To believe we've forgotten how to eat healthily

[Yoruba]

I'm so completely fed up of the school serving up so much rubbish, with seemingly no understanding that its unhealthy. It is really really hard to find good evidenced advice about healthy eating for children. There seem to be contradictory reports coming out all the time, and I say that as someone who is really interested in this subject so it must be harder if you don't.

The school meals are utter rubbish. They have a sugary rubbishy pudding every day, sweets at every possible occasion and now they have seen fit to start selling ice creams after school to raise money.
Im not even THAT strict I don't think, I'm happy for her to have these foods but evidence shows that eating them regularly alters your taste buds and makes you crave them more. I think they should be occasional foods we eat as PART of a healthy diet, not every day.

But at the moment I'm feeling like a lone voice and I hate dd feeling like she's missing out in not having what her friends are. I don't want these things to be "forbidden" objects of desire.

It just seems as though there is very little knowledge now of what is actually healthy for children.

[Laquitar]

The pudding pisses me off because i was not brought up with pudding habit and i dont see the need for it. I dont mind cakes etc occasionally but i dont want them to be a 'must'.

[AnyoneForTennis]

Oh I dunno... There seems to be a culture of 'treating' children. I think we all know that daily ice cream is rubbish, but the little darlings deserve a treat.... And the school/PTA need funds!

[AnyoneForTennis]

And 'cake sales' are every other day it seems!

Snacking..... I think that doesn't help. As a child of the seventies I don't remember ever snacking

[DogCalledRudis]

After horse meat lasagna, ice cream is hardly unhealthy.

I'm actually not believe in all this anti-sugar hype when we're being pushed more and more into accepting GM

[MrsWinnibago]

My DDs don't have school lunch as it's shit...but today they did as I had not been shopping. They got ONE waffle and two fishfingers each! Apart from that being shit food, ONE waffle!?? Some of the year 6 kids...girls and boys are over 5 foot and could easily eat three of them!

[Yoruba]

Phew. I thought I was going to be flamed :)

Definely agree with "treating" culture. My lovely usually v sensible mil bought them 2 enormous Easter eggs each plus 3 bags of sweets. They're 4&1 FFS.

Why do we even need to provide these things as treats? I am looked on as some kind of militant if I suggest it though...

[AnyoneForTennis]

dog I think horse meat might be healthier than ice cream!

[glasgowstevenagain]

Food is not a treat

[Yoruba]

No you're completely right Glasgow. And it's the attitude that it is which causes weight problems I think.

[WorraLiberty]

When I was growing up in the 70s, we only had a dessert for special occasions like Christmas/Easter/Birthdays or if someone came to dinner.

We had a dessert with school dinners every day though and it was the only part of the dinner I normally liked (no choices like there is now days)

I don't think there's anything wrong with it as part of a light midday lunch really.

I also don't see what's wrong with the fundraisers selling ice-creams or cakes. Kids have to learn that no means no, no matter what their friends are having.

[Notcontent]

I completely agree. Of course it's fine to have a bit of sugar and salt, etc. But many children (and adults) have lots of crap with every meal.

[WorraLiberty]

Chocolate/sweets/ice-cream are all foods but they are an unnecessary part of our diet...and therefore very much a treat.

Start thinking of them as anything other than a treat and that's when you're likely to have a problem on your hands.

I don't treat myself to breakfast, lunch or dinner but I do treat myself to a bar of chocolate or an ice-cream.

[Notcontent]

And by the way, you always get some people saying "oh, but children need the extra calories, carbs, etc". Actually, they don't - that's why so many are overweight.

[Yoruba]

But worra how many people have some strawberries as a treat or a smoothie?
Treat puts a positive emphasis on the thing, it makes it something we really want. We almost exclusively use that for unhealthy food, as you did in your example. I don't think that's a great attitude to have. A punnet of cherries is just as pleasing as a chocolate bar IMO.

And yes, notcontent I think the problem is that people think "oh a bit is ok" but don't realise that everyday is a lot more than "a bit" !!

[BlackeyedSusan]

cherries are bloody expensive. definitely come under treat food!

(ignores point of thread)

[Laquitar]

Same here CorusKate.

[WorraLiberty]

Fruit is a necessary part of our every day diet so definitely not a treat.

A punnet of cherries is just as pleasing as a chocolate bar IMO

Not if you really fancy a chocolate bar at that moment in time

I keep banging on about this but honestly everything in moderation is the way to go.

It doesn't matter if you have a bar of chocolate or an ice-cream now and then...as long as your diet and exercise is right on a day to day basis.

[WorraLiberty]

And as others have said, some fruits are very expensive and don't go far between a family of say 4 people.

Therefore to me, cherries/strawberries and a few other fruits are actually a treat...whereas apples/bananas/pears/oranges are more or less and everyday staple.

[Laquitar]

Sovery
your post remind me of a thread long time ago. The OP was going to a wedding with a toddler and asked how to keep him quite in the church. Posters started suggesting raisins and breadsticks and mini sandwitches and hummus! In the church.

[WorraLiberty]

Yes that's something I've only seen on Mumsnet to be honest

Using the TV as a babysitter is frowned upon but using food to keep them 'occupied/quiet' seems to be suggested frequently.

Way to teach them comfort/emotional eating from a very early age...

[redshifter]

WTF is unhealthy about horse meat?

MN just keeps getting crazier

[Fortheloveofralph]

School puddings are all gluten and white wheat and sugar