School asking children to calorie count?

[Justalittlelemondrizzle]

I was a concerned when my dd's 10 & 8, asked how many calories were in a something. I had a look and told her and asked why they wanted to know. Dd said on Friday in a special school assembly they (years 3-6) we're spoken to about healthy eating etc (fair enough) but then she said they were told that their new years resolution should be to eat no more than 3 snacks a day and each one shouldn't contain more than 100 calories.

I was quite shocked to hear this. And think the school are going a bit far. Don't get me wrong. I obviously don't think it's ok for children to eat crap all day long but both my dds as slightly underweight. They are very active and have fast metabolisms like dh (definately not me) I try to feed them high calorie food where possible while still making sure their diet is healthy.
I'm worried assemblies like this might encourage eating disorders in some people and I think it would have been handled better.
Aibu to think my healthy 8 and 10 year olds shouldn't be taught to calorie count?

It’s a national campaign by Public Health England - school is getting on board with it.

campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/campaigns/66-2018-change4life-nutrition-campaign/overview

I think I agree with you - perhaps better for parents to be doing the calorie counting on behalf of young children. But not all parents would do it I suppose.

Teachers delivering the messages, presumably in assembly, are usually not nutrition experts (and I teach food tech!). Also, based on my own experience, kids are prone to misinterpreting messages on health and nutrition so they come home saying “only fruit is healthy” etc.

I've never heard of schools addressing healthy eating in that way before; could you speak to school and just ask if they were really sending that message?

FWIW I think the whole system of teaching children about healthy eating and nutrition needs to be overhauled. DS1 is 12 and in Reception I remember him coming home with a picture of a plate split into two with headers "Good Food" and "Bad Food" and lots of tiny food pictures to cut out and stick to one side or the other. It went swiftly into the bin (and I'm really, really not that parent who makes a fuss about homework or school stuff) because I don't think children should be taught the concept of 'bad food' there's just stuff you should eat more of and stuff you should aim to eat less of.

Yea it was completely misinterpreted by them. They said they wernt eating certain things anymore and kept going on about snacks under 100 calories. Or they'd get cancer and die! I forgot to mention that bit!

I think this initiative may have a damaging effect. Especially as it doesn't seem to be being delivered properly.

Tell the tabloids. They love this stuff.

I think there is good food and bad food and was taught this from a very young age. I was also taught that it's ok to have small amounts of bad food but that it's not nutritious or a substitute.

Nobody in my extended family struggles with their weight.