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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think cheese is a healthy snack?

331 replies

insuranceidiot · 31/08/2016 21:07

Maybe I am. I gave my LB cheese chunks in a little pot and a small bottle of water for his Break today on his first day in Primary school. He loves this and has it at home. He came home with a note saying in future to send a healthy nutritious snack in future.

Can I ask what u would send as a Healthy snack to school please?

OP posts:
Original poster
insuranceidiot · 01/09/2016 07:15

Thanks Ladies. I was beginning to doubt my self. Today I will add a few grapes with his cheese (although I know he won't eat them)! We are still walking him in to class so I'm gonna nicely ask if she has a list of "acceptable" snacks to see what they advocate at this school.

OP posts:
DrunctioningFunk · 01/09/2016 07:33

A few cubes of cheese is a perfect snack imo

MothersGrim · 01/09/2016 07:40

All my children need all day is 2 grapes, a naice snack of ribboned carrots and a bowl of miso soup for dinner. I don't want them getting fat Hmm

JennyOnAPlate · 01/09/2016 07:45

It's fruit or veg only at my dds school for morning snack. And then they go into the dinner hall and have pizza with chips and cake with custard ConfusedAngry

Trifleorbust · 01/09/2016 08:09

I get so confused about the food police too. If you as a parent think it is okay to give your child cheese as a snack, I don't think that's anyone else's business. If they have an issue with it, they should provide the snack.

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 01/09/2016 08:14

Do some schools actually try to micro manage kids' diet to this degree?? ShockShock

I'd send him in with mars bars for a week if I received that kind of note.

LaurieMarlow · 01/09/2016 08:21

Don't forget that peanut m&m's have the mumsnet seal of approval Wink

Clankboing · 01/09/2016 09:58

I can bet anything that the headteacher does not know about this!

WindInThePussyWillows · 01/09/2016 10:11

That's ridiculous! We used to get a digestive biscuit and a cup of squash back when I was at school and I've turned out fine!

Cheese is a fine snack, as long as it's not a whole block, but a few cubes will do more good than harm.

Vintagegirl1 · 01/09/2016 10:19

My youngest ds loves cheese and I often send him with cheese and crackers or small chunks of cheese. Today he has houmous and breadsticks. He is a fruit refuser so grapes etc not going to cut it.

MackerelOfFact · 01/09/2016 10:32

FFS. Why do schools seem to think that young children should be following a diet designed to help obese inactive adults lose weight, like they should all be on fucking Weight Watchers or something!?

A child needs calcium, fat and protein and cheese has all of those things. It will keep him full for ages too. Yes it's also calorific, but guess what, (most) 4-year-olds are active and need to grow, not lose weight! Fruit is sugary and will rot his teeth and probably give him a sugar high/crash if eaten on its own. Yes it has vitamins but fruit won't sustain him for very long.

Keep sending the cheese. Let them write notes. Unless he's having cheese croissant for breakfast and cheese feast pizza for dinner as well, cheese as a snack is perfect.

NickyEds · 01/09/2016 10:55

The school are being ridiculous. If I got a note saying 'please send a healthy nutritious snack' I'd send one back saying 'I did'. Cheeky bastards.

I really fancy some cut up cheese now.

squoosh · 01/09/2016 10:59

I agree with Mackerel. Banning cheese as a snack is lunacy. Keep giving him cheese!

Just to hammer home my point I'd dress up as a wheel of Stilton the next time I was dropping him off.

HeddaLettuce · 01/09/2016 11:18

He came home with a note saying in future to send a healthy nutritious snack

A note back saying that they could fuck off in future should cover it.

Moonraker37 · 01/09/2016 11:37

Thank you for the link Penguin. V useful... Appreciated.

madein1995 · 01/09/2016 12:44

Ridiculous IMO. Children need healthy fat - that in butter, cheese, milk etc - they should not be eating 'low fat' stuff, they are busy and burn it off! of course cheese is healthy - full of calcium, protein and fat which they need.

As an aside I'm not sure why schools stick their nose in re snacks anyway. Surely 30 years ago they didn't, and a packed lunch consisted of a jam sandwich, club biscuit, crisps, drink and perhaps an Apple? A lot 'unhealthier' than now but everyone was slimmer. Perhaps exercise is to blame - back in them days children walked more etc etc. I do not think the obesity epidemic is down to giving kids cheese - of course junk food plays its part but on the whole lots of us eat much healthier now than years ago - yet were heavier. I think portion size and exercise is the main culprit, not cheese. I'd tell the school to mind their own business op - it's your child, not theirs, and you give what you want

CrushedCan · 01/09/2016 12:47

I would write a note back with "fuck you" but that's just me ....a psycho....

CoolToned · 01/09/2016 12:48

It is. It's healthier than most "healthy" snacks - sugary granola bars, etc.

madein1995 · 01/09/2016 12:49

Also when I was in pre school they gave us Orange squash and a plain biscuit , it did me no harm - being 3, we quickly burnt off the snack. Children shouldn't worry what is healthy and what isn't - food is food for them and its only recently things like biscuits etc have been banned. Considering they're full of sugar that's a good idea, but low fat stuff isn't the answer. There's a reason the gov advice is full fat milk until at least the age of 2 - because they're growing children and need it

insancerre · 01/09/2016 12:49

Cheese is a healthy snack

I would ask the school why they think otherwise

If they want fruit then the should stipulate that

CornishGinger · 01/09/2016 12:51

I would print off some info on cheese for them, cheese is good for you in moderation, great source of protein. Then I would tell them I'm packing it again for snack.

happyinthesunshine · 01/09/2016 12:55

Many years ago a friend of mine kept getting her DDs lunch box censored. Always getting suggestions for healthy snacks, when they were in the whole healthy. I remember her threatening to send a pack of cigarettes in the said lunch box (she didn't smoke) just to wind them up.
She didn't ever go through with it, but it made me smile imagining the outrage from lunch monitors.

AppleSetsSail · 01/09/2016 12:56

Good grief. I'd be having a small crisis of confidence if I were you.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 01/09/2016 13:01

Exactly the same at DD's school Jenny.

I tend to roll my eyes at the "guidelines" and send an apple whilst inwardly seething at the double standards.

Lweji · 01/09/2016 13:06

If it's not poisonous it's healthy, FFS.

Cheese is definitely nutritious.
Children need the fat and the protein. More than adults do.

You can add a couple of crackers and some veg/fuit and it covers it all.

Mid morning snacks are not supposed to give vitamins and sugar (fruit!), though.
They are supposed to give energy to keep them between meals. So, cheese or crackers or bread IS fine.