How should I approach this ..

[ranibowsprimkle]

Or should I leave it be altogether?

One of my friends has two kids aged 18m and 3.5y.
She feeds them a horrific diet. They get takeaway at least 3-4 times a week and fizz with most meals.
They are both very overweight, the younger one especially.

She's a very young mum (as am I) and doesn't have much of a support network.

It feels wrong to not do anything when it's definitely damaging the kids health but I'm not sure if I would be overstepping the mark if I tried to get involved.

I'm guessing I shouldn't mention it outright but I was thinking inviting her over for a meal a couple of times a week or possibly suggesting we go to cooking lessons together?

Bump

The best thing you can do is lead by example. Perhaps you could talk to her about how you're trying to save money and want to start batch cooking and might she want to do this with you. Not only is she ruining her children's health, but she's spending loads of money on those takeaways, so maybe you could influence her coming from the stance of saving money.

If you tell her how shit the food is she's feeding her children, she'll only get defensive and probably end your friendship. It's a very touchy situation.

I think it's a very difficult think to raise with her unless she has actively asked you for help. As the previous poster said, if she hasn't asked for help she will likely be angry and defensive.

Suggesting you both go to cooking lessons together, without mentioning the takeaways or her kids' weight, is a nice idea, and I agree with the PP that you could just chat to her casually about easy things to cook/batch cook to save money - again without actually linking it to anything.

But I think if she isn't interested in anything you suggest, there isn't really much you can do. Ultimately, it's her choice, and she must already know her children are overweight anyway. I know it's hard when you think it's potentially harmful to the kids, but you can't be responsible for someone's else's children's health.

can you not suggest you plan meals and batch cook together, to make it cheaper for both of you. (Ie coriander or nutmeg or spices, most recipes only ask for a pinch, and there’s always loads left over)

Show her how to cook healthy meals from scratch and maybe she will follow suit?