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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do people really not know what to eat?

808 replies

WilderHawthorn · 14/01/2026 15:16

Watching ‘what not to eat’, and the family they’ve found are just hopeless. Four small children all shovelled full of UPF junk, parents both obese, freely admit to eating crap constantly.

How adults choose to feed themselves is their choice, but to feed four small kids that much junk? It’s bordering on abuse. An apple/banana costs the same as a packet of crisps, jacket potato is one of the cheapest meals you can make, basic porridge oats and milk for breakfast, it’s not difficult to eat whole foods, so why rely on packaged things?

Freely admit I judge those who feed their children this way and truly despair over childhood obesity stats. I work full time, have 4 DC, DH works full time and I volunteer. I’m very time poor and partially disabled, I still feed my kids well and it doesn’t cost me a fortune. Taught myself to cook. There’s no excuse!

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BagaChips · 14/01/2026 15:29

If you posted on here saying you feed your children bananas, porridge and jacket potato, everyone would be telling you that it's too many carbs anyway

flipent · 14/01/2026 15:28

While an apple or a banana cost the same as a bag of crisps, the bunch of banana's brought because someone couldn't get enough last week is now rotting because they don't want that now. The bag of crisps can sit there for months without going off.

It doesn't make it right, and we should all be making better choices, particularly for children - but it is not quite as black and white as you make out.

Meal planning for some is a skill they never learnt - to cook from scratch you need the ingredients, which takes planning.

UPF's have been designed to be the easiest choice.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 14/01/2026 15:27

An apple/banana costs the same as a packet of crisps

Indeed. Just a pity apples/bananas are crap and crisps are awesome.

notacooldad · 14/01/2026 15:27

We have one or two “cheat” days a week where dinner will be out of the freezer, I don’t care what anyone says. The other 5 are home cooked meals. Good to have a balance.
Whats wrong with meals out of a freezer? We are on freezer tea tonight. I usually batch cooking once every 3 weeks to save time.

OhDear111 · 14/01/2026 15:26

It would not be tv if they didn’t find an extreme family. They are not untypical of this type of family but they are in a minority. I’m never quite sure where obesity figures come from. Who is weighing and tracking these dc? In our middle class area, I rarely saw an obese child so maybe there should be regional initiatives because most parents do a good job.

CoastalGrey · 14/01/2026 15:24

That's why the poster put it in inverted commas! And obviously some food is better than others especially depending on the amount eaten.

luckylavender · 14/01/2026 15:23

Using the word ‘cheat’ to describe food is not good. There is no such thing as bad food.

shouldofgotamortage · 14/01/2026 15:21

We have one or two “cheat” days a week where dinner will be out of the freezer, I don’t care what anyone says. The other 5 are home cooked meals. Good to have a balance.

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