to think its a bit tight when parents count a school dinner as THE main meal of the day

[MariahScarey]

all other things being equal (money activities etc)

have a colleague who makes her kids have sandwiches for tea " as they eat at school"

they have money, they can cook - is this laziness?
I know they wont starve or out, but I wouldnt count a tiny school meal that is then burned off as a main meal.

USUAL DISCLAIMERS

Yes there are worse things to worry to about
YEs its none of my business
Yes I am judging

Oh I don't worry about it. The UK school meals are not that big and my children are active enough to easily burn off a school lunch and then a cooked meal in the evening which we eat fairly early.

I had a school dinner at lunchtime and sandwiches for tea for pretty much my whole childhood. I don't see why it makes a jot of difference?

You pay for school dinners and sandwiches so not sure why it would be 'tight'. Weird.

It's better to have your main meal at lunch time, then eat more lightly in the evening.

I know! I've lost 11lbs now as it suits me more as to when I'm actually hungry and stops me snacking in the afternoon and early evening. Being at work all day and eating late was a nightmare for my eating habits.

I don't understand why sandwiches at home is weird. Where do you draw the line? Are rolls OK? Baguettes? What about when they come with soup? Or are toasted? What about bacon butties for breakfast? A croissant with filling? Crumpets? I'm fascinated to know when bread-related products are considered OK at home and when they are not, as I am clearly very ignorant!

Well, quite, Mackerel.

Bread and bakery products are only eaten at breakfast in our household. Absolutely no bread at any other meal.

Oh I do love a good school dinner thread. What about that scottish lass who blogged all hers. That casued a stirfry.
the bit I don't get OP, is that you say it is being "tight". But school dinners are more expensive, aren't they? So it the woman concerned was really that tight, she wouldn't pay for an expensive school dinner, in the first place, would she? regardless of whether she cooks or makes a sandwich for their dinner.

Plus, remember that not every child is overweight. In my sons year, of 60, 2 x classes of 30, (aged nearly 9) there is not one vaguely over-weight child. Not a single one.

Bread and bakery products are only eaten at breakfast in our household. Absolutely no bread at any other meal.

It must be a right laugh eating in your house, Bonsoir. "Can I have some bread with my soup?" NO! NO! NO! YOU HAD TOAST THIS MORNING!

No-one eats a lot of bread in our house, it just really doesn't matter at what part of the day they eat their bread. Also I don't impose superfluous dietary rules on anyone else.

Agree about the snacking thing. That, and junk food, is what makes kids fat. Only children I know who are getting overweight never seem to eat proper meals. Then they get topped up on cereal and yogurt.

I think that this all really depends on how good your school dinners are. I know for a fact ours are not great, and v. small so it does matter what ds eats out of school.
I don't think that is all that unusual. The school dinners I have seen do not bear much resemblance to the "menu".

Surprised that so many people consider the hot school dinner to be the main meal of the day. Sandwiches etc aren't as good as a proper dinner for children who use loads of energy and are still growing. They need a decent breakfast, porridge being cheap and a good way to start the day. My 3 were always ravenous when they came in, and had cereal/toast or similar to put them on till we ate about 6 ish. Their all time favourite was anything with pasta, especially spag bog - they got lots of veggies on casseroles, big soups and pasta dishes. So many children get to school in the morning having not had anything hot to eat since their mid day meal the previous day, which in cold, wet winter isn't ok imo

No-one in our household would ask for bread with their soup we're not French peasants

For me the thing about school dinners is no matter how substantial they are, they are mass catered. They are often odd combinations - lasagne and veg being a good example. They are not tasty/normal home cooking.

And I just want my DC to have normal home cooking each day. Is that so odd?

And I absilutely do not believe that the rise of obesity os caused by having two proper meals rather than a sandwich tea. I mean come on, no one believes that shit right?

My DCs spend an awful lot of time out in the cold - school days are long and they often walk long distances, hang around in cold parks/playgrounds etc. They really yearn for a hot meal. All three DCs were at home for lunch today (sadly not all for the same meal sitting...) and had a hot meal (meat dish and rice), and we will have another hot meal this evening, with plenty of vegetables and fruit for pudding.

Surely it depends how many calories the kids are having in the day and how balanced their diet is. If they are a healthy weight, able to concentrate at school with no behavioural issues, sleep well and their teeth are ok I can't see why parents should be at all worried.

I ate a totally crap diet in the 80s compared with how my kids eat now. I'd have a sugary cereal for breakfast, a bottle of slightly warm full cream milk (boke) at break, a quite often absolutely awful school dinner, a chocolate bar on the way home from school, a glass of coke when I got home and I'd have something like Vesta beef risotto and Angel Delight for my tea.

My kids today have had Ready Brek/Weetabix and fruit for breakfast, DD1 will have grapes for a snack, DD2 something kind of fruit and popcorn at nursery, they'll have some kind of pasta with vegetables for lunch with yoghurt for dessert, a couple of biscuits for a snack after school, sandwich or jacket potato or egg/beans on toast for their tea with a couple of servings of veg on the side, milk before they go to bed and loads of water to drink all day except for a bit of fruit juice at breakfast time.

I'm really not worried about their diet! And I'm not going to change to a French way of eating as we're not French.

I think the rise in obesity is caused by:

1. And the number one by far: People working long hours and the STRESS and UNHAPPINESS caused by this especially when it causes INSOMNIA and COMFORT EATING
2. Proliferation of fast and convenience food and relative cheapness, very easy to consume too many calories and fat and not have a balanced diet
3. Not doing enough exercise
4. Too many fizzy/alcoholic drinks
5. People not having basic cooking skills
6. People only having access to crap shops

It's not whether or not people have sandwiches. Though eating prepacked sandwiches, a fizzy drink and crisps can contribute to a crap diet- see convenience food above. Sandwiches made at home can be very healthy and nutritionally balanced though, it's vastly different. Easier to do this than in a packed lunch too as they are fresher and nicer.

Bread just isn't terribly nutritious so you don't want to include it in more than one meal.

Could I have some examples of meals.
So lunch then dinner on the same day might be

Yes Laqueen my boys school dinners are gorgeous, and if they got to school early they may have also have a full breakfast; fry up, cereal, fruit juice, croissants. Then they may have a match tea before they come home too. I'm not too worried about giving them a sandwich or a pitta and soup for dinner.

Yesterday DS had a jacket spud with tuna and salad for his school meal followed by a flap jack.

For dinner his sister had made a pasta bake with bacon and cherry toms. Plus pudding.

He's 13 and fit as a whip.