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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not want to follow the change4life guidance on this leaflet?

112 replies

lookdeepintotheparka · 29/01/2014 20:38

We got the change4life booklet home today in book bags which I read through as sometimes has good recipes.

The advice was to switch from full fat milk to skimmed or 1% milk and from butter to low fat spread. I had thought that recent studies show that full fat dairy is actually better for you - especially for children.

AIBU to think change4life information is out of date - does anyone know??

OP posts:
TrueToYou · 29/01/2014 22:15

YANBU.

I take issue with the margarine versus the natural product butter.

I take issue with ADVOCATING that kids drink fizzy pop with artificial sweeteners in instead of sugar. I just don't have time to go into all the MANY reasons children (particularly) should NOT be given artificial sweeteners.
Why not say "cut out or cut down, or swap for water/milk/fruit juice"[highly contentious ATM also]

And I also think they are talking our of their arses WRT full fat milk. IIRC, WHO recommends children under the age of 5 drink full fat milk. It's only 3.5% fat anyway!

Original poster
lookdeepintotheparka · 29/01/2014 22:18

Interesting info about skimmed milk - I didn't know half those things about it!

Also just watched the Horizon programme and totally backs up the argument that the options c4life suggest are indeed more processed!

OP posts:
Reduction · 29/01/2014 22:22

Surprisingly sensible article from The Daily Mal

Original poster
lookdeepintotheparka · 29/01/2014 22:27

Hopefully the media will pick up on it (if it hasn't already) and the guidance will be questioned. Feeding children is hard enough without getting the wrong info from a source you should, as parents be able to trust!

OP posts:
Madeyemoodysmum · 29/01/2014 22:29

Totally agree op, I'm raging but what to do, a mumsnet campaign?

I couldn't bribe my ideas when I first heard the change 4 life ad suggesting switching to diet fizz, and it's gonna get worse, even full fat fizz has aspartame in it now as well as sugar!

Madeyemoodysmum · 29/01/2014 22:29

Sorry, believe my ears not bribe!

ChrisTheSheep · 29/01/2014 22:29

Agreed! That's about the most reasonable thing I've ever seen in the DM...

Scarletohello · 29/01/2014 22:32

Outdated bulshit! FFS when is this crap going to change..??

Scarletohello · 29/01/2014 22:34

Is it time to instigate a MN campaign to get real advice on healthy eating that works out there..?

magnumicelolly · 29/01/2014 22:34

Change for life have a facebook page, lots of cross people commenting on there and largely being ignored. Just the occasional comment saying their advice follows NHS guidelines. Bunch of muppets!

Joysmum · 29/01/2014 22:37

I swapped from semi to 1% milk ages ago, DD and DH didn't notice.

Reduction · 29/01/2014 22:39

They might not have noticed but they did start consuming fewer nutrients and a much more processed foodstuff

Sunny20 · 29/01/2014 22:40

Totally Agree! I ordered the vouchers, mainly out of curiosity & thought I mite save a couple of quid on my shopping Wink however was shocked when I received them & they where for diet Pepsi & a rice ready meal. not my idea of healthy & not something I would feed my DD. I'm another one who prefers for my DD to have full fat milk & I will not be changing it anytime soon!!

NorksAreMessy · 29/01/2014 22:43

Change for life has some VERY questionable partners, including Nestlé
list here

which make me question whether this is a genuine health promotion exercise, or a commercial opportunity.

Buying over processed factory food is not healthy and I think it is appalling that this campaign suggests that it is

Reduction · 29/01/2014 22:44

Is change4life funded from the public purse or is it all commercial sponsorship?

softlysoftly · 29/01/2014 22:45

Erm yeah the skimmed milk link is mostly bollocks for the UK at least sorry. I worked in a dairy cooperative, same happy grazing or barn fed cows for all types of milk. Cows with eg mastitis had to have their milk disposed of not used, so no medical nasties. No colourants added to the skimmed milk etc.

I do know that full fat milk is around 3.9% fat and that only 15% of the UKs fat intake is from dairy products, 8% from Milk. That leaves 85% on cake.....

WilsonFrickett · 29/01/2014 22:45

I think change4life is massively misguided. I agree if a person is obese then losing weight has to be the top area of focus. So if someone drinks a litre of full fat coke a day, switching to sugar free will have a positive impact on their weight and therefore their health.

But it won't actually change anything '4life', will it? It's just replacing one processed product with another.

I must watch that fat/sugar programme, it sounds very interesting.

softlysoftly · 29/01/2014 22:48

Joysmum thats because semi is only 1.7% fat! Think they would have to have the tastebuds of a michelin chef to tell.

Now 1% milk there's a marketing ploy for you, latching on the "round pound" trend and upping the price.

nickelbabe · 29/01/2014 22:55

the analytical armadillo has written a good article about it

I distrust any organisation.that has a confectionary manufacturer as a sponsor.
not good practice.

Catswiththumbs · 29/01/2014 22:59

Can I just put out there that that site reduction linked to is unbelievably wrong for the uk market at the very least.

Skimmed milk is just that, the fat (cream) is separated off. It has more calcium in, but obviously less/no fat soluble vitamins.

Semi skimmed, separated again (milk comes in at 4.5% fat depending on the time of year) then a proportion of the cream is homogenised and added back in.
Whole is also separated and majority of the cream added back.

There is NO milk powder added. No colours. No anything. Just skimmed milk.

I now work for a soft drink company Grin

Notcontent · 29/01/2014 23:28

I was quite angry when I saw that leaflet. I am not a nutritionist, but I take an interest in food and healthy eating. As others have pointed out, the advice may be ok for someone needing to lose weight quickly, but it's certainly nothing to do with healthy eating!!!!

sunwish · 29/01/2014 23:37

YANBU. People should just eat less of the full fat versions instead of replacing them with processed rubbish that's devoid of nutrients.

bunchoffives · 30/01/2014 00:14

Yes, just dilute full fat with water if you want a less 'fat' milk.

Farmers used to throw skimmed milk away. Bet they were laughing all the way to the bank when healthy 1% came in!

GoodnessIsThatTheTime · 30/01/2014 00:22

I agree about the diet drinks etc but I'm confused about milk...

Those of you who worked in the milk industry - what would you put on cereal/feed children/drink yourself in tea?

I thought in the UK semi skimmed had similar nutritional value to full fat milk... just why is full fat better? Should I be chanigng over?

(I use real butter (apart from for fairy cakes for some reason) and tend to buy whole foods in general - I just thought semi skimmed was literally milk that had been skimmed....)

GoodnessIsThatTheTime · 30/01/2014 00:24

And yes I'd support a campiagn for "real food" advice.

I've got an eating disorder and only recently beginning to get it under control. I need a model of "healthy eating" to follow as I'm so calibrated completely wrong. However NHS/ Mumsnet/ low carb/low gi/ slimming clubs/ all seem to have different information. I'm well educated but also confused!