FAQs

Why was the Neat Eats Bib Invented?

Frustration

Quality bibs and the impact of stress at mealtimes is not taken seriously enough.

There were no decent bibs on the market to help with lap mess, most food ended up in our babie's lap and it was incredibly frustrating to have to clean legs, the seat area and clothes after every meal - not to mention the food wasted in that area.

Bibs seem to be becoming smaller and smaller, shorter in length and poorer in quality. 

Plastics

Most Bibs on the market are made of either complete plastic, such as silicone and/or laminated wipe-able plastics.

These Plastics do not biodegrade, and studies are showing more and more clearly that those in our food supply are impacting our endocrine system, so using bucket bibs where a baby eats from the silicone plastic was not an option for our family.

We wanted to have something that was 100% natural fibers, that would biodegrade if we wished to dispose of it.

Babies also get hot and annoyed in plastic, especially smocks. We did not need a hot and annoyed baby at mealtimes! It's a tough time as it is. We wanted babies to be able to be comfortable and to regulate their own body temperature. 

Cost

Plastic products also have a shorter life span, in that the plastic slowly leaches and degrades - absorbing smells, colours, changes shape. So, they are impossible to re-use for the next baby, or gift on to someone else. They contribute to landfill.

Buying 4-10 bibs over a baby/toddler's early life at $10-30 each did not make sense, for something that also ended up as landfill. A product that is multi-purpose and can grow with your baby or be used with the next one will save you hundreds of dollars in the longer term.

What is an Eco-Dietitian?

All health professionals have their own personal bias and ours happens to be trying to help support people reach health, budget and planet goals simultaneously. Here are some examples of our bias in our products, articles and services that you may see.

Our food selection bias is for:

  1. No single serve packaging,
  2. Buying wholefoods in bulk and local in season produce.
  3. Minimally processed foods.
  4. Homemade where life/work/time budget permits.
  5. No fad foods that induce negative agricultural/planet impacts.

Our health advise during our consultations is around:

  1. Values as above for food selection.
  2. Plant based with animal protein that supports client preferences.  
  3. No/minimal synthetic supplementation.
  4. Development of cooking life skills.
  5. Time saving/balanced practical advise.
  6. Managing expectations and trying to implement long term changes. 

Our lifestyle advise includes a focus on:

  1. Minimising screen/socials times.
  2. Ensuring kids/adults meet activity needs for longevity, regardless of abilities.
  3. Plenty of sleep and sleep routines.
  4. In person social connections and community engagements.

Why are bee's a feature of your books?

Bee's are vital to our food supply, with it estimated that over 1/3rd of our daily consumption requiring a bee to help pollinate it so it would grow.  In Australia, we were until recently free from diseases, but recently the Veroma Mite has now spread and impacted many hives across the East Coast of Australia. This mite has already had devastating affects in America and China. Bee's are affected by pesticides also and in some parts of China, they have to hand pollinate their crops as they have no bee's or other pollinating insects left.

The bee represents something significant. It is not just another bug that annoys us and we want to kill.  By telling its story, we hope that it helps our next generation be more connected with nature and their food supply and start to protect these precious parts of our eco system.

We reached out to Achim Steiner, a great advocate of the protection of bees, to quote him.  In his words:

“The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century……The fact is that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.”
- Achim Steiner, Executive Director UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 2006-2016.

Where can I find the names of the vegetables missing from the "Beautiful Yummy Food - Vegetables" book?

 

If you are lucky enough to already have bought a book, please join our mailing list to get the names of vegetables not listed in the Vegetables book.!

The "Feeding Growing Humans Beautiful Yummy Food - Vegetables" book has a lot of pictures that you may need some help with. In the book, we ask you to do some of your own research. But here, we will add in some help.

The pages that ask you to name the varieties are:

  • Tomato
  • Potato
  • Mushrooms
  • Asian Greens

You have a go at naming the varieties in the pictures and we will send out names in our newsletters. Share your pictures with names with us and you may get a $10 discount code for your next online order.