Recently, as a family, we watched a documentary that’s currently aired on ABC iView – for free.  It made such an impact on my daughter that she wants to set a challenge to eat no processed food for 30 days. As a mum, I couldn’t be prouder, but it highlights how impactful learning this information was for her.

It’s hosted by Dr Chris Van Tulleken from Operation Ouch.  You may have heard of him through your kids watching his show.  My kids love Operation Ouch so the fact Dr Chis is the host was a real drawcard for them.

At the start of the show, Dr Chris has a brain scan.   He then eats a highly-processed diet for a month and has another brain scan four weeks later to see what, if any, impact 4 weeks of eating a highly-processed diet has had.  It was found that:

🤯   He put on weight
🤯   He wasn’t sleeping well and
🤯   He felt like total rubbish
🤯   And the brain scan showed a dramatic amount of damage to his brain.

He then goes back to eating healthy, loses nearly all of the 6.5kg he put on and has another scan four weeks later.  Shockingly, the damage to his brain has not reversed meaning he could have damaged his brain for the REST OF HIS LIFE!

Let’s just let that sink in for a moment, a month of highly-processed food has had the potential to create irreversible damage to his brain…

This is the effect on an adult’s brain, it scares me to think of the significant damage this could be doing to a child’s brain!  Especially given eating processed foods can be a part of everyday life.

Ingredients such as MSG (Monosodium Glutamates) are highly addictive and it’s something we’ve taught and talked about for the past 7 years.  Unfortunately, though it’s a hidden little ingredient and will be hard to notice.

In our course, Additive-Free Made Easy, we talk about how MSG literally changes a persons brain receptors. It is an excitotoxin that changes a person’s taste buds and is a major reason why children are so fussy these days.



When you eat foods that are chemically enhanced in flavour, it’s all the body wants. IT CHANGES THE WIRING OF THE BRAIN.

Companies use different names for glutamates such as yeast extract, hydrolysed vegetable protein or even ‘flavours’ can contain a certain percentage. 

Glutamates can now be found in baby food and if it’s under 5% of the total product it’ll fall in the 5% loophole and doesn’t need to be listed on the ingredients label at all!

Does this scare you as much as it does me?

The average child goes to school with some type of flavour enhancer (glutamate) in their lunchbox every single day.  I know because I’ve worked in schools.

👉🏻   Shapes
👉🏻   Fun size Samboys
👉🏻   Flavoured Sakata’s
👉🏻   Pringles
👉🏻   Flavoured Popcorn
👉🏻   Vegemite
👉🏻   plus thousands of other products

They are highly addictive and heavily processed.

MSG is linked to:
❌  Brain fog
❌  Lack of concentration
❌  Restless legs
❌  ‘Growing pain’ like symptoms
❌  Headaches
❌  Migraines
❌  Irritability
❌  Abdominal discomfort
❌  Gas
❌  Emotional meltdowns
❌  Insomnia
❌  Bad dreams
… and more

Over the years we’ve been told we’re so busy and been marketed to in a way to just buy the quick and convenient option.

🛒  Buy that supermarket BBQ chicken because we’re too busy to make our own.  Meanwhile, it’s PACKED with glutamates.
🛒  Buy the instant gravy because we’re too busy to make our own.  Meanwhile, that’s also PACKED with glutamates.

Yes, we are all busy, but we don’t need to eat a highly-processed diet.  It comes down to prioritising what’s important to us. 

We actually do have 2 minutes to whack a chicken in the slow cooker, and we also have 2 minutes to make our own gravy.

But you know what we don’t have time for…
🙅🏼‍♀️  Restless kids
🙅🏼‍♀️  Behaviorally challenged kids
🙅🏼‍♀️  Sleepless nights
🙅🏼‍♀️  Doctors appointments
🙅🏼‍♀️  And the rewiring of our brains, let alone our childrens!!

Now I know this is long, heavy and may even be triggering for you, but it’s important.

Hopefully, you’re still with me here, hopefully, you’ll watch the show and hopefully, you’ll join us in the next round of our course so we can teach you how to live additive-free.



I PROMISE you it’s not hard or complicated.  You just have to know how.  AND once you know how, you know how FOR LIFE!

Much love,
Jo x