This isn't particularly healthy, is it? Or am I BU?

[themummyonthebus]

DC1 has just started school. To "get the children to expand their palate" the class teacher wants 2 litres of juice to be brought in every day (there's a rota for the parents). There's enough juice for about 80ml each. They have this for a morning snack with a biscuit.

The after school club has just informed us of the menus they'll be offering:
juice + cake, bananas + biscuits, milk (with nesquik for those that want, so basically everyone with peer pressure) + fruit, cake + chocolate, bread + cheese. These "menus" rotate through the days. On the days without juice or milk there'll be water to drink.

DC1 has school dinners which seem to be well balanced with plenty of choice.

Ok, this is pfb I'm talking about but this seems like a lot of juice (we've been asked to bring 100% fruit juice and the after school club is offering 100% juice too) and the afternoon snacks seem very sugary. They've apparently been put together by a nutritionist. Tell me I'm BU!

[valiumredhead]

I used to work for a dentist, juice was a big no no. Cake/puddings etc, ok at meal times.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

Oops

Did not read 80s mum's post!

As you were

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

valium

Yes, that's what my mum (ex-dental nurse) says. It's the combination of the two. You are actually not meant to brush your teeth straight after drinking juice because the enamel's very weak then

[valiumredhead]

It's the acid in juice which is the problem more than sugar iirc.

[80sMum]

Doesn't sound ideal to me. Fruit juice is, as others have pointed out, very high in sugar (contains more sugar than regular Coca Cola, for instance) and is also very acidic, so can harm tooth enamel.

Someone mentioned that it would be ok providing the children could clean their teeth afterwards. Actually, that's not a good idea. The acid softens tooth enamel and brushing straight away would exacerbate any damage.

[PunkHedgehog]

Handing out ears of wheat to munch on would at least be original.

[themummyonthebus]

Thumb

[themummyonthebus]

Eldritch that's a great idea, I'll suggest that for the class juice/snack.

[Thumbwitch]

Yes Punk, I see the latest from the OP saying that the nutritionist is employed by the Council and had more input than previously suggested - in which case I revert to my original thoughts about her!!

And I agree with the rest of your points.

I also had not heard about this thing re. whole grains and under 5s - if they're eating a proper wholefood diet and has no bowel issues this should not be a problem (unless someone has taken "wholegrain" entirely too literally, of course!)

[EldritchCleavage]

Bizarre idea that any parent should have to supply the whole class, and the snacks sound a bit sugary.

DS is in Reception. His school asks each child to bring a piece of fruit. These are then cut up and shared out-the kids get variety, the sharing disguises any children not bringing fruit in for whatever reason. Why not suggest something like that?

[valiumredhead]

I agree with crowler

[valiumredhead]

I'd

[valiumredhead]

The only problem of have with that is the juice tbh.

[PunkHedgehog]

Fair point Thumb, if the nutrition's contribution really had been only the words 'dairy, fruit, grain' (although as the OP has since clarified they were more involved). But if that had been the case it wouldn't really have been worth paying for. And even then I'd maintain that 'fruit' should be 'fruit or vegetable - more often the latter'.

The 'but they won't drink just plain milk' excuse was the one used by the US school boards for offering chocolate or pink milk in that Jamie Oliver/US school meals things a year or two ago. I seem to recall he found that when chocolate or strawberry was on offer pretty much none of them touched the plain milk, when he made it plain milk only virtually all of them drank it.

[Crowler]

I'm told that I can be as well. :-)

[themummyonthebus]

Crowler I'm with you, I don't do pandering, but then I can be a mean mummy.

[Crowler]

The nesquick is mere pandering. You offer a child milk; if they refuse to drink it without nesquick, fine. They can drink water.

[themummyonthebus]

jellybeanz1 That's exactly it. He needs no peer pressure to eat crap but I know he ate loads more salad and veg at the CM (and I'm assuming now at school) than he will at home because he sees all the other children eating it.

Regarding the nutritionist, she's employed by the local authority, so I bloody hope she's qualified. She was actually at the meeting and had played a role in putting the menus together though Her stated aim is to ensure the children will be able to make it through to dinner time on these snacks but with the exception of bread and cheese I don't really see how that level of stodge and sugar will really achieve that.

Someone raised the milk + nesquik thing. I'm also pretty about that. The organisers say, "Oh, not all children like plain milk," but if you always offer chocolate powder to go in it they won't find out whether they like it or not, will they? The whole thing seems to be to get food that the children will all eat with minimum fuss to the organisers.

I'm going to make some suggestions to the organisers for some less sugary snacks next term. to all of you who have made suggestions. I'm also going to have a word with some of the other parents who use the club and see if we can get some strength in numbers for a menu modification.

[Crowler]

I was intrigued by the suggestion above that whole grains are not recommended for under-5's (I've always given mine whole grains, and have never heard of this before). I googled it and there is some support for this view (like on the NHS website) but it doesn't sit well with me. I have to wonder what kind of diet the NHS is assuming here; I think in the context of a healthy toddler diet, this is utter bollocks.

[Wishihadabs]

I would be massively unhappy about dcs being given juice morning, completely unnecessary. My 2 clamour for money for the tuck shop. My line on this is simple, you eat a decent breakfast and then you can wait till lunch (served on the nose of midday) for KS1. This constant snacking drives me bannanas.

[Wishihadabs]

I would be massively unhappy about dcs being given juice morning, completely unnecessary. My 2 clamour for money for the tuck shop. My line on this is simple, you eat a decent breakfast and then you can wait till lunch (served on the nose of midday) for KS1. This constant snacking drives me bannanas.

[Wishihadabs]

I would be massively unhappy about dcs being given juice morning, completely unnecessary. My 2 clamour for money for the tuck shop. My line on this is simple, you eat a decent breakfast and then you can wait till lunch (served on the nose of midday) for KS1. This constant snacking drives me bannanas.

[poachedeggs]

Uptight :)

[poachedeggs]

I'm really upright about my kids' diet

I wouldn't be very impressed with those snacks. Our school has a tuck shop from which they sell pancakes and jam, toast and jam, cheese on toast, those yogurt coated fruit bits "and other healthy snacks". At 10.30am, two or three hours after the DC have had breakfast. I believe they also offer fruit. Mine is allowed to go very occasionally, because I'm not a complete meanie and it teaches him about money. Or it would if he didn't always choose something he can't afford, only for the helpers to let him have it anyway

Rant over. I wish schools would leave it up to parents to offer their DC crap. Fair enough have treats at Christmas, Easter, end of term but offering them stuff as a matter of course which they'd only get once a week at home pressurises parents. And is hardly good for the DC. What's wrong with veg, natural yogurt, hummus etc?

[Twattybollocks]

I think people need to remember that kids have very different nutritional needs to those of adults. What sounds woefully unhealthy for us can be fine for kids. Like whole meal bread etc, healthy for us, but not advised for under 5s as it is very filling and takes ages to digest, meaning kids don't eat as much other food missing out on valuable vitamins and calories. Same with saturated fats, ok in small amounts for us, needed in much larger quantities by young children as they are needed for brain growth.
As long as the nutritionist is qualified, id be fine with it.