My husband has lost the plot !!

[MyWonderfulbutcrazyHusband]

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!!)

@Teateaandmoretea

But I did grow up with obese parents. As soon as I was old enough to choose my own food, I very quickly stopped eating the way they did. It's just stuck since then. I do enjoy a dessert occasionally and wine, but junk food just isn't something we bother with normally.

He's right. They dont need the honey or the fromage frais. Just give them greek yogurt. Honey is just pure sugar. It is not needed. Swap one of the snacks to proteins instead of more fruit. Fruit has vitamins but is again just sugar! Same with some veg (eg carrots) being quite high in sugars. Needs more greens and proteins included.

Sauce/source: sister is a dietician.

What? You mean they're not on a macrobiotic regime yet? Call SS.

FFS their diet is fine.

I'd get rid of the raisins, apparently dried fruit is terrible for teeth (especially as a snack instead of part of or after a meal) as it sticks in the back teeth and rots them basically.

sister is a dietician

Well I bet her customers are . Fruit is not just sugar total and utter NONSENSE.

@Teateaandmoretea

What part of "it's not on our radar" don't you understand? It's a non issue. In our house, we don't sit around discussing food. I have a large garden so we grow what we can... the kids love going our and digging up their side veggies for dinner. We eat plenty of fish and chicken and even plenty red meat which isn't "healthy" according to lots of people. But sweets.... they're not part of daily life. And none of us care. They aren't missed. They aren't asked for. When we are out somewhere like a fair or bowling thwybegt slushies and popcorn... But they don't get stuff like that everyday. And we don't miss it, or even think about it. Because it really doesn't matter.

Why are people who just don't even bother with sweets called obsessed and parents who give them out everyday are perfect well adjusted?

And what's the different between my working out for an hour in the morning at home and all the people who head to the gym or swim for fitness? Because I'm a single mum with no help I can't go for a swim but having a tred mill, rowing machine and exercise bike makes me obsessed?

To me this looks like the attempt at a healthy diet by someone who doesn't know much about nutrition. Sorry if that sounds harsh but you did ask.

IMO too much food without much nutrition, just calories and fibre.

IMO something like toast is fine for breakfast if accompanied by peanut butter, full fat cream cheese, and maybe a bit of marmite or honey for added flavour if needed. And a piece of fruit, eg banana, plums, satsuma or two

Lunch sandwich is OK but ideally something more like houmous than ham.

If I had that sort of breakfast and lunch then I'd be moving away from a pasta dinner and more towards a stew with lots of cooked veg in it also barley grains, lentils etc. And a mixed veg mash and steamed greens. Or a veg curry with dahl side, or a cottage pie again stuffed full of veg, lentils.

It's all about balance.

If circumstances meant I needed weetabix breakfast and pasta dinner then lunch I'd seek out a big salad with eg cooked beetroot, sweet potatoes, mushrooms etc - a cold roast veg selection with maybe some cheese.

So in summary I think your meal plan is OK and the meals not too bad, but three meals of that sort every day feels somehow empty of things which provide a real nutritional and taste kick. It feels like the sort of childhood diet which leads to unhealthy binging when they're cooking for themselves as young adults

I think this thread highlights the need for moderation and a bit of common sense.

There is no consensus and the official guidelines change fairly regularly.

Avoid obesity and too much of anything. Have plenty of exercise.

Or obsess about carbs and macros, calories, cucumbers and argue about them on internet forums if you prefer.

But you ARE discussing your strange views to food HERE and judging a perfectly normal diet. Why? As you say if you posted your diet people on MN would just criticise it differently. The OP isn't feeding her dc sweets on a daily basis either, neither am I. Perhaps you aren't obsessed you are the best judge of that I don't know you but judging other people's normal diets online is just .

@Teateaandmoretea fruit is sugars and nutrients and everything else. But it is the sugar in it you do not need. Fruit is good for you but it is also pretty fucking shit for you and your blood sugars if you eat a ton of in every day. It is carb laden and should be eaten in moderation especially dried fruit. It should not be every meal unless you need the carbs after a big expenditure.

Her customers are you lot! Considering she is NHS and works for school advisory too. But hey 👍 you carry on carrying on.

Kids dont need that much fruit. They need meals and snacks solidly based around proteins and good carbs.

Alpha you are talking nonsense. I strongly doubt people end up diabetic from eating too many apples. Are you/ her getting confused with mainlining fruit juice?

The idea that choosing not to use ready made or processed food make you "obsessed" is a disturbing notion.

Do you think my kids are missing out because I cook from scratch? My granparents were farmers, my mum a chef. Cooking from scratch is all I've ever known. My parents added a lot of crap on top and they are very overweight, but I just eat the way my grandparents did. I cook from scratch. And we don't buy junk. And my kids don't care.

But there's something really wrong with me and I'm giving them an eating disorder? Because we don't buy junk food or processed food or stuff with piles of sugar? They don't miss what they don't have. And treats are allowed but no one needs sweets and crisps every day. They're pointless, and you can make your own wonderful, tasty, enjoyable food so no one misses out on the experience of yummy food.

I think you're an idiot if you call people who eat home cooked, non processed food "obsessed". If they never ever allow treats then maybe you have a case, but that's not the case here and you're slinging names at me because I choose not to say junk food
... It's suddenly not surprising why so many people are obese.

Weetabix is already very sugary. You shouldn't be encouraging to add sweeteners. The fromage frais can be switched for yep Valley little yeos yoghurt if you want a healthier (and tastiest tbf) option. Obviously things like bread and pasta you should be opting for the wholewheat option. I don't think you children are having too much sugar (given that they are children) but you may be teaching them bad eating habits. If they continue eating like that into adulthood it will become a problem.

No, I'm calling people who come online to pull apart perfectly normal diets obsessed.

Weetabix is already very sugary

No.it.isnt.

@alphabravo fruit sugars are very different to sugar sugar.

@Teateaandmoretea

OP asked for advice... are you saying I'm not allowed to answer because I don't like store bought, processed stuff? Because that means the answers you get are skewed towards "processed is great".

Her husband has a legitimate concern and she's laughing at him. I asked about the pasta sauces being home made and she didn't answer, so I assume store bought. Those jars have a lot of sugar in them... that's a fact. So those, on top of the other stuff creates a lot of sugar. And not much protein. But also, everything they eat is topping up the sugar and attacking their teeth. My actual suggestion was switch one fruit snack to cheese as it's better for teeth and gives a bit extra protein. That's all I suggested... is that a bad suggestion?

Her husband has a point, they should compromise.

@teateaandmoretea they're like 5 percent sugar. You can taste it when you eat them.

These threads always bring out the loons.

Hm so apparently yoghurt, fresh fruit, pasta and bread are all bad for children

You all sound like good caring parents. My kids get their own breakfast while I try to heave myself awake. No idea what they eat. When one of them started looking a bit porky I banned the TV and turfed him outside to play.

It depends what your desired outcome is, weight? Health? Teeth? Energy? If your kids are fit and healthy and within their desired weight range and no cavities then don't really see the problem

The 5% includes naturally occurring 😂😂

@teateaabdmpretea so? It is more than enough. 5 percent is enough for it to taste sweet, if you are adding sugars it then bevone what, 20%? I'm sorry if your parents ruined your taste buds but OP should be trying to limit sugars so that her children can taste the naturally occurring sugars and find that is enough without addingore on top.

@beefchowmein not necessarily but if you are buying cheap white bread and pasta then yes, it is bad for everyone.