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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Jo Frost portion sizes.

176 replies

york0 · 07/08/2011 15:13

I am in shock that a quarter of a mini pizza is considered a portion size for a n 8 year old child. My 4 year could eat a whole one easily and is not overweight. Obv know pizza is a treat and doesn't have it all the time.

OP posts:
addressbook · 07/08/2011 20:01

Chandon there is no way in hell my dd is getting weighed at school. The fat obsession has been manipulated by the beauty industry to keep women in the consumerist loop.

This has indirectly infiltrated politics and now schools. Of course we want our children to be healthy but how on the hell the government think reducing the problem to some simple measurments and statistics will help I don't know

The children that eat very poor diets, usually (not always) come from deprived areas. It is a socioeconomic very complex problem. But then it is easier for the government to throw the BMI initiative at us, to make it look like they have a solution.

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 20:02

Eating "healthy food" Chandon has little to do with weight or diets. It is actually to do with health.

Northernlurkerisgoingonholiday · 07/08/2011 20:05

There is no such thing as an 'unhealthy' food. Food is fuel that's all. Different foods contain different elements of the fuel but no food is intrinsically better than any other unless eaten in a reasonable manner. If you eat nothing but cucumber it will be bad for you just like only eating candy floss would be.

sittinginthesun · 07/08/2011 20:06

Chandon - completely agree! We eat well at meal times, enjoy our food, and certainly don't obsess about portions/calories... I always have pudding when we go out, and if any of us feel particularly hungry at meal times, we will eat how much we need.

But, we don't snack for the sake of it (children have fruit and cheese etc mid afternoon), don't eat processed food as a general rule and I simply don't have rubbish in the house.

We are all active, because we enjoy it. We swim, play tennis, cricket, football, walk, yoga... We are all slim, and have never been on diets in our lives.

As a result, both children love food, are a pleasure to take to restaurants etc, and will happily sit for an hour or so over a meal.

Oh, and my 7 year old will eat most of an adult pizza at a restaurant!

Food and exercise have to be part of your lifestyle, rather than obsessing about portion sizes.

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 20:06

Erm. There is such as thing as unhealthy food. Highly processed food with very high levels of salt is not healthy. Transfats are not healthy. Etc. I do not think children should be weighed at shool or put on diets unless there is some medical reason, but yes there is such a thing as unhealthy food.

rubyrubyruby · 07/08/2011 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

addressbook · 07/08/2011 20:08

but it becomes about weight and diets catgirl, because we are obsessed with how we look and that soon manipulates our children.

health is a very wide concept. Of course it isn't 'healthy' in one sense for a young child to be very overweight (which lets face it you can 'see', you don't need a number) but sometimes the obsession and fear of fat and food actually translates into weight problems.

And that comes from generations of our own issues that we pass onto our children.

Northernlurkerisgoingonholiday · 07/08/2011 20:09

catgirl - do you realise that the body needs both salt and fat to survive? Lack of salt in the diet will put you in hospital in a very unwell condition. 'Highly processed foods' are not great if eaten to excess but they are not 'unhealthy'.

Riveninside · 07/08/2011 20:13

That sounds a bit low foreveronadiet. Dd is under a dietician at 7 and we were told normal valorie requirements are 1800. Given she must be kept in ketosis she is on 1100. She is also quadriplegic so isnt running around. On 1100 she is gaining weight too fast and we are reducing to 900 this week.

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 20:14

Yes. You need a balanced diet with all the food groups including some fat and salt. Yes, it is very wrong that children are talking about diets and obsessed with body image.

Yes - some foods are unhealthy. They are damaging to health (like transfats).

A balanced diet and exercise is important but that should be about health and not weight / body image. It is sad the two have become intertwined.

Northernlurkerisgoingonholiday · 07/08/2011 20:15

Right I get you - and I agree with that.

LineRunner · 07/08/2011 20:18

I campaigned to have hydrogenated fats taken out of foods for children back in 2003-04. Before Jamie Oliver . Yay.

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 20:21

:) good for you. They are horrible things :(

Is it wrong I have now ordered a Dominos due to this thread?

addressbook · 07/08/2011 20:23

Grin catgirl. Enjoy it

TheSecondComing · 07/08/2011 20:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

addressbook · 07/08/2011 20:33

Don't listen to her dietary advice then. I am sure there is more to her than her weight though. That she may have other valuable insights to offer.

Northernlurkerisgoingonholiday · 07/08/2011 20:39

What TSC - so being obese makes you stupid and/or a liar then? Hmm

That is just a ridiculous position to adopt. You have no idea why she is overweight nor should she have to explain it to you.

TheMonster · 07/08/2011 20:44

I could give excellent advice on how to eat healthily, but I can't follow it myself, hence my weight. I suspect your HV is the same, TheSecondComing.

ledkr · 07/08/2011 21:08

catgirl will you just eat one slice tho? Nah,didnt think so Grin

MrsKravitz · 07/08/2011 21:13

Jo Frost gets her dietary advice from a nutritionist. She doesnt get it from the depths of her own knowledge.

MissPenteuth · 07/08/2011 21:27

My sister is a dietician, she is slim and some of her patients don't trust her because they think she can't possibly understand what life is like for them as she's not overweight. Can't win, can you?

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 22:05

ledkr 4 slices of a 9.5 inch + 2 of garlic bread Grin

ledkr · 07/08/2011 22:16

nom nom,now that is true portion control Grin

catgirl1976 · 07/08/2011 22:17

Grin - 2 slices left so I think thats true restraint :)

TheSecondComing · 07/08/2011 23:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.