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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:
kayb123 · 08/08/2011 11:45

most people would be shocked - but i give my children as much as they can eat i dont force anything if they say they are hungrey i will offer them a drink first. They are very active not one is slighty overweight. Ok i dont feed them chocolate and cake alday long but lots of fruit/cheese/milk. and we very rarely have pudding or things like that.

spiderpig8 · 08/08/2011 11:53

'in reality the number of overweight children in the UK is frighteningly high'
..but is it? The overweight kids i see are few and far between. Been swimming this morning ,busy pool and there were no tubby kids there at all

Georgimama · 08/08/2011 12:04

This pizza portion business is turning into the new "how many meals can you get out of a chicken".

Riveninside · 08/08/2011 12:27

You should live here spiderpig. Obesity is easily einning in children and adults

Riveninside · 08/08/2011 12:28

Winning

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 08/08/2011 12:35

Georgimama... It is, isn't it? I've been smiling at the slices... it's possible to only have two slices of pizza - one half and then the other half. Grin

spiderpig8 · 08/08/2011 12:57

another point is that it's a million times better to have a chubby child than an anorexic one.I really worry about all the angst around food and weight issues our kids are being bombarded with.

Riveninside · 08/08/2011 14:12

How about a slim non anorexic one? I used to work with anorexics, its nnot like flu and easy to catch you know.
I think there are far too many fat and obese children. Some start puffing after a few hundred yards and type 2 diabetes is hitting younger age groups. Due to obesity.

spiderpig8 · 08/08/2011 19:17

Riveninside-'I used to work with anorexics, its nnot like flu and easy to catch you know'

then you should know that cultural pressure is one of teh main causes of anorexia

redglow · 08/08/2011 20:57

I think the children are restricted with food at home are always the children that are greedy when they go to parties and out for tea. I think we have more obese children now because they do not get as much exercise as they used to.

sunshinenanny · 08/08/2011 21:39

I think children had less of a weight problem when family's sat down and ate together. also some children seem to snack on junk all day. Children should eat a variety of foods with no food being forbidden but some foods need to be eaten in moderation.

yummumto3girls · 08/08/2011 23:41

I was watching this programme with two of my DD's (10 & 7), Jo Frost simply held up a mini pizza and asked a group of parents how much would they feed a child of 8 yrs. Most said half or all of it, no one said 1/4! When Jo said a quarter both my children were outraged! It was tiny and ridiculous. As for the ice cream......

rubyrubyruby · 09/08/2011 08:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ledkr · 09/08/2011 09:42

redglow i aggree,over the years i have noticed this.The parents proudly proclaim they give them rice cakes instead of biscuits,and bring carrot sticks on picnics when the others are allowed treats,you then have said kids for a play stuff thier faces with anything they can lay their hands on. Always look a bit pasty to me too Grin

CareyHunt · 09/08/2011 09:45

Grin Grin Grin at rubyrubyruby !

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 09/08/2011 09:51

I've got a friend who feeds her child everything organic, rice cakes, very few sweets etc. Mine are allowed sweets on a fairly casual basis, we don't have them all the time but don't make a big thing about it. Took hers and mine to the pick n mix last week (with mum's permission) - my two put about 2oz of sweets in their bags, I had to stop friend's child when I realised her bag was nearly full.

My parents also tried to bring me up on a very wholefood diet, very few sweets etc, I rebelled big time in my teens and to this day get cravings for white sliced bread like all my friends had in their packed lunches

notso · 09/08/2011 10:33

DD's friend (11) is the same WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes, her friend is allowed sweets or chocolate a handful of times a year. She is constantly telling DD how unhealthy we are for having white bread, and sponge cake, (she only has wholemeal cake).
She spent £30 on sweets, crisps, coke and Mars Bars when they went on residential camp.
When DD had a chocolate fountain at a sleepover, I found her friend in the kitchen literally stuffing handfuls of the leftover chocolate into her mouth.
It is quite sad because many of her peers think she is greedy due to her constantly asking for their food.

KaySirah · 09/08/2011 10:35

i think jo frost eats two
every day

DoMeDon · 09/08/2011 10:44

Think it is sad and shildish that people are picking at her shape/size.

It is possible for fat adults to care what DC eat. Also for them to know what is a resonable amount to eat but not take the advice themselves.

But I forget MN loves a fat bash

ledkr · 09/08/2011 10:47

Yes its odd how grown women constantly slate anyone who isnt a size 12 or below on a site where most people will have had their bodies changed by having children Hmm Why would you be so vile?

rubyrubyruby · 09/08/2011 10:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 09/08/2011 11:26

That is me exactly. I try and make sure the DCs have a healthy, balanced diet, but can't resist the lure of a takeaway or bag of crisps a bit too often myself and am a couple of stones overweight. I want to try and stop my DCs going the same way as me, I have just started a weight loss plan but they do not know about it and diets are not talked about other than in general terms, Mum isn't going to eat that because she has had a lot of cheese already this week but you can because you haven't, that sort of thing.

TheBigJessie · 09/08/2011 12:40

I tried to make home-made pizza once, as part of cost-cutting.

Some of the f&*£s more sensible and cautious members of the family wouldn't eat it at first, so less than 400g of pizza dough, plus toppings, lasted three days, and served nine people!

Riveninside · 09/08/2011 13:30

My teens make home made pizza. Expensive given they make a cheese mountain on it using most of a £3 block of chedder. For one person. Buying one costs less.

Malcontentinthemiddle · 09/08/2011 13:35

I found it ridiculous, given there was only one obese person in that playground, and she was the one shrieking at the [slim parents to give their [slim] children less frozen pizza - not something else instead, just less pizza.

I was with the mum who said she was more bothered about the right kinds of foods than calorie counting. I think Jo Frost is getting too big for her boots, and gives out a lot of ill-thought-out advice off the back of some common sense about being consistent and firm and not smacking. She's not a nutritionist, and I think she needs to understand the limits of her expertise.