What my daughter has eaten so far this week at school...

[GuiltyAsAGirlCanBe]

I have been off this week. Usually dd has lunch at school and goes to her dad's or mil's and eats there - before I pick her up after work.

But this week I am on AL so I have been asking her what she eats for lunch, so I can gauge what to cook for tea. She is also now 4, so at the age where she can remember and tell me reasonably accurately.

Monday: pizza, tinned spaghetti and bread and butter.
Tuesday: cheese sandwich with nothing else
Today: pasta and cheese. With no sauce.

This is an independent preschool and admittedly lunches only cost a pound a day, but they are compulsory.

She is a vegetarian. I asked what the other children had today, she said cottage pie and vegetables. She wasn't offered anyveg.

I do remember them once mentioning that she didn't eat her veggie sausages once so they gave her a sandwich instead. She likes veggie sausages, she eats them at home. I didn't realise this has become a regular occurrence. She is not a fussy eater. I am not normally too precious about this sort of thing, but if she is telling the truth (she is articulate and generally honest), this is a bit ridiculous no? I am also more aware of giving her a healthy diet ATM, as she is getting a little chunky, and whilst her weight is still normal, she is on the 83rd centile so I want her diet

I take it Dd will be starting school come September.

Taking out 1/2 term there is approximately 12 weeks left in nursery.

Is it worth the battle for such a short time frame.

But they are offering a balanced meal -eg cottage pie plus veggies - just you and your dd are choosing not to eat that.
I do think they should be offering her the veggies, but I wonder if the veggies are cooked together with or something, so they can't offer them (there's plenty if vegetarians about who insist on separate pans etc).

arethereany - would you say the same if the OP and her DD didn't eat meat for religious reasons?

The nursery asked if there were any dietary requirements, and said they would cater to them. Therefore they should be providing a balanced meal that is suitable for the stated dietary requirement.

Yes - vegetarianism and religions are choices. I think a school should provide a healthy balanced meal. I don't think they should pander to individual choice.

That said - white bread and coco pops for breakfast is crap. State schools offers better and healthier options than that.

"pander"... aren't you just lovely.

The school asked the OP about dietary requirements and stated they would provide appropriate meals. They aren't fulfilling what they are being paid to provide.

I think it's appalling that all these restaurants and schools are pandering to these precious meat eaters who insist on dead animal flesh forming part of every meal. Oh, wait, except I don't....because that would be weird and incredibly intolerant.

I'm just glad I live in Mexico where food is an important part of life and most of it cooked from scratch.
The food your dd is being served, OP, sounds appalling and I would be ashamed to give that to a growing child. I'm shocked that so many people on this thread think that is ok.

Op, I wouldn't be happy either. Could you send in lunch? I know you say dinners are compulsory, but given their lack of effort in catering for her, perhaps they would be agreeable in your case?

Yes - vegetarianism and religions are choices

Eating meat is also a choice.

Why don't you send packed lunch?

Yanbu.

And coco pops belong in the confectionary aisle. They are more expensive than porridge oats!

Sounds very similar to what happens for a lot of children - they may not be vegetarians but often opt for rubbish food if given the choice. My son made terrible food choices at school, but I stopped stressing about it as I had no way to control this. So I compensated by making sure breakfast and dinner were really good meals.
You can try speaking to school, they will probably make some sort of supportive noises and then do nothing about it.

iggly in the OP, it is stated lunches are compulsory.

Sorry I skim read and didn't notice that!

I would complain tbh. I have done with my son's school dinners and his isn't compulsory.

How did you get on today with the School, OP?

Quick update - Thursday she was off, Friday I asked the teacher what she had as I wanted to know what to do her for tea. Apparently she had fish fingers, mash, and peas and carrots and I am not unhappy with that at all. I will ask daily next week what she has - it feels less confrontational that way!

I had to go in for a meeting to work on Friday, in the staff room after having a cup of tea and I had a chat to one of the dietitians, she also agreed with me that the grey hair is incredibly unlikely to be due to a deficiency without other symptoms such as listlessness etc. she also thinks a vegetarian diet is perfectly adequate for a toddler, and she says as I give her marmite, eggs, cheese etc regularly then no way would she be deficient in b12 or protein. Which confirmed what I already knew really! But us hcps are mothers and human too and occasionally need that reassurance as well!

So may just be a case of dd not telling the full story - but I'll see what she gets next week!

(Although my mum did say that perhaps the only reason she got a decent meal on the Friday is because all the other children would have been having fish fingers as well )

And when I asked did what she had had later on in the evening she remembered perfectly well exactly what she had had, so I am not dismissing outright yet that she remembered incorrectly earlier in the week!

What did they give her instead of the fish fingers?

she ate the fish fingers so isn't actually vegetarian then?

I said earlier in the thread that she eats fish, as she likes it, but I am a full vegetarian and I don't. I have given her the choice to eat meat if she wants to, but she doesn't. Ffs what do you want from me?! Earlier on everyone was telling me to get them to give her meat!

aIBU at it's best!

but I am a full vegetarian

No. You are a vegetarian. She isn't. She just doesn't eat meat.

(And having been a vegetarian for 20 odd years I do understand how vegetarianism is defined - but if we want to get caught upon the semantics rather than the point of this thread then fine by me)

Oh ffs. Fine she is not a vegetarian, she eats fish but she doesn't eat meat. For the sake of the school - they seem more comfortable with the concept that she is essentially a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish fingers and they seem to be able to get their heads round this. Otherwise they may be under that impression that she eats wafer thin ham or something...

Let's hope that asking them daily what she's had will remind them that she needs some half decent food. What they serve on Mon-Thurs next week will be interesting.

Sounds like a good plan OP

Does it matter whether the OP's daughter is a vegetarian or just doesn't like meat?! Either way she wont be selecting the meat options!