Nursery Meals - appalling?

[TheBlushBaby]

I have been looking at nurseries and the meals provided. I plan to raise my son plant-based with white meats occasionally, and with no processed foods. I like to cook everything from scratch and can happily make extras. I make all sauces, seed loaf, and everything else I can.

Of course this works under our roof as it's how we eat, but this isn't the way for everyone.

I was very shocked reading the meal plan for the nursery. Can I send my son with packed lunch? Does their menu seem very carb heavy to anyone else? It's all cheese, breads, pastas, potatoes! Am I overthinking this?

HipHopFrog That's reassuring to hear! As long as it's possible, and I'm not being a total Gwyneth Palrow mother by trying to eat lots of fruits and veg at home, I'm happy.

Careful blush don't want the first word to be "artichoke" you will never live it down

Ah, I remember your last incarnation OP. You're that poster! Explains it all.

Good try hiphop but I EBF for 6 months before BLW on veg, then fruit then other foods. Yes my child eats chips (once a week at home, once a week at school) but he also eats spinach and squid and squash and seaweed. He has a healthy relationship with food and is on less than the 50th centile for weight (despite being on the 99.9th for height)because nothing is forbidden but he understands the difference between every day foods and treat foods and I understand that children need a balanced diet to grow and that should includes carbs and fat.

School meals are meant to be disgusting to put you off junk food for life, well it worked for me!

The important thing is balance and moderation IMO. I grew up with very healthy eating parents and I am glad I had the nutritional education I did. However as a result of their control over my diet I am obsessed with junk food and have an awfully sweet tooth. I am trying to strike a balance with DS.

What do you expect? This is a school menu carrying for lots of children on a small monetary AND time budget. What's wrong with pudding everyday? And a vegetarian option is offered.

Primary school meals on average, are based on a food cost of 60p per person per day as you then have to add staff wages and kitchen running costs to that.

Accept it or ask if you can send a packed lunch.

God help you when your child hits primary and wants what their friends have. And god help you when they hit big school and rebel completely by using dinner money to call at the shop for red bull and a chocolate bar!

That will never happen Writermum. Parents who - you know - actually CARE about their children have introduced them to a healthy diet as babies therefore they will never want junk. These children will be happy to eat a lunch that is different to everyone else's because they have been taught all about healthy eating.

Exactly Cath. You got it!

...but even if/when that fails I will be happy in the knowledge that whilst I was able to control/influence my child's diet they had decent food.

I wish you luck user.

My mother is into living a natural healthy life: so exercise, yoga, lots of fruits and veggies but she didn't restrict our diets growing up...just gave us a wide variety, good portion sizes and taught us moderation. The more unhealthy the food was, the less frequently we had it. I am trying to emulate that with my DD and it is working. She eats everything we eat and is on the 50th centile for her age. My advice to those who ask: eat a varied balanced diet and offer the same to your children. Most of the time, without any medical issues, you'll end up with healthy children.
FWIW, the menus looks ok although the vegetarian is very limited

"If you want to have duch strict diet content then dont send your child to nursery."

Quoting from a pp above, but that's all that needs to be said. Or carry on looking for a nursery that has the same menu as you do at home.

"That will never happen Writermum. Parents who - you know - actually CARE about their children have introduced them to a healthy diet as babies therefore they will never want junk. These children will be happy to eat a lunch that is different to everyone else's because they have been taught all about healthy eating. hmm "

^ This is a sarcastic post in case anyone hasn't realised.

Looks fine to me. Kids are very active and need more energy from carbs.

Kids burn it all off in no time

MARMITE SANDWICHES nooo

OP, I'm another who doesn't think that menu looks awful at all, although I think toddlers will often eat more adventurously in a nursery setting than at home, and I like the nurseries that exploit that a bit. More veggie meals with pulses and veg are a cost effective way of trying that out. I do find the automatic assumption that small children only eat bland food frustrating, especially when it comes in the form of lamentable children's menus in restaurants.

However, saying all that, I have three children and none of them would happily eat unlimited pumpkin etc. They were all weaned on unprocessed food - vegetables to start. The adults in our house eat varied and healthy food. By 18 months they had all gone from eating pretty much anything put in front of them (I remember a very funny afternoon when one of them hoovered up several plates of sauerkraut) to eating not much more than plain pasta and fruit. I went from that dreadful smug parent to not very smug at all quickly.

Now they are a bit older the range is coming back. My eldest at 6 now eats broccoli, cauliflower cheese, raw carrots, bits and pieces of other stuff for example. She loves mussels and smoked salmon. But it took time. And her favourite meal is still plain pasta. Just prepare yourself for the fact that your child may not eat your food.

I've not rtft yet so apologies if this is a repeat, but a medical friend of mine suggested that my dd was eating too much fibre because of the fruit and veg that she loves, while not being as keen on carbs. She suggested altering the ratios because it's a lot for little digestive systems to cope with.

She's been eating as we eat basically, but has always favoured the fruit and veg, and while that amount of fibre is great for adults it can be hard for babies. My friend also recommends white bread and pasta etc, not granary/wholemeal to her patients for the same reason.

I took her advice on board and have seen a decrease in wind, meaning she's been more comfortable sleeping.

My kids are 36, 18, and 14. The older two eat healthily and will happily scoff fruit and veg along with a variety of meats and fast food in moderation. My youngest, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He will quite happily bury veg at the bottom of the pile in favour of any junk food he can lay his hands on. He's only just started to have mixed lettuce leaves in a processed ham sandwich. He won't touch meat unless it's in a sausage of the cheapest ones I can find, and will snack on biscuits and chocolate until the cows come home. But, he drinks fruit juice and milk by the bottle.

Working in a kitchen means I know a thing or two about food, but regardless of what I try, my son would rather not eat my meals. All three were brought up the same way, so no, I really don't think that bringing up a child a certain way with food, means they will always choose that same path.

Below is the information from the Carbs page of the official nutrition advice for 1-5 year olds. Please note it recommends starchy carbs at every mealtime

"Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods

These foods are a good source of energy, which is particularly important for children as they are very active. They also contain fibre and essential B vitamins, which are needed for growth and development.

Children should have foods from this food group at each mealtime. Try to offer a wide variety of bread – wholemeal, white, granary, tortilla, pitta, potato bread, soda farls.

Breakfast cereals are a great way to start the day. Not only are they a good source of energy, they contain vitamins and fibre too. Choose cereals such as Weetabix, Shredded Wheat and Ready Brek, or low fibre, low sugar cereals such as Rice Krispies and Cornflakes. Try to avoid sugar coated cereals such as Frosties, Coco Pops and Sugar Puffs as these can cause tooth decay and encourage children to have a sweet tooth.

Pasta, noodles and rice can be served at mealtimes. Avoid convenience snack noodles or snack pots as these are often high in fat and salt.

Boil, mash or bake potatoes. Chips should be limited to once or twice a week. For a healthier alternative to deep fat fried chips, choose thick cut oven chips instead."

Cereals are really not a good start to the day though.

Cornflakes and krispies are still ten percent sugar. So the average bowl will have a teaspoon of sugar in it.

My entire loaf of bread contains just a teaspoon.

I don't think cereal makes a good breakfast either. Not only the sugar but it's just not filling enough. If I eat cereal for breakfast I'm hungry again within an hour.

Also low in fat too

The only cereal I have in the house is weetabix - cereal itself is not inherently bad it's the crap added - especially to those marketed at kids. But young growing kids need bread/rice/pasta/potatoes. Not low carb, not pulses and but but what used to be called "staple foods" before sedentary adults made them the enemy.

But surely it's better to give food that has the nutrition in it naturally as opposed to cereal where it has to be added artificially.

Even The non kids ones are often high in sugar. Porridge would be better surely.

Surely porridge as oats is a cereal? I am supprised its not mentioned.