to think this is NOT an unhealthy lunch

[ohhifruit]

DStS's teacher (he is in Junior school) pulled me aside after school to say his lunch was deemed 'an unhealthy lunch' and their first step was to give me a 'verbal warning' before writing to me. She even said 'I'm sure you can understand why we think this.'

This is what he had -

• Small pot of home made hummus
  
• Large wholemeal pitta cut into strips
  
• A hardboiled egg
  
• A handful of celery sticks
  
• A handful of carrot sticks
  
• A small pot of raisins
  
• Matchbox sized lump of chedder (which he saved to eat on the way home)
  
• Satusuma
  
• Small yoghurt
  

We've given him sandwiches and he never touches them but dippy types of food are always eaten and he reports how much he enjoys them. He isn't messy, almost to a fault, so I can't see them being bothered about a 'bits and bobs' lunch making a mess.

Is this unhealthy? I am racking my mind to figure out how on earth this is unhealthy? She wouldn't specify, I expect because it wasn't her who saw his lunch but rather it was reported back via lunch time staff.
I feel really annoyed to be told off by the teacher, she was pretty sneery and it wasn't until I got home I realised I should have asked to speak to the head.

[goodasitgets]

The low fat thing reminded me of last year, buying a chicken off a hot counter. Small child wants chicken wings. Mum says yes but "we will take all the nasty skin off because that's what makes people fat"
My face was

Chicken skin. Singlehandedly responsible for an obesity crisis

I eat more fat now than ever before, my skin looks amazing and I'm losing weight

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Now though I think there's a bit of an unhelpful backlash about low fat.
Whilst its true that small children should generally eat full fat rather than low fat products, (and probably nobody should ever eat low fat cheddar ) it's also true that many of us eat a diet that has too much saturated fat (from cheeses and butter and solid animal fats mainly) and this contributes to clinically undesirable high blood cholesterol.
As a nation we seem to struggle with the idea of reason and balance in our food ime/ IMO.
And "sensible" messages about eating ate lost in the sea of fashionable diets and sloppy information.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Crispy skin is possibly the single best reason for roasting a chicken though

[LittleBearPad]

I think you're right Amanda. Low fat stuff isn't good but neither is eating lots of fatty things. Food manufacturers spend their time creating lower fat/lower sugar/lower calorie versions of food so we can ostensibly eat more of them. We should eat less. Then we can eat food that is as it should be made. Not filled with artificial crap that isn't calorific.

[goodasitgets]

But cholesterol in things (like eggs) doesn't raise your cholesterol...

[ilovepowerhoop]

I dont think anybody said it did. A pp said we eat too much saturated fats and that raises cholesterol levels more than eating food containing cholesterol

[KateMoose]

A parent puts leftover faggots in a lunchbox and that is unreasonable? They may well be better than salt laden processed ham and processed plastic bread and margarine! I applaud use of leftovers like that. How about if there was leftover haggis?! Would that be wrong?!

Oh, and OP, YABU. Eggs, especially hard boiled are disgusting food of the devil .

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

The other thing about this lunchbox lunacy (yes I have been thinking about it too much) is that I wonder whether it's a distraction from a really useful activity.
I think it's a good thing that someone's interested in what children are eating and what their parents give them. I think dinner ladies are invaluable tbh. I want school staff to notice if little Billy often goes hungry because he has a truly inadequate or unappetising lunch. Schools play an important part in recognising the signs of home life troubles and looking out for children.
And I can't help but wonder if excessive regulation of with lots of fussy rules stops lunchtime supervisors (who must surely be pushed for time already) from seeing some more significant issues.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Cold faggots would be fine if the child likes them.
But if they don't it's a thoughtless thing to put in their lunchbox.

[KateMoose]

Of course. My mother often did not put much thought into what I might like (shipton's meat paste sandwich anyone?) then one day she clocked that I might eat it and actually put some weight on if the food in my lunch box was pleasant. My last year at primary school was fab .

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

I bought some Shiptons the other day kate. I used o have that as a child.
Nobody would it it even I, with my famously grim taste (liver, black pudding, ...) couldn't manage it.
Which is a shame because it would make a cheap sandwich for the odd lunch.
The cat thought it was ok.

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

There is NOTHING wrong with Shippams paste! I've got a jar of salmon paste in the cupboard just shouting to be eaten! Slap it on some Sunblest toast... food of the Gods!

[LoveBeingCantThinkOfAName]

You are all wrong a verbal warning is the least you should get for giving faggots boak

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Has anyone made their own chicken liver pâté'? I was wondering if the DCs would like that.
DS loves ham but I don't like him having too much processed meat tbh.

Lemon curd. That's got to be ok.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

We're they faggots though?
When I used o send DS to cm with falafel in his lunch it was written down as him having scotch egg. (mmm, scotch egg)
Some meatballs would be appetising when cold IMHO.
But not faggots, personally. Although I do like them hot.

[TheRealAmandaClarke]

Sorry? Were. Not we're blasted autocorrect.

[AgaPanthers]

Do people actually eat faggots? I have seen them in the shops, but I always wondered if people actually bought them.

[SchrodingersCake]

The only problem I can see with this is it doesn't have enough fat, but of course that depends on what else he has during the day.

I agree with the majority of posters, a case of mistaken identity!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

:o

chorus

Olive oil and tahini in the hummus right!! =fat

And the egg and yogurt

[JingleMyBells]

I wish my son would eat as healthily as that.