My dd came home yesterday and told me she'd been taught that the egg yolk is the "unhealthy" part of the egg.

[merrygoround]

I have visions of her asking for her poached egg to be without its yolk, or an egg white omelette for breakfast. What's the best way to take this up with the school? I don't mind them teaching children that crisps or sweets are "unhealthY" even though personally I think it is better to teach that there are no unhealthy foods, only unhealthy diets.

[Habbibu]

Less healthy would surely have been better - but if they're saying that because it contains fat, that's bonkers anyway - we need a certain amount of fat in our diets. Totally agree on the diets, not food approach. Maybe just clarify with the school what was actually said?

[morningpaper]

O
M
G

Sorry but

O
M
G

Are there really obese children wobbling around the streets scoffing boiled eggs?

FGS

[morningpaper]

Absolutely RR

[sockadoodledo]

Seriously!?
Show them this -

"As you can see from the table, the yolk contains 100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient.

The yolk contains more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid (9 items). The white does not contain more than 90% of any nutrient, but contains over 80% of the magnesium, sodium, and niacin (3 items).

The yolk contains between 50% and 80% of the copper, manganese, and selenium, while the white contains between 50% and 80% of the potassium, riboflavin, and protein.

It should also be kept in mind that the yolk of an egg is smaller than the white. Where the white contains a slim majority of nutrients, such as protein, this is not due to a greater concentration in the white, but simply to the fact that there is more white in the egg than yolk."

[Habbibu]

Ooh - that's good, sock. Where is it from?

[merrygoround]

I spent a few hours checking on the internet just in case the latest guidance was anti-eggs, but it seems even the British Heart Foundation gives its blessing to them. There was a time some years ago when eggs were out of favour because of cholesterol content, but that is not the current thinking. I think it would be wise, as suggested, to find out exactly what was said before I go any further with this.

[AitchwonderswhoFruitCrumbleis]

my 3 year old told me off for not recycling a bit of packaging the other day (thanks to a very local quirk of planning we don't actually have a recycling bin or any facility to do it, other than taking it in the car and i CAN'T BE ARSED). i nearly got into a conversation with her about the 40 chinese power plants slated to come online this year so that she can parrit it back to the nursery.

plus she keeps telling me about healthy and unhealthy foods as well. cake is unhealthy, fgs. home-made sodding birthday cake.

[AitchwonderswhoFruitCrumbleis]

parrot

[Goblinchild]

'I have real issues with Healthy Eating Schools policies.

They are teaching some utter rubbish. This is a good example I think.'

Agreed!
Balanced diet, varied intake, eat a rainbow a day, limit your scoffing of 'treat foods' walk and exercise more.
Shouldn't be more complicated than that in Primary I think.

[cory]

We seem to have suffered relatively little from this; haven't had anything stupid relayed back to me in 9 years (or maybe dcs are just managing my blood pressure, all in the interests of healthy living ).

The egg yolk thing is really totally OTT.

Have spent the summer in the company of a father who is obsessed with cholesterol and a mother who sneaks cream into every dish she serves to the rest of us as a silent protest: very hard to keep a level head (or a flat stomach) under those conditions.

Am very thankful this mutual obsessiveness had not started when I was a child or I reckon I would have had food issues.

[sockadoodledo]

Habbibu - its from here Not an overly scientific page but the nutritional data used looks right to me, its taken from the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, which has since been updated but is creditable.

[SolidGoldBrass]

I think it's very important to correct schools when they are talking crap. 'supporting the school' is all very well but not when they are peddling damaging nonsense to DC.
It's also good for DC to see that it's good to challenge authority when authority is full of shit, and you should model the best way of doing it.

[merrygoround]

What do you think IS the best way of challeging the school on this? Personally I would ask for the evidence the teacher used to inform her lesson so that I can check it myself. Should I just spk to the class teacher first, or put my question in writing?

[AitchwonderswhoFruitCrumbleis]

yy, i always respected that about my folks when i was a kid. they kept well out of scraps and normal kiddie daftnesses, but taught us if we were uncomfortable with something to speak up and that we would have their backing. (i particularly remember a teacher of my brothers who was prone to making 'careless' racist remarks).
and if the school sent out literature that was factually incorrect they'd make time to speak to the teacher or head.

[AitchwonderswhoFruitCrumbleis]

i'd ask about teh language that they're using to describe foods, merry. that's the most pernicious thing, it seems to me. food, for the most part, is health-giving. just some more efficiently than others, and therefore it's about balance.