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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How usual is it to have Dominos once a week?

133 replies

12purplepencils · 11/08/2025 21:33

Aibu to think this isn't very healthy for a child/teenager? A medium pizza to themselves every single week without fail.

Or am I being judgy? Is this quite common and not a big deal?

I won't give my opinion unless asked but I don't think it's a great message to give to a young person that this is a good routine to carry on, surely would be better to have it fortnightly at least or a smaller pizza 🤔

OP posts:
knor · 12/08/2025 18:11

Hmmmm I think it’s very dependable on the bigger picture. Do they eat really well the rest of the week and it’s their big treat? Are they of “normal weight” and have a happy relationship with food? Is it affordable for the family?
I don’t think it’s the biggest deal but I do think some families are more into takeaways than others. Some people I know have a takeaway every Friday as a treat.
at Uni, we definitely use to eat takeaway all the time, especially dominos

knor · 12/08/2025 18:11

Hmmmm I think it’s very dependable on the bigger picture. Do they eat really well the rest of the week and it’s their big treat? Are they of “normal weight” and have a happy relationship with food? Is it affordable for the family?
I don’t think it’s the biggest deal but I do think some families are more into takeaways than others. Some people I know have a takeaway every Friday as a treat.
at Uni, we definitely use to eat takeaway all the time, especially dominos

Iwishicouldflyhigh · 12/08/2025 18:11

12purplepencils · 11/08/2025 21:33

Aibu to think this isn't very healthy for a child/teenager? A medium pizza to themselves every single week without fail.

Or am I being judgy? Is this quite common and not a big deal?

I won't give my opinion unless asked but I don't think it's a great message to give to a young person that this is a good routine to carry on, surely would be better to have it fortnightly at least or a smaller pizza 🤔

Absolutely not. Take away is a treat meal, once a month (at most).

knor · 12/08/2025 18:11

Hmmmm I think it’s very dependable on the bigger picture. Do they eat really well the rest of the week and it’s their big treat? Are they of “normal weight” and have a happy relationship with food? Is it affordable for the family?
I don’t think it’s the biggest deal but I do think some families are more into takeaways than others. Some people I know have a takeaway every Friday as a treat.
at Uni, we definitely use to eat takeaway all the time, especially dominos

Whatafustercluck · 12/08/2025 08:02

A takeaway of some description once a week is probably fairly normal, but Domino's is bloody expensive. My kids love Domino's but we don't get it that often. If you're talking about diet/ calories then my teen is also very slim and can manage a medium quite easily. If they're eating plenty of healthy food, fruit and veg, I really can't see the problem.

XWKD · 12/08/2025 07:52

It's not unusual at all. My (healthy-looking) neighbours get takeaways all the time. I never do. It's fine.

Drivingthevengabus · 12/08/2025 07:50

NoctuaAthene · 11/08/2025 23:21

I think YABU, mostly because you must have known that mentioning Dominos on here (or McDs or any other form of cheap takeaway popular with poor people) would bring out all the MN frothers and pearl clutchers ranting about less-than-zero nutritional value and 'swimming in disgusting grease' and suggesting unrealistic elaborate homemade versions such as panko-ing your own organic chicken goujons as though little Johnny will go for those over lovely processed uniformity (but then of course their darling Ptolemy and Octavia actually prefer sushi tinkly laugh ). Plus of course the whole 'wasting money' judgement that comes out regularly in any takeaway discussion...

Back in the real world I think it's quite normal for families to have a takeaway of some form once a week, maybe most people do vary it a little more than having the exact same thing every time but then again kids are fussy and might not eat a curry or Thai or whatever (or only eat chips/fried rice which is hardly more nutritionally sound). Whether it's 'healthy' is impossible to answer, no one meal is really healthy or unhealthy in isolation - depends entirely on context and the rest of the child's diet. For a child with severe SN and a very restricted diet it might be the healthiest thing they eat all week. Or it could be the child's weekly treat in an otherwise very balanced and unprocessed diet. And although I take issue with the idea there's 'no nutritional value' in pizza, there is obviously some, even if that was true there's more to food than the macros and vitamins, there's also joy and familiarity and comfort - maybe the weekly pizza is the child's comfort thing especially if they have to move between parents houses, or a bonding moment with their parent or it might be that a reliable and quick takeaway option is what gives their parent enough time and energy to get them to an activity or just to retain their own sanity, there are so many reasons for it.

Plus I think the circumstances in which offering any unasked for thoughts, however kind and gentle, about someone else's child's diet is a good idea is are so narrow as to be basically nil - I very much doubt the child will come to any long term harm from a weekly pizza even if the rest of their diet isn't great either, kids can do really well growth and development wise even on highly restricted diets that would make MNetters swoon, and if food doesn't become a battleground and source of conflict often any fussiness or limitations will improve just with time. As someone else said if you really want to help the child probably encouraging or supporting them to do more physical activity or sport might well be more beneficial and less controversial than their food?

Excellent post!!

Love all the competitive pizza people on here (can't believe it too to page 3/4 for an Ooni to get a mention 🤣).

Boredlass · 12/08/2025 07:49

It’s fine. Even ‘healthy’ food like porridge turns to sugar in your body. Every single carb does

Bananafofana · 12/08/2025 07:37

The issue is that the young person is overweight (you’ve said) and they’re conscious about their weight.

a medium vege domino’s pizza is 1600 calories (according to their online stats)

a supermarket pizza express margarita pizza is 600 calories (according to my freezer stash)

swapping out the dominos pizza for a supermarket pizza or a home cooked meal would “save” 1000 calories a pop. Swapping that out and doing nothing else (and if everything else remained the same) would result in a slow weight loss of 1 pound a month. (Obviously the science isn’t exact for a growing 12 year old).

Radiatorvalves · 12/08/2025 07:36

My boys (18&20 and thin and sporty) like a dominos occasionally. I think it’s vile - hate deep pan gloppy pizza. We use a pizza oven (ooni basic) and the boys love it. DS has invited his mates round for a pizza party. A heck of a lot cheaper and better for them. More fun too.

PersephonePomegranate · 12/08/2025 07:32

He is overweight and sometimes worries about it

Then it's too much.

Just knocking the pizza on the head would make a difference. One medium pizza is around 2000 calories.

Isxmasoveryet · 12/08/2025 07:32

We grew up with chippy tea every Friday long as diet is fine rest of time I don't see the issue other then dominos is way to expensive think last i had one was last xmas

DaisyChain505 · 12/08/2025 07:27

CerealForDinnerAgain · 11/08/2025 22:11

I’m surprised that people are saying it’s expensive. Here in the US Dominos is $6.99 for any size pizza. That’s cheaper than many other fast-food options.

A large pizza is £25 here. Given that there are plenty of other brand pizza chains that do them a lot cheaper it’s a big price jump.

WalKat · 11/08/2025 23:35

I eat a lot but can only manage half a medium dominos. Although do have wedges too.

Kids would love to have it once a week but it's way too expensive!!
We prob have once a month though...

I would say it's a bit much but not shockingly so...

Vodkamartini3olives · 11/08/2025 23:23

One of my kids has a job delivering Domino's this summer. From what I can tell his diet is pretty much consisting of pizza, bread sticks and cinnamon bun bites. He seems ok so far. Normal diet will resume in September.

OneCoralCat · 11/08/2025 23:22

Depends really, if the rest of their diet is fab it’s a non issue, if the other 20 meals of the week are junk, then not great.

Cece92 · 11/08/2025 23:22

My DD12 Could absolutely polish a medium pizza off. Infact she ate a 16 inch pizza all to herself once. She had that Strep throat that was going about 2-3 years ago. Never ate for a week just fluids. Started to feel better. I had a charity night so sent her to her dads to stay on the Saturday and he text me a picture of her with the pizza, then rang me and said jokingly have you not fed her and I said no she hasn’t eaten in nearly a week and he goes she’s ate that full pizza I’ve had none of it. That was a treat with her dad. I used to enjoy a weekly take away mainly a Chinese or fish & chips but we reduced it to once a month. Her bodies changing a lot and I wanna encourage better eating through the changes and so we cut down. I wouldn’t judge anyone’s eating habits purely because I’ve been the bigger kid and then went tiny due to bulimia xx

NoctuaAthene · 11/08/2025 23:21

I think YABU, mostly because you must have known that mentioning Dominos on here (or McDs or any other form of cheap takeaway popular with poor people) would bring out all the MN frothers and pearl clutchers ranting about less-than-zero nutritional value and 'swimming in disgusting grease' and suggesting unrealistic elaborate homemade versions such as panko-ing your own organic chicken goujons as though little Johnny will go for those over lovely processed uniformity (but then of course their darling Ptolemy and Octavia actually prefer sushi tinkly laugh ). Plus of course the whole 'wasting money' judgement that comes out regularly in any takeaway discussion...

Back in the real world I think it's quite normal for families to have a takeaway of some form once a week, maybe most people do vary it a little more than having the exact same thing every time but then again kids are fussy and might not eat a curry or Thai or whatever (or only eat chips/fried rice which is hardly more nutritionally sound). Whether it's 'healthy' is impossible to answer, no one meal is really healthy or unhealthy in isolation - depends entirely on context and the rest of the child's diet. For a child with severe SN and a very restricted diet it might be the healthiest thing they eat all week. Or it could be the child's weekly treat in an otherwise very balanced and unprocessed diet. And although I take issue with the idea there's 'no nutritional value' in pizza, there is obviously some, even if that was true there's more to food than the macros and vitamins, there's also joy and familiarity and comfort - maybe the weekly pizza is the child's comfort thing especially if they have to move between parents houses, or a bonding moment with their parent or it might be that a reliable and quick takeaway option is what gives their parent enough time and energy to get them to an activity or just to retain their own sanity, there are so many reasons for it.

Plus I think the circumstances in which offering any unasked for thoughts, however kind and gentle, about someone else's child's diet is a good idea is are so narrow as to be basically nil - I very much doubt the child will come to any long term harm from a weekly pizza even if the rest of their diet isn't great either, kids can do really well growth and development wise even on highly restricted diets that would make MNetters swoon, and if food doesn't become a battleground and source of conflict often any fussiness or limitations will improve just with time. As someone else said if you really want to help the child probably encouraging or supporting them to do more physical activity or sport might well be more beneficial and less controversial than their food?

laundryjoy · 11/08/2025 23:15

Ds14 and Ds15 would love a weekly dominos am sure and maybe they do at their Dad's but I can't control that. I've learnt how to make pizza dough and those 5 ingredients (water, yeast, flour, oil & sugar) can't cost more than a quid to get us 3 pizza bases so including toppings maybe a fiver max. Its a no brainer- and they admit it tastes better than Dominos

Cherryicecreamx · 11/08/2025 23:15

A weekly takeway seems common, would say it's better to change it up but probably not too many health differences between them. All for a treat night supporting a balanced diet :)

ttcat37 · 11/08/2025 23:09

1 pizza a week isn’t going to make him fat. It’s the other 20 meals and whatever he eats in between.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 11/08/2025 23:07

I would say it’s pretty unusual for people as a whole.

We would only have it once in a blue moon, although we might have supermarket pizza every 1-2 weeks. Just a thin crust one.

Domino’s is not only bad for you, it’s really expensive!

Edit - that said, it’s probably not that uncommon for a teenager to pick up an unhealthy take away once a week. I’d expect it to be the smallest size Domino’s though - due to cost if nothing else!

casualcrispenjoyer · 11/08/2025 23:04

zaazaazoom · 11/08/2025 22:16

Come.on it's not healthy for an adult or a toddler. It's not the worse but it isn't great.

The question wasn’t ’is this healthy’ though, was it?

it was querying whether this was something to be concerned about with regards to portion size and routine of eating

of course dominoes isn’t healthy

..:but it’s not really a massive deal if a 13 year old chooses dominoes as their takeaway dinner each week.

the above scenario is completely different to a 4 year old
being presented with a medium sized dominoes
pizza weekly. Massive portions for such a small child whose parents should be exerting more control over their eating

Typicalwave · 11/08/2025 22:58

If it’s not your child it’s not your business.

Bambamhoohoo · 11/08/2025 22:57

WilliamBell · 11/08/2025 22:45

2-3 meals out of a pizza? Unless you're having a slice as a side to a massive roast or curry feast then this is typical Mumsnet competitive undereating.

A whole pizza in one sitting? I just pick off one slice of pepperoni and nibble at it each day, usually lasts me at least nine weeks.

Disgusting. Don’t you know it has added SATURATED FAT?!? I just nibble at the box