Treats that don't require much sugar?

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b190, Jan 8, 9:16pm
Is there such a thing! lol I've been invited to a 'lunch' with some people and kids, and I've been asked to bring some treat snacks. I was going to make biscuit truffles and my famous chocolate chip bikkies (and take some sausage rolls along) but now the Hostess says that her daughter gets really hyper and naughty when she has sugar! Eeeeek! I don't have anything else up my sleeve! Any ideas! TIA.

cookessentials, Jan 8, 9:29pm
What about something savoury! like cheese scones or muffins, savoury pinwheels, sausage rolls or mini quiche perhaps!

rainrain1, Jan 8, 9:41pm
fruit kebabs served with a yogurt dip mixed with that spray can cream topping maybe.
you colour your dip with food colouring, thechoice is endless

elliehen, Jan 8, 9:44pm
I'd take an attractiveplatter of vegetable sticks with a dip (for kids, maybe a mix of mayo and tomato sauce).Capsicum, carrot etc, and some potato crisps too.

I used to take that to children's parties and they often went for that in preference to the sweet stuff.

buzzy110, Jan 8, 10:01pm
Marinated mussels
Boiled eggs - Stuffed eggs
Crackers with a selection of maybe hummus and cheeses
Pickled onions and cheese squares on a toothpick stuck into an orange (I'd put my embarrassed face here if I knew how)
Sushi

ant_sonja, Jan 8, 10:06pm
Chicken kebabs with a sweet & sour dipping sauce, or chicken nibbles, Mini Pizza's, ham, cheese & pineapple on toothpicks.

pickles7, Jan 8, 10:24pm
I would take my child out to lunch somewhere else.

sarahb5, Jan 8, 10:27pm
There was a programme on TV last year that showed the sugar/hyper/naughtiness thing was actually a myth - they gave a group of kids a sugar overload and others had no sugar and there was no difference.It was kind of like a self-perpetuating thing - we expect them to get hyper on sugar so we almost make them hyper ourselves.They explained it better than that - more scientific.For my own children it was actually colourings and artificial additives that affected their behaviour, naturally occurring sugar in fruit and even sugar added to cereals, etc. had no affect whatsoever.

Anyway, in order to keep the peace I'd probably just take some plain popcorn, veggie sticks and dips - salsa is good, so's guacamole - and maybe some fruit kebabs.

vmax2, Jan 8, 10:28pm
I do this all the time.Haven't had sugar for a year or so.How about nuts and raisins, nice cheese.Yoghurt dip with garlic, parsley, chives, salt, pepper and lemon juice - dunk veges in it - cucumber, carrots, radish, celery, apples.Fruit platter.

buzzy110, Jan 8, 10:32pm
Perhaps it was just an excuse. People get upset when you tell them that you would prefer to keep your child as sugar free as possible for health reasons, so it is easier to say the child has a bad reaction to sugar. I applaud the mother of the child for trying to change the practices and attitudes of others, even if she does have to use such subversive methods. There is no harm in learning that every childhood event doesn't have to involve sugar and leading on from that, that every adult event does not require alcohol.

sarahb5, Jan 8, 11:10pm
That's true but where do you draw the line!Do you stop fruit because of the fructose!Milk because of the lactose!Isn't it better to try and understand what the real "enemy" is!I mean, you could eliminate sugar in processed form (ie. cakes, biscuits, lollies, etc) but still get the same issues if you allow Twisties or Cheezels for example.

vmax2, Jan 8, 11:17pm
Each to their own sarahb5.But when in Rome do as the Romans do.Yes some people react to fruit in fructose but find berries better.Some people react to lactose but can tolerate yoghurt.There are a lot of food allergies around these days, hopefully people's attitude to allergies is becoming more supportive rather than judgmental.

pickles7, Jan 8, 11:29pm
Hostess says that her daughter gets really hyper and naughty when she has sugar! Eeeeek! I don't have anything else up my sleeve! Any ideas! TIA.[/quote]

I would be offended. Do you feed your children sugar for lunch!
I very much doubt it.
Don't go there for lunch, it is that easy.

b190, Jan 8, 11:36pm
Some great ideas here thanks:) She's my sister in law and a lovely person but yes her daughter can be a handful! I don't know if it's due to food (she also says that she plays up when she has popcorn.) lol Anyway, thanks again:)

elliehen, Jan 8, 11:37pm
Common sense must prevail, or everyone invited out to lunch will soon be carrying along their own brown bags.

Surely the parent of a child with allergies (or simple likes and dislikes) is the one who supervises their eating at a communal meal without banning everyone else there from anything that might be a problem food.

vmax2, Jan 8, 11:48pm
Depends on the age of the child.My miss 10 understands what she can and can't have.When it is her birthday I do food that she can tolerate but last year she also asked me to do a platter of fruit for her friends.Fruit for her is sometimes tolerated.If my child was much younger I think I'd be asking other parents to help out to keep the food safe.I continually have to take our own food whever I go because others don't provide what she needs or understand it very well.

sarahb5, Jan 9, 12:17am
I couldn't find the reference to the actual programme I watched last year about it but there is some interesting stuff here:http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/2010/08/think-sugar-causes-hyperactivity-in-children-its-probably-this-instead/

And yes my children did react to additives and colouring, etc. which is why I did my best to eliminate processed foods and have them eat a more basic/natural diet so yes they had biscuits but I made them at home so I knew what was in them, they had popcorn popped at home, they didn't have fishfingers or chicken nuggets but I made my own version, etc.That's what I meant about not eliminating such a diverse ingredient as sugar because generally that is not the bad guy we have all been led to believe it is.I saw a drastic improvement in my son's behaviour when he had a more basic diet.They're older now but those over-processed foods are still a rarity in our house.

buzzy110, Jan 9, 12:49am
I think that is over-thinking the issue.

buzzy110, Jan 9, 12:51am
Lol vimax. I take along food for myself at informal gatherings as well. Even when we are dropping by for a coffee or something, I take food just in case.

buzzy110, Jan 9, 12:57am
Sugar carries several other negatives, other than mythical hyperactivity. There is also the problem of obesity, developing a strong preference to sugary foods over more healthy alternatives and last but not least, rotten teeth. Small quantities of sugar is never really an issue and the occasional sugar blowout at Easter, birthdays and other special events, is also not an issue for those who can tolerate sugar well. What is probably at issue is when sugary foods are the mainstay at every casual, or otherwise, social gathering. That is just my opinion. I still admire that the OP is good naturedly trying to fit in with her hosts wishes and that her host is prepared to set some dietary ground rules for her child. There is no harm in that.

charlieb2, Jan 9, 1:15am
Hi sarahb. I saw that programme too.I have a feeling it may have been Robert Winston programme (not sure if Child of our Times or a different one)

sarahb5, Jan 9, 1:21am
Everything in moderation buzzy - I felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall when my kids were young trying to explain that actually a simpler, plainer diet most of the time was working better on "behavioural issues" (for want of a better expression) than trying to exclude sugar which is in pretty much everything that you buy ready made/processed, as well as the colourings.I didn't not exclude sugar because it was too hard and nor did I overload them with it but it's not necessarily the root of all evil a lot of people think it is.Out of my 3 kids (now 20, 17 and 14) I only have one with any fillings and none of them are overweight, obese or anywhere near it - very fit, very active and generally very healthy (accidents excluded this week!)

vmax2, Jan 9, 1:34am
This makes for interesting reading about sugar. http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/

richard198, Jan 9, 1:43am
Pork scratchings! (zero sugar!)

hestia, Jan 9, 3:32am
I think that this is correct.