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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To believe we've forgotten how to eat healthily

394 replies

Yoruba · 13/06/2014 22:27

I'm so completely fed up of the school serving up so much rubbish, with seemingly no understanding that its unhealthy. It is really really hard to find good evidenced advice about healthy eating for children. There seem to be contradictory reports coming out all the time, and I say that as someone who is really interested in this subject so it must be harder if you don't.

The school meals are utter rubbish. They have a sugary rubbishy pudding every day, sweets at every possible occasion and now they have seen fit to start selling ice creams after school to raise money.
Im not even THAT strict I don't think, I'm happy for her to have these foods but evidence shows that eating them regularly alters your taste buds and makes you crave them more. I think they should be occasional foods we eat as PART of a healthy diet, not every day.

But at the moment I'm feeling like a lone voice and I hate dd feeling like she's missing out in not having what her friends are. I don't want these things to be "forbidden" objects of desire.

It just seems as though there is very little knowledge now of what is actually healthy for children.

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 19/06/2014 12:26

And schools providing 'healthy' meals is a lie - we refuse as a society to pay enough in taxes to provide this.

And schools have a difficult job getting children to eat healthy food in areas with poverty as it's different to how they eat at home - there are a lot of places where oven chips and chicken nuggets is dinner.

GarlicJuneBlooms · 19/06/2014 12:28

Found it! Link here in case it comes out too small - and now I'm stopping with the bees.

To believe we've forgotten how to eat healthily
TinklyLittleLaugh · 19/06/2014 12:36

Garlic thank you so much for that! DS and I shall go and do some identifying when he gets home from school.

ppeatfruit · 19/06/2014 13:03

The Hay diet is not mixing heavy proteins with carbs. eg. burgers; if they're good quality the components are ok apart IFYSWIM. I don't follow it to the letter I just go by MY experience and I know when I last had a steak and kidney pie it made me ill.

Also eating fruit on an empty stomach. Regardless of any scientific tests I KNOW how I feel and I'm the only person in my age group and below (50s and 60s) I know who's healthy and slim so there's a lot in it actually.

TheLovelyBoots · 19/06/2014 13:25

I do find it strange that some very delicious foods are considered "rank" or somehow off-limits. Like quinoa, or lentils, or edamame. I've fed my children brown rice from the outset and it's downright decadent with bouillon, olive oil & a bit of parmesan.

Chattymummyhere · 19/06/2014 13:53

It is Ice cream Friday by any chance? I've just had that email from school

BravePotato · 19/06/2014 14:21

Lovelyboots, we all love pulses in this house!

Lentil tomato chorizo stew is a favourite

TheLovelyBoots · 19/06/2014 14:34

We love beans too. I make a variation on what you've described, friend pancetta & garlic with brown lentils/tin of tomato/tiny pasta. This is my eldest's favorite dinner.

fuzzpig · 19/06/2014 14:41

Ooh, recipe please brave potato! :)

All this bee talk is really interesting, not boring at all (although the phrase "bee bore" makes me giggle for some reason Blush) :)

Anyone see the swarm programme on yesterday? Man deliberately covers himself in bees wanders into a cafe.

Is that a description of the programme, or the opening line of a joke :o

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 19/06/2014 14:52

YY LovelyBoots. I don't know if it's a UK thing or what, but as well as the commonplace aversion to pulses and anything that is, in somecases, not heavily processed and full of sugar, there just seems to be a very widespread opinion that food should not take any effort at all.

You've probably already seen the Nesquick cereal thread, but a lot of posters are of the opinion that it is just not possible to have anything other than cereal or toast for breakfast because other things require, shock, cooking, or pissing about.

These other, massively difficult and time consuming breakfasts, of weird and expensive ingredients, are things like omelettes, or continental style, with slices of meat and cheese.

One poster who has suggested nuts, is told that in fact, it is she who is the nut.

Yet in other countries, people do this all the time. I believe that, possibly in eastern Europe, foragaing for nuts and berries is commonplace. Yet anyone who posts the suggestion that anyone does this on here is met with cries of derision.

Typical German breakfasts consist of slices of meat and cheese - I'm going to steal this idea, because it seems to be the perfect portable breakfast. If I'm not hungry first thing, I could put some meat and cheese in a tub, accompanied by cornichons, nuts and olives perhaps and will eat it later. To me that is quick and simple, but posters suggesting things like this are responded to with piss takey posts about having to get up at 5 am to fuck about with meat and cheese.

And normal everyday people in many other countries eat lots of lentil or chick pea dishes - it is just normal food to them. But here, it seems that pulses are only for people who are being excessively frugal, either by choice or necesscity, or it is some worthy middle class pursuit.

TheLovelyBoots · 19/06/2014 15:05

Yes OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat if I had a nickel for every time I'd seen on MN that pulses are middle-class nonsense....

Add me to the chorus of "I don't understand why eggs are considered a time-consuming breakfast". I make soft-boiled eggs for mine and they are possibly less messy and time consuming (save for the 6 minutes they're on the stove, when I'm sorting other things out) than my children getting out the cereal and milk, which can be a pretty messy affair.

unrealhousewife · 19/06/2014 15:06

sorry fuzzpig I was on my tinypad and feeling concise with the words. It's a nature programme called swarm, which is fascinating and a bit disgusting which is often a good combination.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=swarm

Here's bee-man. He's on at the end. He's an entomologist.

ppeatfruit · 19/06/2014 16:00

Yes i agree The Lovely and OnIlkley People are described as the "knit your own lentils brigade" thus dismissing anyone who dares to do something just a tiny bit out of mainstream. Like actually caring about their health and trying to heal themselves with their diet (heaven forfend just go to the medics they know and can heal EVERYTHING ) I wish!!

TheLovelyBoots · 19/06/2014 16:12

I view lentils much as I do jacket potatoes (when eaten with the skin), they're both cheap and wholesome and delicious. Yet only lentils are an object of scorn. No one would suggest jacket potatoes are middle class faffery. Why?

ppeatfruit · 19/06/2014 16:17

Yes it is odd esp. thinking about the popularity of Indian food, maybe people don't realise that dahl is lentils Grin

BravePotato · 19/06/2014 22:16

A long time ago, someone made a joke about lentil weaving. It was funny the first time around, but has suffered from overuse by people with no sense of humour, but a (meat) axe to grind.

It stopped being funny in 2001

CorusKate · 19/06/2014 22:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Yoruba · 19/06/2014 22:56

This thread is great :o I LOVE the kids menu thread. I haven't read it all yet but that is the absolute crux of it. We seem to expect kids to be fed crap. Whilst not really understanding that it is crap :|
I think there needs to be simpler, clearer guidelines on healthy eating. The Nhs start for life thing would have been great, if they hadn't suggested swapping to low sugar fizzy drinks and low fat yogurts. For under 5s.

And the pp who said that peer pressure is a big part of it - yes it so is. Kids in dds class bring in tonnes and tonnes of crap, and it has a healthy eating policy (though no lunch box police) but packs of crisps and chocolate bar are fairly standard daily fare. If everyone else is having that its fairly hard for the kid with pasta salad and veggies and dips.

OP posts:
ppeatfruit · 20/06/2014 10:10

Do you know this is depressing yoruba I mentioned the peer presssure Grin btw. When ds1, who is now 26, told me in shocked tones about one of his friend's lunch box ,when they were 9, which contained; only 2 chocolate bars and chocolate spread sandwiches !! Shock I thought that things might improve in the future!! But no Sad

Sirzy · 20/06/2014 12:44

I think that's the problem for schools. People complain about the "lunch box police" but when you see what is sent in without restrictions it soon becomes clear why some level of restriction is needed - although so schools undoubtedly go too far.

AlwaysHopeful · 20/06/2014 12:51

This concerns me too. With free school meals from September for my two DCs they've both said they want school meals. I'd have rather they had water packed lunches still, but I'll give it a term and see his we get on. The menu looks patchy to me...

It is a concern Hmm

unrealhousewife · 20/06/2014 12:58

Remembering school dinners, steak pie with mounds of cabbage and spuds. Liver and bacon with carrots, mash and onion gravy, fish pie... Must be lunch time.

Got to be better than a sandwich, apple and crisps.

Sirzy · 20/06/2014 13:06

DS starts school in September but I am planning on sending a packed lunch. There are too many days on the school meals menus which just look like they are stodgy things which DS won't eat, and given he will be having an evening meal at home I don't see the need for two hot meals a day.

ppeatfruit · 20/06/2014 13:12

Sorry Corus I didn't write the full name of the brown fizzy sugar water drink (Have you guessed yet?) because I hate the company a lot and I don't want 'cookies' advertising the said despicable company appearing on my site. Grin

unrealhousewife · 20/06/2014 13:13

It doesn't matter what temperature the meal is, what matters is that it's nutritious and builds him up. I would have thought it's an ideal opportunity for a fussy eater to try new things.

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