In not knowing whether Fish Fingers are healthy or unhealthy... [hmm]

[Dabbles]

Am tlakign about Birds eye (ofcourse) 100% 'fish' (although not cod.. hehe) in particular, the new ones, the Mega ones in '5 types of cereal breadcrumb coating mixture'...

They have fish in them = Good
They are processed = Bad

They Kids like them and will eat them all up = Good

They only take 20 mintues to cook in oven = v. v. good!

I cant stand fish so am unlikely to cook other types of fish fo rthem, sav, in batter, or tinned tuna...

So, do you class them as healthy or not?

My kids won't eat them. HV classed them as healthy when ds1 was weaning.

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Somewhere in the middle? Not outright rubbish, some nutritional value, OK once or twice a week so long as they eat non-processed food at most main meals, I'd say.

DS started off on fish fingers and will eat them at a push now but tbh he prefers steamed fish (snobby boy! lol) I don't class them as healthy really tbh - (mainly cos he has them wiht a few oven chips and some beans ) but steamed trout, new pots and green beans is healthy

ooh and for a change he will eat fish fingers and beans for lunch - now that's bad! lol - but has a proper dinner.

Anyone else want a fishfinger sandwich now??

mmmmmmmm.

Sorry, that added nothing to the debate did it?

I'd agree with in the middle - we have some in the freezer but ds only has them every so often, once every couple of months maybe

I think they're fine. I buy 100% fillet ones. They're not mega healthy but they're fine and don't have loads of additives etc.

I really like them.

Hmmm. Not sure. Although the dds eat them sometimes I consider them junk food. The fingers are so thin that it's probably 50% coating. Also unless it's fillet it could be minced eyeball/anus etc. Maybe once a week if you're desperate. I usually let them choose it for lunch at school (unknown quality I know) and don't buy them myself.

They're brilliant! People have got FF muddled up with processed food, but they're not really processed. Fish and breadcrumbs... That's it. the fish may have been minced, but then, hey, the mince you get from the butcher is minced too! I think they're great! A bit of veg and a dollop of ketchup. Yum!!

DD loves them, especially with baked beans!
She went through a pahse of not eating meat or cheese so this once or twice a week was the only guaratneed way to get protein in her.

As long as they aren't high in salt and are 100% fish then there can't be too much wrong with them IMO,

(plus I can always cook extra and have a fishfinger sarnie....)

They're healthy. Just fish and bread and they are frozen so no need for preservatives. They are often coloured with curcumin which is a relative of tumeric and is believed to have anti cancer properties.

On the downside they do contribute to the general feeling of children eat processed yellow food which lead onto other things with lots of salt and flavour enhancers etc.

100% fillet fishfingers are made by freezing all the fish in a giant square and then cutting the chunks out. No mincing involved. There aren't any additives and not much salt (Birdseye ones anyway). Certainly much better than when I had them as a kid.

The real shocker is McCain oven chips. Literally Potatoes and Sunflower Oil. No salt even. Taste rubbish compared to (salty) Crinkle -cut Home Fries though

Paediatrician told me that fish fingers once a week is better than no fish at all. It was the only way DS would eat fish for about 2 years.
He has now discovered a taste for tuna.

PS we use low salt/no salt passata as ketchup for our toddler - she doesn't seem to mind!

Dd loves fish fingers and I agree that the 100% fillet ones should be considered reasonably healthy. Sometimes I cook them in the microwave, take the breadcrumbs off and just use the fish, mixed with pasta and cheese sauce or something. Saves defrosting a whole fillet for the tiny bit she eats. (Tho, the way her appetite is going it's getting expensive!)

yes my favourite "fast food" - McCains oven chips - but only the Rustic ones - they are virtually the only thing you can buy in the supermarket that has green lights for everything - fat, salt, sugar etc. It has to be the Rustic ones - a nutritionist told me that they do not view them as junk food anymore because they are so healthy and are better than cheddar cheese for salt! they are yummy too! (though for adults perhaps a sprinkle of salt!)

I dont see them as junk food and think that the 100% fish ones can be seen as quite healthy.

Even if they were considered junk food I dont think they would be as junky as lots of other things and would be something that I let my kids eat. Its a little unfair to force healthy food on them all the time - a bit of junk once a month is fine (imo).

If they eat healthily the rest of the time the occasional fish finger isnt going to do them any damage.

Ragdolly

I've wondered the same thing. My dc adore them & I've been taking half the coating off before serving them cut up. They also insist on massive amounts of ketchup & mayo (I get the fat-reduced tho) Yuck.

Healthy. And not sure beans are being dismissed on thsi thread- yes stick with the low sugar / salt ones, but otherwise they are a surprisingly good food!

Fishfingers, beans and mash (or apparently the chips mentioned below), with a bowl of fruit salad and yoghurt for pud- not a problem.

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or even with home-made oven chips: microwave a potato so it's half-cooked. Cut into wedges, put a little bit of oil onto the wedges (I spray a bit on), put it in the oven for 30 minutes on gas mark 6 ...

hey presto, chips!

(DS thinks this is what chips are)

waitrose do chunky fish fingers so you get a bit more fish to your breadcrumb ratio! I think they are a healthy option especially if served with fresh veggies

Sainsburys do similar with added omega-whatsit - more like big chunky nuggets than fingers, but dd likes them. She surprised me the other day by eating grilled salmon when we were out at Giraffe (Christ that place is expensive!!) so I'm having to rethink what I can give her by way of fish (hate it myself so must confess I haven't really gone beyond fish fingers lately...)