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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My husband has lost the plot !!

353 replies

MyWonderfulbutcrazyHusband · 20/09/2018 21:04

Ok, so hear me out here!!!

In my opinion, DCs (6 and 4) are pretty healthy kids! They exercise a LOT and their diet is, I think, pretty ok!

Example

Breakfast - weetabix with fromage frais, honey and grapes

Snack - milk and a some fruit (or occasionally Pom bears or a 'YoYo' bar for a treat!!)

Lunch - sanwiches with cucumber slices and carrot sticks

Snack - banana or raisins

Dinner - tomato pasta or spaghetti bolognaise or something like that! With veg sticks

So ... my (usually amazing, very sane, very sensible and completely gorgeous lovely he's reading this!!) DH said tonight he thinks the children have too much sugar and we need to cut out the fromage frais and honey in the mornings?

I think ... 'well at least they don't scoff chocolate, don't eat takeaways, and they deserve at least something they like (life is too short to cut out everything, right?)'

So - what do you think!?

Husband is reading this! So please tell him to leave their breakfast alone! They are good, healthy, sporty kids and a fromage frais in the morning won't kill them!?

(Sadly, I am prepared to be told IABU, but you do realise DH will not let me forget it!!)

OP posts:
ImSoExhausted · 20/09/2018 22:37

My kid ate 7 clementines today. And tbh, that's on the lower side of his usual daily fruit intake. He does have SEN so anything with a few vitamins in is a win for us, I think your DS's diet sounds fine, I will agree with the raisins though, they are absolutely full of sugar. We swapped our raisin snacks for crackers and cheese instead :)

PinguDance · 20/09/2018 22:38

I agree with your DH and PPs about breakfast too - you could swap to just milk and weetabix easily with a glass of orange juice through a straw if you’re particularly worried about teeth.

Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 20/09/2018 22:38

@EvaHarknessRose

Not for that age. You don't go telling them that it's too much sugar or too bad or they'll get fat. You just make small changes casually, and eat it with them and don't make a fuss about it. Don't even mention it. If they ask you say "they just didn't have any left st the shop for today".

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 20/09/2018 22:38

Just read update as long as teeth and weight is fine and they are healthy - crack on!

I know a kid when I was small that would literally only eat chips and plain pasta and white bread. That's all. His parents were going out of their mind with worry.

He's in his mid 20s now and is 6 ft with perfect health, bmi etc, his body somehow extracted everything he needed from his diet

SoftSheen · 20/09/2018 22:39

It sounds like a pretty good diet to me, certainly better than average.

user1483644229 · 20/09/2018 22:39

I agree with your husband as there is a lot of hidden sugar in the pasta, the bread, the yoghurt etc. You could change a few things just to cut down a bit.

SoftSheen · 20/09/2018 22:43

Pasta does not contain hidden sugar, bread doesn't usually either. They contain complex carbohydrates.

Romcomjunkie · 20/09/2018 22:43

Oh god, there’s no hope for anyone is there?!

theOtherPamAyres · 20/09/2018 22:43

I'm with Dad. Lots of hidden sugar there.

Fiffyshadesofgreymatter · 20/09/2018 22:45

@SoftSheen

Which the body turns to glucose and uses for energy. They have a very carb heavy diet and little protein. Their macronutrients ratio needs son altering.

CoffeeCoffeeTea · 20/09/2018 22:52

I'm impressed as it sounds a very healthy diet, but a little variety would be good. do your children eat fish? Is dinner always pasta?

beefchowmein · 20/09/2018 22:53

I always thought the sugar in fresh fruit didn’t count towards the daily allowance of sugar kids should have?

Akanamali · 20/09/2018 22:54

It sounds like a pretty good diet to me, certainly better than average

With obesity rates rising in this country I don't think 'better than average' is what anyone should be aiming for

CaptainNelson · 20/09/2018 22:54

All I have to say is
Biscuit Gin
How many carbs in that?
Grin
They're kids, ffs. Macronutrients??? Wtf?

BabySharkAteMyHamster · 20/09/2018 22:55

Id get rid of the raisins over the fromage frais and honey. Raisins stick to the teeth and cause decay.

gingergenius · 20/09/2018 22:55

Ffs really?

Original poster
MyWonderfulbutcrazyHusband · 20/09/2018 22:57

Coffee - No dinner is not always pasta! It was just an example! Yesterday was mashed potato, broccoli, sweet corn, cucumber and cod in breadcrumbs.

OP posts:
gingergenius · 20/09/2018 23:01

Bloody hell im seriously glad my 3 aren't in this next wave of dietary angst.
Eldest nearly 17, middle nearly 14 and youngest nearly 10.

Have eaten all the food groups. Not a filling between them. Not one of them overweight.

None of them sporty or in any way active enough to burn off excess calories.

What I ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE is: 'do you really want that or are you bored/thirsty/needing something else?'

To each their own etc but OMG sooooo much overthinking here!

Movin · 20/09/2018 23:02

If he is being a complete dick then swap the raisins for fresh fruit and ditch the sweetened yoghurt for natural. But I think that's taking it a step too far. I'm extremely active, have a very good diet but happily feed myself and dss Nutella or Jaffa cakes pre long run. If it's good enough for Paula Radcliffe it's good enough for me !
Life is for living Smile

Akanamali · 20/09/2018 23:03

I agree with your DH and as PP have mentioned most of your 5 a day should come from vegetables rather than fruit. Their diet isn't terrible but there's just no need for all of those carbs/sugar. I'd add more protein and add vegetables. I'd be wary of encouraging a sweet tooth and this may cause problems in later life.

gingergenius · 20/09/2018 23:04

Kids need carbs. It's a growing thing!

gingergenius · 20/09/2018 23:05

@Akanamali are you aware of children's nutritional needs? Your comments seem much more adult -centric

Akanamali · 20/09/2018 23:06

They're kids, ffs. Macronutrients??? Wtf?

Macronutrients are simply fats, proteins and carbohydrates. If more people paid attention to them as well as portion sizes the UK wouldn't be the obesity capital of Europe.

iamyourequal · 20/09/2018 23:06

Omg another of these threads: middle class parents start thread because they are needlessly worried about their children’s perfectly adequate diet. Then, lots of flaky, health obsessed cranks with an unhealthy interest in diet wade in with their on-trend nutritional analysis and make the parents feel even worse!
Please just chill out on this. Fruit, yoghurt, weetabix, honey &pasta are fine for kids. Relax. Enjoy your children enjoying their food. Why not try giving them coco pops for breakfast this weekend and see their sheer unbridled joy eating them!

spinabifidamom · 20/09/2018 23:07

Today my stepdaughter ate two pieces of chocolate cake. We do try to ensure that she has fruit for lunch and vegetables at dinner time as well. If I allow her to have something sweet in the morning I typically balance it out with a healthy option later in the day. I make sure that she eats a healthy snack before her dance class. Energy drinks are banned.

We don’t have much junk food anyway. A little junk food is not going to hurt her. As long as she exercises it’s fine by me.

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