to think fruit and vegetables are a bit of a con

[mariej2]

Me and the hubby have both never been a big fan of fruit and veg. We don't worry about having 5 a day and probably rarely do. We are both healthy late 30s, not overweight and hardly ever get ill.

Now dd is at school we are having her friends round for dinner. One was horrified that we fed her daughter fish fingers, baked beans with diet cola. To be fair we would usually have sweet corn with this meal simply because we like it but we had ran out.

It feels like kids are being punished by feeding them kale and broccoli and nothing nice.

Apparently a glass of orange juice has as much sugar as a Mars bar. If you give your child the orange juice that's not much of a treat and once they become a teenager they will gorge on all the forbidden foods!

I think this whole eat fruit and veg is a conspiracy to make the supermarkets more money and make people miserable.

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest that you gave my child any of that - including the diet coke - because I know they eat a very healthy diet the rest of the time. It's all about balance. I don't agree with making any foods forbidden as that's when the problems start and sugary foods become something to be gorged on rather than occasionally enjoyed.

You are wrong about veg and fruit in general though - we all need them to get some vitamins and remain healthy. If you don't like them you can't be cooking them right - I was vegan for 26 years and still eat many of the main meals now as they are so tasty.

Aren't your entire family dreadfully constipated?

I agree. Tis a vair interesting first post...

And yes I nc as a regular on another board and know how judgy people can be

Fry the kale in a little coconut oil until crispy, then season.

And you are missing out on so much by not eating fruit and vegetables. It's sad that your children haven't discovered how delicious mangoes are, or lychees, or a lovely crisp apple, straight from the salad drawer. And salad, a really good salad is packed full of flavours and textures.

I think realistically, anything in it's purest, unprocessed form is good. Which is mostly fruit and veg! You say you are healthy - have you ever had any form of nutrients check? Or do you take a multi vitamin?

And you aren't entirely correct, DS sees no punishment at eating (to date ) every single type of fruit and veg I have given him except broccoli and salad leaves. Certain fruits are an enormous treat for him.

I would not have judged for fishfingers and beans, I love them, though again would serve with veg or fruit for afters - but the fizz, and diet fizz at that, I would be quite annoyed by.

How old were the kids you gave diet cola to?

I wouldn't bother, even about the diet coke, it's about moderation and a balance and I do think some people go a bit OTT xbout fizzy juice. The word there is balance....my kids like fruit and veg as well as other stuff, not all eg DS3 doesn't like carrots but loves brocolli, DS 2 eats most veg, even Brussels! I let them try it and as long as they try I don't mind even if they don't like it . Both love sweets and chocolate to - yet love fruit to. We are just back from Italy and DS2 shows 12 loved the quality of the fruit, he was picking his own watermelon and cherries to eat every day. How's that a con when he genuinely loves them?

I think there's a bit more to a glass of orange juice than sugars. And not much more to a Mars Bar.

Make kale crisps for a nice snack.

If I was having it with sausage and mash or something I fry a shallot, garlic on low heat until softened, add kale (remove all storks as they're bitter and tough) fry until soft - about 10 mins. Sometimes I fry some bacon lardons with it too - delicious!

yab deepy u to refer to your husband as "hubby" (as an aside, school hols anyone?)

Yabu. And unhealthy.

A neighbor let my DS drink two cans of Mello Yellow the other day and I was irritated.

I don't like veg or fruit much. But I eat it. I feel better and enjoy life more when I do.
My mother died of cancer in her thirties, the doctors said it was due to her bad diet, lacking fruit and veg, preferring Mars bars etc.
it does affect you long term if not now.

Also with a stir fry, do the same but add some soy sauce to it, goes v well!

Sausage and kale is a great combo - Recipe

By the way wats wrong with hubby? I call mine hubby sometimes.

Fish fingers and beans is a pretty standard 'playdate' meal, my DD often has that sort of thing at friends' houses. Coke for a child that age though? I'd be pissed off too. My DCs are allowed it very occasionally like with a meal out but I think with young children the done thing is to ask if they're allowed it, IME. I did this recently when taking 3 other 7yos out for DD's birthday lunch (one said yes she can have anything, one said yes but he doesn't really like it anyway, one said no fizzy drinks please) - it's quite common round here for coke to be only an occasional thing for youngsters. I definitely wouldn't assume a 5yo could have it.

Assuming you are not taking the piss of course YABU.

Health isn't all about weight.
Shite diet is linked to lots of life limiting illnesses.
Your meal had almost no vitamins in it. Just protein and carbs.
My DH was brought up on a shite diet, all of his family have health problems (diabetes, heart problems, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis) only his dad is fat.

DH was quite resentful to his parents but that was in the 70s when loads of people were ignorant.

Ps Kale is vile.

My 3yo loves berries, they are definitely as much of a treat as chocolate. If someone would grow strawberries with a crappy plastic toy in the middle he would be overjoyed.

I don't think fishfingers and beans is a bad dinner and I might feed it to a visiting child on the basis that most kids will eat it.

I would definitely object to diet coke! But as a one off I wouldn't mention it.

A glass of fresh orange juice is a treat and I always considered it to be so as a child - I remember going on holiday and having freshly squeezed fruit juice and thinking it was amazing.

You know what mariej2 I think you have a point. Government information and guidelines do change with alarming regularity. Because now we actually have to eat 7 veg a day - fruit is okay but not as good and apparently fruit juice has no nutritional value. So I've read.

My dear mum, always drank a small glass of fruit juice every morning with her breakfast thinking that it was 'doing her good' as this is the information her generation was given. She lived to the reasonable age of 78. But as it turns out, that fruit juice was doing her no good at all!

Perhaps it isn't all a con - but maybe people should just do all things in moderation.

And kale and celeriac mash is delicious and much tastier than plain mashed potato.

treaclepot since when is rheumatoid arthritis linked to having a bad diet??

I've not tried kale before what's it taste like?

Op don't you feel guilty? I feel awful if my dc have had an unhealthy few days

I'm not sure why you seem to have singled out kale.... tons of other veg out there! Aubergine fried with some onion, garlic, mushroom and a tin of chopped tomato and some red lentil added makes a delicious pasta sauce and gives you absolutely tons of nutrients. Both my love consider it one of their fave meals.

As someone else mentioned, I can't help but think you must be terribly constipated.

"We dont live on pop tarts, dinner last night was stake and a peppercorn sauce with boiled potatoes and a lemon cheesecake afterwards."

That sounds nice, but rather dull with no vegetables. There are so many interesting ways to cook vegetables to make them more tasty. I would have had a mixed salad with that with a tasty dressing on it

I really don't understand how anyone can just say they don't like all veg because they are all so different. To me it is like saying that you don't like all food. I completely understand that most people don't like a particular vegetable or other food item. For example, I loathe parsnips, but to me a meal is incomplete and boring without some kind of vegetable.

And yes, YABVVVVVVU. You have no idea of the health issues you are storing up for yourselves and your children. I'm sorry to say that to believe that there is some kind of government conspiracy to get us to eat more fruit and vegetables says a lot about you. Are you really this stupid?

And diet coke!
Why?

It tastes vile and isn't any healthier than the full fat version.