AIBU - restrictive school snack policy, hungry child

[nemoni]

Our children's school (primary) has a policy of only allowing fruit and vegetables for snacks at school. Completely get the rationale - healthy eating, relatively easy to set parameters, no overly complex education needed around it etc.

The only problem is I have an active child - plays sport (on top of PE etc) 5 days a week and generally on the go. He comes home from school ravenously hungry, grumpy and tired. He's also going through a growth spurt. I'd like to be able to give him more carbohydrates, even protein, during the day as snacks, as I do on weekends, particularly on days he goes to after school sports sessions. I'm not asking for crisps/chocolate/jam sandwiches etc.

School so far saying no, no, no.

I think it's a cop out, it means they get to look like they're promoting healthy eating while not really promoting a balanced diet, kids are scoffing loads of dried fruit, and don't have access to a water fountain during school hours except at lunch. And don't get me started on school dinners.

Am I being unreasonable?! What parameters does your school set? How do they promote and support healthy eating? Thoughts welcome before I book a chat with the headteacher :)

pax it's difficult to eat enough at lunch if the school lunch is tiny and you're not allowed to take in a packed lunch.

I don't remember every thing being loaded with palm oil

No, because palm oil wasn't necessary, they just used hydrogenated trans-fats, palm oil only became popular because it's natural. Trans fats are almost certainly worse than palm oil.

High fructose corn syrup is also rarely used in UK food, it's simply more expensive than other sugar (the EU have a quota for production and a tarif on import, but don't on sugar), unlike in the US. It's only used as a small ingredient in situations where the balance of sugars actually matters to the production process / taste goals. Oh and people can digest it just fine.

Now that's worse than my DC's school, OP, we're expected to provide healthy snacks for before after school clubs, these apparently include tuna sandwiches and even sausage rolls!

Bathsheba,

The perception that the school lunch is 'tiny' is an interesting one, and perhaps a reflection of our understanding of portion sizes, since institutional food does tend to be based on recommended portion sizes for as child's age...

The portions MAY genuinely be too small to provide the recommended calories, but may just seem small in comparison to inflated 'norms'. It's like the recommended adult portion of meat for a meal is 70g cooked (the size of a deck of cards) - but how often do we see e.g. a whole chicken breast served as a portion?

Portion size for a 7-10 year old child - e.g. for protein - is around 1-2 eggs, 50-75g meat, fish, poultry. For grains, e.g. pasta, it is around half a cup cooked, or a slice of bread (though obviously that will depend on balance across the day, so e.g. a double portion would be entirely fine to count towards the total as long as it was cut down elsewhere)

since institutional food does tend to be based on recommended portion sizes for as child's age...

But activity levels can add 50% to the calorie needs of a primary aged child? So how can there be one portion size? Maybe the active over the sedentary should simply have an extra meal and a half - maybe some snacks around mid morning and mid afternoon?

BathshebaDarkstone I don't get it what's unhealthy about tuna sandwiches? I wouldn't eat five a day but it's quite a balanced snack for a kid that's going to be doing sport.

I do agree that portion sized have become massively inflated - kids meals in restaurants are often more than enough for an adult!

what activities are these kids doing that adds 50% calories to their day? A ten year old needs between 1400-2000 calories a day.
That's quite a lot to 'burn off', a 10k run for example, done by an adult would burn off 6-800 calories.

hoddtastic erm 2000 is almos50% more than 1400... So even that's enough to show how a single portion size is silly.

An adults 45 minutes exercise could indeed burn 800calories, there's quite a lot of other time in the day, and children should be 2-3 hours exercise a day, not 45 minutes.

Surely portion size is actually based on what an active person needs? A sedentary person would be advised to eat less, there's no case for adding on even more because the child takes exercise.
All kids move lots, even if it's not in a particularly regimented fashion

Does he have school dinners or packed lunch?
If it's school dinners and he is not a fussy eater speak to the school about portion size.
I had this problem with my son (extremely active and high metabolism) and they upped his portion size to what they considered a large lunch for a week. They saw that he was eating it all and therefore had no issue continuing it.

If you have the option of a packed lunch, just make sure you deep fill those sarnies! plenty of cheese !

As a child of the 70s who was very sporty before during and after school I survived without constant snacking. Bowl of porridge for breakfast with fruit, 1/4 bottle of milk mid morning at school, packed lunch and then a fruit snack after I walked home, evening meal, sporting activity and snack and warm milk before bed. Still pretty similar diet now except for the mid morning milk. My profession secondary PE teacher for 25 years.

The packed lunch wasn't 70s rubbish either - parents couldn't afford it. Also an era (in our house) of eat what you're given and be grateful for what you're eating.

When did children start needing a snack at break?

A chat with your dentist about acid erosion, me thinks. Increase the lunch size and put extra in the bag for emergencies. Doesn't have to eat snack in public........

Why do they need a snack at break. We didn't have that option when I was at school. A good breakfast and then lunch. If they are hungry they will eat breakfast - it's not the school's problem if they are hungry mid morning because they refused breakfast.

think its reciulous.they need to be taking the dam time to teach kids.not restricting so its easier to police.healthy eating?this doesn't just mean fruit and veg this is just as unhealthy to be so restrictive and rigid.good carbs.balance is just as good.one child might need a nuty bar there body needs to be listened to as the person that wants an apple.
they need to be taught to allow their bodies and brain to figure out a healthy snack for the right time and need.
one moment ur body could need a protein carb or sugar spurt,then the next day same time an apple.its about knwing and being taght this balance.
nor having to be the same as other.one childs body work diff to the next we all need diff.

Back in the 70s we had playtime snacks/ tuck shop in every school I went to and I went to loads and full fat milk to drink. I used to have Jacbs cream crackers and butter or prawn cocktail (a new invention) and 2 penny sweets from the tuck shop.

This was after a cooked breakfast.

Never been obese.

Bring back rationing. People weren't obese then and the 'aging population' grew up during that time.

When did children start needing a snack at break?

In 1946 it became law that they had one.

cantkeep my perception, based on my DC's experience, is that portion sizes are too large for nursery age DC and too small for y4 DC. DD 9 seems to be hungry from 11 until home time.

DS (now in lower sixth) does a lot of sport and has since primary. He has a huge packed lunch and saves some for in between the end of school and start of training/match/swim. He generally has a little left for the bus home too. He doesn't need the snacks in the morning because he has a good breakfast of oaty cereal, or egg, and a veggie smoothie.

IAm that's exactly my point! Fruit is not the only healthy snack in the world, and isn't enough before sports. In this respect, my DC's school is better than the OP's DC's school.

Just to repeat/in response to few comments - it's not that DS needs a snack for a 9-3 day, or between breakfast and lunch, it's because he does a 9am - 5.30pm day with school sports club straight from class 3 days a week. Lunch isn't enough to sustain him for that stretch etc, and sometime nor is fruit.