Do people really not know what to eat?

I made this point earlier. I dont think the problem with children is so much obesity and this can be seen by the number of posters who comment that they dont 'see' obese children walking around in their neighbourhoods.

The problem with children is probably more malnutrition or at least poor nutrition and this manifests itself in adulthood as obesity as we mature.

Are 50% of dc overweight in private schools? I don’t believe it’s even 1%!

No because the parents are more likely to have more sophisticated tastes, to have weaned children with avocado, fruits, veggies, small versions of what parents are eating. They get more exercise at school and are more likely to come from families that walk/ cycle / play tennis.

Our children's school ( independent) almost every child is a healthy weight. In facts I saw a quite overweight girl of 11/12 a few weeks ago and it caught my eye as it's so unusual.

In the UK, we appear to think that children have to eat processed rubbish. I can't get over how little fruit and veg children eat and how normal the "nuggets and chips" mentality is. Our children have only eaten that at parties, at home they have eaten normal "adult" food from 6 months old. Our children know what venison, olives, hummus, asparagus, purple broccoli tastes like because we gave it them, without assuming that they should be given a potato waffle and baked beans.

Every time we have a thread like this on here, I think about a recent BBC programme that was following illegal immigrant families in hotel rooms. Families there were turning the hotel bathrooms into kitchens and using a single hot plate to turn out fresh food because they were despairing of the industrial slop that was provided for free

I remember an ocassion when I was working as a youth worker about 22 years ago, being on residential in the middle of nowhere in the lake district.

We had to do our own catering and meal planning was done in the sessions before we went with the idea that everyone e would like the food.

When we were at the centre, the kids wouldn't get ip as agreed to make breakfast, fell out over main meals. One lad's parents had a corner shop and had been to the cash and carry for him and he brought with him a second suitcase which was filled with chocolate and sweets so that didn't help. The staff couldn't believe it!

One of the girls, who hadn't been in this country long, (she was from either Ethiopia or Ertrea, )I cant remember, promised that she would get up early next morning to make breakfast. She kept her word and was up before the staff and we walked into the dining room to the most amazing breakfast spread that she had made with the food we had. She had made bread, fruit salad, put out the cheeses . I cant remember what else was there but it was impressive.

When we were talking to her about it later she said it was normal in her country to make and share food and meals were important family time. She said she was expected to help with cooking from a very early age but it wasnt a chore, it was something nice that she did with her mum and nan and siblings.It was all very wholesome.

My kids were very young then and of course school mornings were very busy but that expierenced changed the way we, as a family, did breakfasts on a Sunday. We ate later,and ate more food than just a bowl of cereal which we then gave up and it became ( looking back).an expierence. I know that sounds a bit twee but it slowed us down, the boys helped me and their dad prepare the food. The boys tried different foods without pressure and we talked about different tbings. It was enjoyable.

Once every 6 weeks or so I have continued this. The boys and their partners will come round mid morning on a Sunday. Usually a couple of their cousins and aunties or uncles will come to as well as a few friends. I will make breakfast muffins, pancakes differently cooked eggs, meat and cheeses as well as different breads and Yogurt. Its a social occasion that I enjoy.

My point to this rambling is that I agree with the poster about different nationalities often do eat and cook better and its done from a very early age so its perfectly natural for them to cook for themselves.

Things like ARFID aren't the same as fussy eating and simply growing out of it, especially when SEND is involved.

If there wasn't an appetite for such poor programme making shows then this example wouldn't have been aired. I cook from scratch but choose not to judge those that don't. You've got no idea what goes on in other people's lives.

I agree with you and have considered the same.

we Are free to reply to any post made by others, you’re welcome to ignore my post

I think the argument re SEN children is not appropriate when talking about a larger problem. It is common sense that there will be circumstances where choices are limited due to disabilities or special needs.

I think we need to focus on why this is a problem for people who dont have special needs. It may even be interesting to find out if there is any correlation between the rise in special needs and our poor food intake (as well as many other modern day ills).

Recipes do lie!

I get a veg box from a well known supplier and they sometimes put recipes in. One looked tempting. It said 20 minutes' prep. I counted up the real time it would have taken and it was an hour.

Of course you do get quicker with practice. I can make a homemade bolognaise sauce very quickly because I've done it thousands of times.

It's also (probably mainly) about levels of exercise and activity though, isn't it? My inlaws all eat healthy homecooked food but the adults are all overweight except FIL. He's the most active. They always get in the car to visit each other. It's 5 minutes' walk!

I have a dgs who is tube feed, he eats blueberries, strawberries, oats, yogurt, chicken soup ( not chicken and anything else, just chicken) and skips

now if he took to eating beige food and started eating it, and that meant his ng tube could come out permanently - what do you think his parents would do?

So I don’t believe that the vast majority of Brits with crap diets are anything other than lazy, and choose to prioritise things other than good nutrition.

I tend to agree with this. I find it hard to believe that an adult doesnt know the difference between a healthy food and an unhealthy food. Maybe my social media and advertising algorithms are stacked in a certain way but the message is certainly out there that UPFs, Macdonalds, sugar, take-aways are not good healthy food. In fact, I have felt more peer pressure to up my protein intake in recent years than to take drugs when I was teen.

It’s often noted that this is much more of a problem in the UK (and US) than in other countries. We certainly don’t seem to put the same emphasis on eating well and fresh that some other European countries do. You don’t see aisle after aisle of crisps, cake and snacks foods in the supermarkets abroad but you can’t avoid it here. I know it’s generalising a bit but I don’t know why we have such a bad relationship with food.

Every time we have a thread like this on here, I think about a recent BBC programme that was following illegal immigrant families in hotel rooms. Families there were turning the hotel bathrooms into kitchens and using a single hot plate to turn out fresh food because they were despairing of the industrial slop that was provided for free. So I don’t believe that the vast majority of Brits with crap diets are anything other than lazy, and choose to prioritise things other than good nutrition.

I also think the huge rise in ARFID is not helpful. Many of us were fussy eaters as children, and most of us grew out of it. Sticking a label on it just entrenches things.

I also think this idea that families (ie mothers) have to make meals that everyone likes, or different meals for everyone is crazy. We have a weekly meal plan, one day you might have to put up with something that’s not your favourite, tough shit. And if they only have the rice and not the stew/chilli/whathaveyou that night, it’s not going to kill them.

This is so true, and those industry lobbies have far too much power "advising" government. Which is why we have weedy messaging about 'enjoy this UPF snack as part of a healthy diet' (WHICH IT DOESN'T CONTRIBUTE TO). Because, oh , jobs might be lost in the biscuit factory.

As I was. But like me for whatever reason you found yourself in a position of wanting to teach yourself and having the time, resources and ability to do that.

Unfortunately, unlike me you don't recognise that good fortune and turned out to be ignorant, judgemental and terribly insecure.

And your homemade burgers and pizza can still make you overweight and unhealthy.

Your time would be better spent reading books on nutrition than judging others.

Im 60, so brought up in the 70s mostly and early teens in the early 80s.
I keep seeing people of around my age saying we didnt have upf back then but we did.
We had Birds Eye ( Findus) savoury pancakes , Vesta packet meals, Heinz steam in a tin puddings, Angel delight, Vienetta , flavoured cereal, flavored yogurts and so on. I remember adverts on childrens tv for things like Sunny Delight. I do think it was the beginning of the upf invasion.
However most of us weren't fat ( I became fat at 14) There isnt one single factor, I dont think ,for the change but a lots of reasons that started stacking up .

Having a child with SEN humbles you somewhat. My DS is 5 and has autism, he will only eat ‘junk food’ but I’m just happy he’s eating at all to be frank. The healthiest his diet gets is innocent smoothies, nakd bars and bear yo-yos. He has a multivitamin daily because he thinks it’s a sweet.

He eats canned (only Tesco for some reason) tomato soup with 3 slices of bread and butter most evenings for dinner, he will also eat pizza (homemade) and poached eggs on toast. I can’t trick him with hidden veggies because the taste isn’t right and he’ll then be suspicious and reject it in future.

It’s easy to judge, generally harder to be empathetic and kind.

Some people aren't taught the skills. Cooking is easy if you know how and stressful/scary if you don't know how.

My sisters and I grew up with the same parents, mum always cooked (SAHM til I was 11, dad worked shifts and very long hours. He actually cooks more now). Two of us cook from scratch, one of whom is alright but struggles a bit, I'm pretty good now but I love it. The other cannot follow a recipe without panicking, can't use scales, forgets things are in the oven or on the hob, can't fathom the thought of using timers etc.

We were brought up the same, saw the same, same schooling, same teaching from our parents. One just can't do it for herself and has now got to the point as an adult that the thought of it stresses her out so much she'd literally rather do herself chips than think anymore about it.

Started watching the show last night. That family must spend a fortune on food per week as they have takeaways and each kid has a snack box! That must be pricey even with budget foods

I watched it and also worried about them all but the fact is, judging people doesn’t help - they are surrounded by advertising and UHP foods constantly. If their own parents ate this way too they never learnt to cook basic healthy foods and are used to the taste of high fat, salt and sugar foods. The parents in this episode were at least open to education and changing things which was great.

Industries don't want people to know that what they're being fed isn't proper food and the people eating it don't want to address it because that would mean taking initiative.

As long as society pretends it's ok to eat this way, it will continue.

If you’re the poster whose child was really struggling then yes you did but that’s not who most people on here are referring to. See my point above about labels.

It’s not a label it’s a diagnosis.

As a pp has mentioned nobody on here is talking about genuine food issues. I find it hard to believe that every single kid who won’t eat anything but beige crap has ARFID but MN does love a label.

I explained this above.