about the supplement industry a little bit where they can fill gaps i'd say that's a classic example where it might be of help but children and supplements is a whole minefield and not regulated so again okay a lot to discuss to discuss maybe another time with your kids supplements we've got a lot to do you've got to change the world okay do pecans this is interesting offer the same nutritional benefits omegas brain for the brain etc as walnuts no gutting i love a i love a pecan that wow yeah they don't have it you know walnuts have got that really distinct taste yeah i love them and you can get a bad walnut and that's because they can go rancid because they've got such a high percentage of those unsaturated fatty acids you know the omega three I mean walnuts classically look like a brain yeah which is such an easy way to remember they're one of the richest sources of plant food versions of omega three yeah whereas pecans don't contain those unsaturated fatty acids every nut has got its own wonderful benefits like almonds good for calcium you can list off on the list of nuts but um walnuts actually and I didn't know this until the last two years are much better if they're kept airtight in the fridge because you to stop them going rancid and when they can taste a bit bitter that's when it started to deteriorate and degrade it's like olive oil you keep it dark and airtight yeah you need to kind of look after your flax seed and your walnuts and things and keep them in the fridge we used to have one of those really one of my very early childhood memories is having one of those really old school 80s walnut crackers that kind of look like a rhino or something with like a big thing that me and my sister you just sit there for hours cracking walnuts and eating them yeah is that That's a real memory, right?

22:04I remember it like that. I still, even at Christmas, I still get walnuts. Yes. We're all maybe a bit old school, I don't know.

22:12Georgia Dayton: But it's fun for kids to do that stuff too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I don't think my kids would just eat walnuts. Dip them in chocolate, put them in the freezer. Yeah, I was going to say, so put them in chocolate. I do that. Can you blend them up and put them in anything or can you do anything like that? The taste is so distinct. Yeah, it is. The only issue with walnuts is the taste. Is the taste, yeah. I mean, I've put walnuts in some recipes, like muffins in the book. Oh, yeah. Ones that are in the food for thought chapter, you know, that focus on eating for your brain. Let's think of those happy fats and all that kind of stuff.

22:41But chocolate, putting it in frozen bark and stuff that you can make. Frozen what? Bark. Like if you get a baking tray, put some baking paper over it and just put your yogurt base on. Chop a banana. Make a healthy Snickers bar. Add some peanut butter. Sprinkle some walnuts. Freeze it. Get it out. Crack it. You've got a delicious Snickers with some walnut pieces. So yogurt, natural yogurt. Yeah. Put a base of melted chocolate on top of that. Nice. Slice up some bananas, thinly put it over the top. You could do another layer of peanut butter if you wanted over the top of that. And then sprinkle some walnuts.

23:16Crack it when it comes out, once it's frozen. It's the most delicious thing. Yeah. People do it with date. They do date barks. Produce bark and eye. We're like that. Yeah.

23:23Georgia Dayton: I've done it with different chocolate things. Yeah. Yeah. I've done it with chocolate and made like swirly things. but I've never done it with yoghurt yeah do it with yoghurt or ketham okay brilliant that's a good idea well he does if he listens to your podcast he's not interested in what I do he's doing some cringe is there any correlation with diet and psoriasis so I'm not a dermatologist but from what I've read and when I've spoken to dermatologists I think Dr Thithy is a very good one from King's College London She's actually one of the few in this country that is a nutritionist and a dermatologist.

24:01She speaks about this because we now know that we have a skin microbiome and it communicates potentially with our gut microbiome. And your likelihood of developing certain skin ailments or conditions is heavily dictated by our diet and our upbringing and our lifestyle. but equally from a dermatologist perspective overdoing it with skin products can equally flare up skin because you damage the barrier yes that happens to me yeah in this pregnancy weird symptom trimester two i perioral dermatitis yeah that i had it yeah because i put too much sun cream all over my face yeah i was like slavering it on and they were like no you're just clogging and aggravating yeah so dietary wise it's not the sole cause there's still genetic aspects there's so much unknown things but we think if you eat more fiber if you eat more plants if you eat more fruit and the omega-3s yeah you're more likely to not experience the same severity of

24:58Georgia Dayton: those skin conditions there's one of my friends has really bad psoriasis yeah and a few years ago actually maybe it's like five years ago now she went on this diet it was like an anti-inflammatory diet she'd cut out all nightshade vegetables i remember she only ate white fish it doesn't sound very anti-inflammatory to me it was like honestly it was the strictest diet ever i can't i really wish i could remember which book it was anyway it wasn't sustainable but it did clear up her psoriasis and now she's kind of trying to find that balance yeah and like what is it that um like flares it up our inflammation is a very confused term and i feel like it's used so much in the wellness industry it's like buzzing everywhere so there's not one anti-inflammatory diet but the most research is the mediterranean diet yeah which does have nitrogen no shades yeah but you reside within them and tomatoes and also lycopene and tomatoes is the most researched vegetable we have for helping our skin so it's also been shown to protect against sun damage and obviously don't give up your spf but you know that particular food group so when we talk about inflammation it's when you get a sudden response from your immune system that's fighting infection you don't want to boost your immune system you want to keep your immune system at bay so all of this boost your immunity is completely the wrong messaging you don't want to boost it you just want to keep it supported that's a buzzword buzz phrase boost your immune system i can't bear it think of your gut bugs as training the army of your immune system they all reside together by one cell and they kind of yeah they train it and teach it how to respond so the more you're feeding your gut bugs the more you're feeding the immune response which is why the anti-inflammatory mediterranean diet is a healthy one for the bugs and the fiber yeah well when this podcast goes out i would have already been to greece but i cannot wait because i'm not going to drink for the two weeks holiday everybody said that a few times hold me accountable mocktails the whole way yeah yeah yeah or just so I'm fine with that and I just cannot wait to eat that Mediterranean diet that Greek diet I just I'm really excited to see what happens to my body actually and how I feel you'll feel amazing yeah I was gonna say we went to Turkey recently and it was like I'm only a buffet that you ate in and I was like oh this is gonna be a lot oh my god I've never eaten so well because at lunch I'm having a whole sea bass with like lovely Greek salad or a tabouleh and I'm like that's all I'm like and so I didn't come back from a holiday where you can eat loads which we could have done feeling bad I felt great some people yeah if you've got that mindset where you're like I love Mediterranean home food I cannot wait for that amazing buffet spread I love where you went the most incredible food that's the biggest appeal to me um you often come back feeling lighter and happier with your head and your body yeah yeah but also like my son was having like sea bass for lunch with vegetables, then salmon, and then you'd have like a couple of steaks.

28:03Georgia Dayton: It was, you know when you look at it? But when you look at that, they're so easy. Mine's obsessed with mussels when we go on holiday. Oh, delicious. Gets the bread, dips it in the sauce, loves cracking open the mussels. Mussels are carbon neutral. Weird fact about food. I don't know why anyone needs to know that. But they're delicious as well because they've got a lot of butter as well and the cream and yellow. And they want to dip chips in them really, don't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just it. And then you don't really do that when you're on holiday in Greece because they don't really serve.

28:31No, you don't get that. You'll get flatbreads or you'll get, you know, the pitterbreads. You don't get chips. Yeah. Well, you probably could now. I do like chips though, guys. I love chips as well. Oh, me too. I love a chunky chip though, not a thin. Oh, no, I'm a thin chip. You're a thin chip girl. Oh, you're both. No way. You're not triple cooked. Okay, fine. No, we're thin chips.

28:48Georgia Dayton: Finally crowd drinks. We'll be right back after this short break.

28:57Rothy's is up to something big. The famous Flats brand has reimagined their iconic point shoe to be better than ever. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Rothy's made the point even more beautiful and comfortable than before. Every closet needs a little black flat, and Rothy's makes the best one of all. Discover the point at rothys.com and learn why this timeless shoe is so special. That's R-O-T-H-Y-S dot com. Who says Halloween only lasts one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home. From larger-than-life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house, Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic all in one place.

29:40Because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night. They're made all season long. Shop Halloween decor now at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. 75 % of women who seek menopause care don't receive it. The lying awake at 3 a.m. wondering what's happening to your body ends now. Midi is virtual care built for women in perimenopause and menopause with clinicians who specialize in women's health. Plus, it's covered by most major insurances. Getting started is easy. You can book your first visit with a clinician right away. Midlife needs Midi. Visit joinmidi.com to book your first visit today.

30:16That's joinmidi.com. Insurance coverage varies. Check with your plan for coverage.

30:25Welcome back to this episode of Made by Mamas. Now, where were we? Regarding salt. Oh, I really want to know about this, actually. So, is it okay for a child to sprinkle salt on some of their foods? I wouldn't recommend that. Oh, God. Oh, fuck. Bye, guys. See you later. Oh, no. No, Zoe. What do you mean? I mean, exactly the same camera. What? Right. We already over-consume salt to a degree in this country that's concerning. like I think the average and obviously this is adult data not children it's like eight grams above the six grams that we're meant to be getting salt has an instant impact this is why I'm worried about this whole electrolyte trend and all sorts of things is that it impacts your blood pressure it can impact your kidneys long term with a lot of excess and it's the excess you don't see it's the things you're buying salt is in your bread salt is in the crumpets salt is in any packet you put on anything really because it's a preservative it's a great way of preserving food without adding additional emulsifiers or additives.

31:22So you're probably already getting enough. And I think that's quite a habitual thing for a child as they go into adulthood. Oh, God. So it might be something to monitor a little bit. I'm not saying it's the end of the world. It depends what you're into.

31:42Georgia Dayton: Is there a correlation between any kind of health concern and a child who loves salt? so I don't want to be a demon no no no I'd rather know because my husband has been researching this massively he's like we need to take her to go and get her bloods done because she loves like she loves crisps well I mean lots of kids like crisps but she like will have avocado on toast but she loves putting salt on it a pinch of salt as fuck no no no she will like she loves if I let her have a bowl of salt she would just eat it oh my god she doesn't she doesn't but she would Soya sauce, like when we have sushi, she, well, obviously, she eats sushi.

32:22Georgia Dayton: At home, can you get the reduced salt? But why does she like salt so much? Well, because it's highly palatable. That's why a lot of foods contain either excess salt or sugar. And I think we can go either way. Sometimes we either have a sweet preference or a salty preference for things. But her blood pressure, that's not great for her blood. She has sweaty hands. Her hydration, it will be impacting. her fluid intake would need to increase to account for that extra salt yeah um you're verging on a medic type discussion now but i would say it's probably something to watch for children so i would highly suggest yes reducing that what about when you go and have her like bloods taken it won't really show anything in her bloods they'll just be you can't really she'd have a blood pressure test yeah those sorts of things but i don't think you're going to see results okay i I think this is damage we're talking over.

33:13Okay, so we just need to like, you just need to write no salt addiction in. What about things like salted butter? Fine in moderation, but again, I wouldn't do it every day. If you've got butter, I'd probably go for unsalted rather than salted if it's a daily thing. I love salted butter. Well, so do I. What's better than going, when you go out for dinner and they make the fresh butter and then they've got the rock salt sprinkled on top, like it is delicious. But you've already got salt most likely in that loaf of bread. You don't need to add a lot of it on top. Because now Luna asks, she's like, oh, mummy, can I have some butter and salt for my broccoli?

33:45But that, again, if she's eating the broccoli and it's a small amount, it's still better. You do it. Yeah, fine. If she's getting that broccoli in, I'm a happy person. Okay, I feel a bit better now. The shakers where it can come out in abundance is risky. Oh, yeah, no, no. Okay, fine. Yeah, fine.

34:01Georgia Dayton: Sorry. No, don't say sorry. No, it's good to know, I think. It's really good to know. Is cheese every day too much? no actually good we're about to fall out i know what matter if we're in france oh my gosh um cheese is a funny one because not all cheese is created equal uh you've got the fermented types of cheeses that are known to be really beneficial for gut bugs that you'll hear people like professor tim specter wax lyrical about then you've got the really ultra process spreads you'll hear people demonizing saying they're terrible for you like what like a like a dairyly spreadable or Like a Philadelphia versus an owned spread because of the different emulsifiers they put in to create that creamy texture.

34:45What's better than Philadelphia? Technically, scientifically, there's no outcome, but the owned brand might be better if it's got less ingredients. But it won't last as long. So for people on a budget, what are they meant to do? They don't want to buy a soft cream cheese spread that's going to go off in 48 hours. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And get that little mold on when you forget you've got it in the back of the fridge. and I'd still rather kids if that's the only cheese they like that they eat that cheese that is the Philadelphia because it gives them the calcium it gives them the phosphorus and things they need to grow healthy bones calcium so to give you a little stat we're talking kids and we're talking cheese but one in two women over 50 have osteopenia osteoporosis in this country one in two we're talking half of women and we are seeing bone density issues much at a much younger age like 64 of anyone that fractures their hip I think that's the stat off the top of my head goes on to sadly pass away when they're elderly so we've got a big issue of bone health dairy is not the only source it's like the biggest misconception in the world you look at Asia they've got such low rates of osteoporosis they just eat soy there's so many other factors to it but I do think a portion of cheese if it's not an excess because the saturated fat is high parmesan And great example of it.

36:03Yeah. Good example of cheese. Lower lactose. Anyone that's lactose intolerant, some of you might be able to tolerate Parmesan. Yeah. It's got less of the natural sugars. Bitter cheese every day is fine, but there is definitely a hierarchy of a blue cheese versus a baby bell. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. A superior cheese, I like to call it. Yeah, it's a fresh cheese board. Yeah, yeah, the queen of cheeses. Okay, that's really interesting. Am I right in thinking as well that we have had historically an issue with women not getting the right estrogen they need at a certain point in life so there's this whole you know men used to run the world and then oh look guess what we're going through the menopause but we can't have any estrogen so yeah I've had a dexter scan I'm being off because I went through early menopause and um my body is now a really great level with all its issues I feel loads better my knees stopped hurting so much off the back of blah blah that would that would contribute to that wouldn't it as well what's so hard being a woman let's just throw everything else on us as well is that when we go through perimenopause and menopause our estrogen stops circulating to the same degree estrogen is protective for bone health so in our nutrition clinic when we're working with eating disorders sometimes the gp that we're working in a triage with will prescribe the pill because it contains estrogen to protect someone's bones yeah so it's really such a shame but i'd say from the age it depends if you go through early or later but probably around 40 especially plus women need to be so aware of that calcium because your calcium requirement goes up as we age people just talk about protein it drives me up the wall it's not just protein calcium is so forgotten and actually 700 milligrams a day can go up to 1200 300 throughout this time it's the same now i'm pregnant i technically need to really work harder i'm definitely not doing it now but on my calcium intake as well where do we get it from um calcium i'd say the best source like tofu if you love it or edamame beans i get like edamame beans but i don't like soy milk you can make some swaps at home 200 milligrams in a portion of soy milk better than oat milk yes for calcium and all sorts of things if that oat milk um there's nothing wrong with oat milk it just tastes great like if you want something sweeter but if you want to maximize your nutrition you're better off going for soy because it contains the protein and the calcium and if you look at the fortified brands which again I know some people don't like fortification I think why not add a bit of calcium and iodine if you can get it in that's the best option calcium set tofu not not all tofu naturally contains calcium you have to check it's calcium set yeah um other foods broccoli oranges nuts like almonds and things for calcium yeah oranges oranges two oranges a day I need broccoli I think that's like 100 pounds of broccoli it's my favorite it's the elite vegetable even some grains contain little traces of it so balanced healthy diet greek yogurt greek yogurt definitely tinned fish is all the rage now sardines are having a moment which is so funny because i put sardines on toast in my first ever book and found the 17 obviously didn't go down well now now people are like yeah mashing it up with all sorts of stuff yeah exactly the watch tinned sardines yeah um but yeah because you're eating the bones and they're soft in a sardine and people don't realize it but i mean who eats not enough of us eat oily fish it's such a i love it i love it love it so do you love a walnut as well then love a walnut yeah strong i also love blue cheese i love all the yeah anything that gives me a kick in the face i love it yeah um okay this is

39:33Georgia Dayton: interesting because this is definitely something that i can relate to how to find a balance when grandparents feed only upfs as a main food and snacks how often are you at your grandparents well I mean great amazing you've got grandparents that can help um this is where you've got to manage your relationship with your in-laws or your parents um I would argue that there are there's again a hierarchy of upf snack you know some things are not the end of the world like baby bells but it really isn't great if you're just feeding a jelly every day that's pumped full of red food dye and things that we know probably aren't great for the kids and what snacks what about the sugar content and then you wonder why the behavior is a bit off the wall today so you kind of have to just sit down and have a conversation and say I'd prefer if you know instead of buying these crisps you could try these ones and you just have to send them the links themselves and all buy it for them on the day um it's isn't it funny how motive it's not funny it's just shocking really how food can cause such oh yeah anger and the internet's got like these corners and camps and god i can't bear it's like streams and it's really hard to navigate and i feel everyone has a feeling about food but really you've got to find what works for you i I think it's triggering for a lot of people.

41:00Georgia Dayton: It's really triggering because it's, you could say to somebody on a good day, like, you know, really your kids shouldn't be having that. And they'd be like, yeah, you know what, you're right. But you could say to that same person on a bad day, really your kids should be, and they could be like, well, you don't know what I've been up to. I haven't got time or whatever. Like, I do, I think some people just don't, I don't know. It's just, it's a difficult, food is such a difficult one. And a place of judgment. Oh, yeah. That's what's so interesting. Like, people will probably think, oh, she's a nutritionist.

41:33There's a preconceived judgment. You know, I just give my kids salad bags probably. I don't know. Whatever it will be. You know, my kids have ice lollies in the holiday just as much as yours. But it's almost like we have to get over that level. And as a parent, you have responsibility for your child. It's up to you to say no. And that's something I am quite a firm believer on is that you can say in our house, we do it like this. when I go to the grandparents house it might be a bit like this but we know that that's okay sometimes it's like a sometimes food rather than an everyday food if your grandparent is doing everyday childcare you do need to have that conversation because it's up to you as a parent to put your child's nutrition first and foremost and the grandparents have a very different education and view of food than what you know now 30 years later.

42:18By the way two things when I chat to you and I know I speak for George here as well I don't look at you and judge you I look at you and be completely inspired by you and what you've done and the way the relationship and the way you speak it's just it blows us away so anyone that's judging you they're just jealous I was going to say it you know I was there with my bag of skittles last night in pregnancy just picking the red and purple out because I felt so sick so just so you know we all get those days it's just really educational I wish that it had been around a lot earlier I guess but also I think like you said George managing that relationship between whether it's you know when when the kids go to friends houses or when they spend time with their grandparents you know it's like it's like death and sex and food they're really difficult subjects to have discussions around but it shouldn't be weird why should we as parents be judged for wanting our kids to eat well yeah i know there's such a lack of understanding like i was looking at a headline this morning that said um babies that are exposed to a lot of sugar under the age of one are more likely to get dementia yeah i'm thinking well excuse my french no shit sherlock like it's not good to give under one year olds a load of sugar but so many people just look at food as a very nonchalant part of the day like it's not a big deal and actually you can really improve an outcome for us for an under one yeah but i don't think it's it is seen in such a strange way and if you try and say something about it you there is an element of judgment it's a very odd world parenting is a very bizarre world Yeah, it is no.

43:44Georgia Dayton: Let's just keep doing what we're doing. I think we've already got time for one more, George. Yeah, what should we do? There's one here like protein breakfast for kids who have egg allergies. Or should we do the six-year-old only eats chicken, ham, eggs, cheese, bread? Is that cute? Let's just send that in. Rice, pasta, wheat, a bit, zero fruit and veg tips. Which one should we do? Let's do that one. Yeah, that's nice. Six-year-old only eats chicken, ham, eggs, cheese, bread, rice, pasta, wheat, a bit, zero fruit or veg. Have you got any tips? You would be surprised how much nutrition they're getting from rice.

44:16Georgia Dayton: I was looking at that list. Like eggs, cheese. Rice. Yes, it all sounds good. But the fruit or veg thing is a bit of a thing. It's ran down our face. The rice and the fiber and all that. The fiber discussion's strong there. Also, the lack of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. But you're getting a lot of the mineral side with iron, choline. Weetabix is fortified as a cereal. Thank goodness. Because it's got iron and then it's got zinc and it's got all these little things that your child will then get the thing that I really want to flag is the red and processed meat conversation just purely because it is now technically a class one carcinogen shit yeah it's in the same category as alcohol and smoking as a food but I say that loosely because it depends how much you have but if your child is having red and processed meat particularly I have an issue in this country with ham sandwiches in general I don't know why it's the only thing that's offered on schools i know i know but i just want to put it out there i know because i'd rather them say well let's make a turkey sandwich or slices of some chicken or something else just because yeah it's links to bowel cancer and we've never had higher rates of bowel cancer in this country before in a younger generation so it's a concern um and and that's the only thing i want to flag is red and processed meats we have to reduce our intake of them what about the posh ham at the supermarket even that you need to reduce your intake I would opt for other cuts of meats and different things you know so I keep seeing this thing go around on Instagram which is not always the best place for food education um but people roast a gammon and then slice it up is that better or is that the same because that's yeah that okay I'm glad you said that because I was like you can also buy technically back brands of break bacon that say they're nitrate free you know and all this sort of thing but I think we just have a fundamental lack of diversity with different cuts of protein that we go to and if we focus on the positive of let's just try the turkey slice or the chicken sausages or other things every now and again yeah even and this is very controversial what I'm about to say if you've got a child that will only eat like a pork sausage you could try like a beyond meat or something that is technically a UPF but that is not a carcinogen and that might taste exactly the same as the pork sausage and even having that once a week is a better replacement in a study that came out in 2025 february or january i remember putting it in the unprocessed plate book that said if you have the meat mimics it's better for your health long term than the pork sausage can you believe it wow jesus christ that's really interesting because and i'm not saying everyone should eat these mimic products all the time i'd rather everyone have more beans and pulses i mean we need to double our intake of beans by 2028 so bloody love beans you know i mean like not not hinds beans but that's still fine i'd rather you have hinds beans than than have the pork sausage really yeah really yes okay do you know what i think the whole beans thing i have this conversation with my mom because she like she's like oh what all these beans and grains and stuff that you eat like and i'm like but if you just add them to things you're eating anyway like i'd always make a chili like every week now i just put two types of beans in the chili and the kids don't as opposed to what meat no i use the meat as well but i'm adding two types of beans as well and so i'm taking anything away but i've just added like a different like they've got the kidney beans and then maybe like those little black beans as well or just something else and then they've just had their they've just had beans that's the biggest hack that you could if anyone listens to this podcast today it's like you I gave I gave the girls both a copy of the fiber formula because it's just if you get more beans in your diet you are feeding the gut bugs you're getting the fiber the resistant starch you're getting the protein like it's also the most affordable source of protein right now in a cost-of-living crisis we've got to move back towards what used to be called peasant food and actually there's nothing wrong with a jar or a can of beans the only difference in the can is that it might have an added preservative in a can but you can rinse that off and it will come off and if you go for the jars there's lots of competitive brands now so the cost is coming down yeah the bold beans and then m &s versions and all sorts of controversy in this space right now but you know you can blitz up butter beans into a cheese sauce but they don't know or like if you i use the microwave rice is that okay yeah it can sound overwhelming i use those microwave rice pouches like the mixed grains but and then I do and then I've got another one which has just got like lentils and beans and then I just mix them together so if they're having rice I just mix it with that and I mean you know Gigi's something will be like why is that in there some days and other days she just eats it but it's just like that and I just never do you know what I'd like a little snack hack if anyone's kids is open to this kind of stuff but if they love roast potatoes love roast butter beans olive oil lashes of it pinch of salt in the oven maybe 15 20 minutes they look like mini roast potatoes i had parmesan as well and it's so good like cheesy and then after school that's an after school snack i sometimes do if i have time takes no time at all you just open a can rinse it with water put it on the tray oil salt in the oven done and then grate some cheese on grate some cheese and sometimes if i have time i've got a can of sweet corn i put the sweet corn on the tray with the cheese and the beans and then it melts like this delicious and the kids love it that it's like a kind of frittata yeah delicious snack like cheesy oh i might make that when i get back i'm absolutely starving um rihanna we need to say goodbye to you oh but tell us again when the book's out what it's called yes so you can pre-order now ready set cook ready set cook i mean i thought what a fun thing and it's definitely something to get children into food it's going to teach your kids about them realizing they're learning about the joy of food and nourishing nutrition there's 30 easy recipes and the book is coming to us all in january We had a love, everyone.

50:14Thank you so much.

50:43Discover the point at rothys.com and learn why this timeless shoe is so special. That's R-O-T-H-Y-S dot com. Who says Halloween only lasts one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home. From larger-than-life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house, Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic all in one place. Because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night. They're made all season long. Shop Halloween decor now at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Nothing beats a good catch-up with your nearest and dearest.

51:22And that's what we do on Life with Nat. I'm Natalie Cassidy and on my podcast, I'm joined by the people who make my life brilliantly chaotic. There's my fiancé Mark, my brother Tony, my sister-in-law Aunty Linny, and my nieces Ellsbells and Roro. One minute we're laughing, the next we're putting the world to rights. Join the family and listen to Life with Nat every Monday and Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.