To think there is no such thing as childrens food

[Willowtree7]

I believe children do not need "childrens food" just smaller versions of... well... just food. It makes me so sad to think that children have fish fingers and chips for dinner followed by a petit filous yoghurt and washed down with squash because that's what we have been led to believe children should have.

I'm totally in favour of an ice cream on a hot day and the odd treat but not coco pops or cheerios for breakfast. It's like people recognise you shouldn't give too many sweets but beyond that don't see nutritional value in meals.

Our diet affects our learning, concentration and health. It's the most vital thing we all need to get right and yet we feed children processed rubbish that is so bland it needs sugary ketchup to give it flavour and this is considered normal.

Before anyone says it's about money and crap food is cheaper, i think A) that's a vop out for people that buy it and B) that's not the main reason people feed children poor diets. It's about lack of understanding of what food is. People that feed children wholemeal bread, humous and porridge are considered to be the unusual ones on some circles!! How did we get to this?

Why are fish fingers bad for the environment (genuinely don't know )

I am always amazed at how many mumsnetters appear to have been brought up in the 1950s!

sowhat. because Cod is being overfished and is not sustainable fish. However cod is very expensive now so I believe most cheaper fish fingers are actually made from sustainable alternatives.

I mean, who could deny their darling babe of a kid the joys of a fishfinger sandwich?!

Oh dear. Please stop. It's cringeworthy.

Thanks blaaaaah lots of the birds eye fish fingers are made from pollock now so you have to properly search for cod labelled ones if those are the ones you're after - not that I ever look in the freezer section or purchase of course

Well, I think there is no such thing as junk food, or eating "crap" and there is nothing wrong with fish fingers

It is fish with bread crumbs, why the panic?

"It is fish with bread crumbs, why the panic?"

Well, I'm not panicking. And I like a finger sandwich as much as the next woman.

But even the very best quality fish fingers are less than 60% fish. Most are 50% or less. The rest is fat and breadcrumbs.

Re: bland food for children being recent, no. Mrs Beeton's advice for Victorian mothers was that food should be "nourishing rather than stimulating", not much meat, varied puddings, no snacks. Meal suggestions - follow a roast with something simple the next meal like macaroni boiled in milk.

www.avictorian.com/servants_nursery.html

"If you buy a piece of fish, cut it up yourself and breadcrumb it then it's probably not a problem! I accept that very few people are talking about the non- Birds Eye variety though!!"

FuzzyPillow I don't think those would be considered "fish fingers", which are a processed food. There is no home made version.

Of course you can get a lovely piece of fish and batter then fry it, but that isn't what anyone means when they talk abut fish fingers, which are moulded from various minced up dregs pieces of fish.

Don't know anything about France, but just out of interest went and looked up the menus for a randomly selected Swedish state school (published online every week). What you get there is:

*a choice of two mains, one of which is vegetarian. All home-cooked on the premises and featuring options such as "fish stew with boiled potatoes and vegetables", "vegetable gratin with boiled potatoes", "Thai curry with rice", "meatballs with home-made mash and carrots".

*No puddings.

*a salad buffet on the side every day

*free access to milk and water and to wholemeal/rye bread and Ryvita

They urge any parents of a child with dietary restrictions (medical or religious) to contact the school to agree on special diet. These were secondary schools: I believe younger children get a vegetable/fruit snack as well.

My nephews and nieces speak highly of school dinners and as far as I can make out they are almost universally taken up. May well be something to do with the fact that they are tax funded so any parent who decided to listen to their child's complaints about the lack of chips would be forking out extra money.

And yes, to a PP's point above, the fish content is not 100% by a long shot.

As for the environment - it's not just cod that's overfished... basically we should all be eating less fish in general. I do think it's mad how much meat, fish and dairy we all eat, usually in every meal - it's way too much.

I could never be vegan or even veggie, but I don't mindlessly take animal products out of the freezer and eat them, or give them to my kids - they should be bought and consumed in moderation imo

And yes - bland food has always been recommended for babes - I remember reading that foundlings who could not be breastfed were fed a mush made of bread and water

But even the very best quality fish fingers are less than 60% fish. Most are 50% or less. The rest is fat and breadcrumbs

So what? What's so bad about fat and breadcrumbs ?

Thanks for the advice though that fish fingers aren't a hundred per cent fish, I really did think that the breadcrumbs etc were imaginary.

I never knew adults after fish fingers, how many would make a meal? I would need about 6 minimum.

Try the Waitrose fish fingers in batter they are Deeeelocious!

Love how Mumsnet this debate has turned!

FuzzyPillow I don't think those would be considered "fish fingers", which are a processed food. There is no home made version. Of course you can get a lovely piece of fish and batter then fry it, but that isn't what anyone means when they talk abut fish fingers, which are moulded from various minced up dregs pieces of fish.

Ah, fair enough. I wasn't sure as I don't eat fish.

There are children who eat wholemeal bread and smoked salmon, just as there are adults who have freezer food everyday.

Someone has mentioned frozen peas above. Working full time, I will confess to serving the occasional fish finger or pizza alongside other more 'acceptable' meals. I am baffled though why anyone could or would object to frozen peas? They are such a useful basic, and fresh peas are a complete pain.

Because on MN some people will look down on anything at all. It's as simple as that, but don't worry because they are gobshites.
Frozen peas are better for you than fresh.

I remember reading on here that peas don't count as a vegetable. FFS. No wonder people just give up and do nuggets and beans - the bar for healthy nutrition is set so high sometimes.

I do sort of agree with the opinion that there is no need for a separate category of special shit children's food. I don't think many people subscribe to that though. I doubt there are many people eating a fabulous healthy diet themselves while feeding children crap. The only time I've seen that happen the parents tried really hard to get their daughter to eat better but she just wouldn't. Also she's 15 now and is healthy and eats fine so her 5 years of eating only bread and pasta doesn't seem to have damaged her.

Oh yes, the old "frozen peas aren't vegetables they're carbs" line

That's right! Honestly it's at that point I just think oh well I can't win. Along with mashed potato being basically child abuse.

LiveLong...your sense of proportion is a little off, given the breadcrumbs are a tiny coating do you think they account for the 'missing' 40 or 50% left once you take off the fish?

I really think it's down to the individual child. DB and I were both picky eaters as kids but he was way, way worse than me. Despite growing up in the same household where our parents ate interesting spicy food from their home country that we were routinely exposed to. DB would eat nothing but chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese for months on end. I remember a phase around age 9/10 when Frosties were probably 75% of my diet. No, I'm not exaggerating. Oh, and one of our parents is a doctor!

It's really judgmental to think that because someone's child is eating fish fingers or whatever it's because they parents are lazy or not trying.

Of course, newbian. Fussy children will be fussy whatever you do. But you don't have to buy Frosties and chicken nuggets for them in the first place.

It is a fact that picky eaters do seem to be causing more of a problem in this country, for instance with schools being unable to keep a healthy diet because there are simply so many parents who insist that their children would only eat chicken nuggets. This seems to be less of a problem in some other countries (see the menu I posted above). Obesity is also more of a problem in this country.

My db was also a picky eater. But there is no way he could have made Frosties 75% of his diet, because they were too expensive and too sugary and our parents simply wouldn't have kept buying them. He would have had to eat boiled spuds or something equally boring but healthy and cheap.

LiveLong...your sense of proportion is a little off, given the breadcrumbs are a tiny coating do you think they account for the 'missing' 40 or 50% left once you take off the fish

I think its yours that is a little off, have you even seen a fish finger? It's not a tiny coating at all!
The part that is fish is 100% fish. The rest is listed in the ingredients for all to see, its not hidden in anyway. We don't need a reveal!