To take DD 5 to McDonald's every other weekend?

Yes they are in the UK.

Ingredients: Potatoes, Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed), Dextrose (predominantly added at beginning of the potato season).
Prepared in the restaurants using a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Salt is added after cooking.

They are GF in the UK.

No, they are not gluten free

Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Taste [Wheat and Milk Derivatives] , Citric Acid [Preservative], Dextrose, Salt Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt.

Yes they are(in the UK)

It’s just potatoes and vegetable oil, right? a small portion once a fortnight. I think this is totally fine as part of a balanced diet.

if you feel bad maybe cut the ice cream/juice and have an actual orange or other fruit after the chips. I think they sell carrots too….!

Oh the joy thieves are out in force, I see.

An ice cream and small portion of fries twice a month is a hell of a lot better than the beige crap some people "cook" for their kids at home more than once a week and call dinner.

And now I am hungry for a QP with cheese!

Nope they’re not GF

Your friend's children will likely binge on junk food as soon as they get the chance. Everything in moderation is my motto. Ignore her.

I used to take my DD and her friend to swimming lessons every Friday after school and afterwards i took them for a McDonalds. It did them no harm and they are both healthy 27 year olds who have not developed any weird food issues. It is fine.

Mine usually had an evening meal after swimming but thats because we went swimming in the early evening. Yes they’d eat everything on that list ( except the meat )

I posted the snack list for OP though because she’s looking for a snack not a main meal.

I would not make it recurring. I do think habits are created early in life.

By all means take it sometimes but offer other choices, alternatives other times.

my daughter has a friend that loves Mac Donalds and have very bad eating habits, quite fussy one.

Depends how it’s sold to your DC.
If it’s a ‘treat’, then I think it’s wrong. Kids long for treats, and you’re setting up an unhealthy mindset with McDonalds.
If it’s a ‘needs must’, then you barely getaway with it (for me - JUST an opinion).

McDonalds is NOT a treat. It’s awful - salt, sugar, all things bad. Don’t make this an aspirational thing for your kids.

I don’t like Mc Donalds but don’t denny the kids if they sometimes want to buy food there.

I just don’t make it a recurring thing; so many other choices out there but I guess is cheap.

I ate plenty of not healthy stuff growing up; you have to go through each stage in your life.

Ignore your friend! I took mine for a happy meal twice this week after not having been for months. We had a lovely time.

I do get what you're saying in a way but...

If a parent merely labelling something as a treat was all it took to make the child agree, all kids would be addicted to vegetables and other healthy foods.

"Here Chloe, I've treated you to a bowl of peas and carrots". "Oh wow mummy thank you!"

If only! 🤣🤣

Tell your friend to bog off - none of her business what you feed your kid.

And FFS - you are going twice a month - not twice a day - it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things - your kid likes it after swimming do it’s a treat for her. It’s a McDonald’s - not blooming crack cocaine you’re giving her.

some people really do overreact to things and you have to ignore that batshittery.,

yes - healthy eating is important but that doesn’t
mean that every single meal has to be a perfectly balanced nutritional, organic masterpiece.

it’s about balance over the week and I’m sure the rest of the week she’s having fruit and veg and lean protein etc etc - it all balances out.

tell your friend to take a hike and please don’t worry about feeding your kid the occasional Mc Donald’s - it really is not going to do any harm in the great scheme of things and probably helps them to understand that some foods are daily events (fruit and veg) and some are eaten less frequently and are not staples but occasional treats.

You lot sound like old-fashioned spies 😅

Exactly. Food is food.

So you’re giving them an association with processed meat instead on a fry up? Rather than processed meat on a burger

I don't find them 'luscious' until closer to summer, my DD certainly moans about the strawberries over the last few months. I say wait a bit til the British ones are out 😂

Exactly
I don’t like steak so it wouldn’t be much of a treat for me
i might have a Starbucks as a treat or mango… depends how I feel on the day

Personally wouldn't want to help support a business like McDonald's and don't want my kids associating happy memories with the place and it's food. We do go to our local cafffff after swimming-- for a fry-up (the kids) and chips and salad (me) and we love it! We are helping them build patterns and associations, so I try to be mindful of their future choices.

What if the strawberries are not luscious?

Of course it’s fine, no food is bad if it’s all balanced. People need to get out of this ridiculous mentality of demonising food and projecting their issues onto others.