To think two fruit snacks a day will rot primary school teeth

[fruitbat2021]

Infant school insisting that children have 2 fruit snacks a day and it must be fruit. Can also be raw veg but unfortunately my children don't like raw veg without a dip. I might send it in with a dip.

You can send them RAISINS but not a piece of cheese. How can this be healthy for their teeth? Every time I tell my dentist he visibly shudders.

Do other primaries allow non fruit snacks?

@PPCD

My dentist told me exactly the same when my daughter was young. Fruit is fine with meals but not as a snack because the sugar stays on the teeth. With a meal they have a drink so helps wash the sugar away or something.

But they drink water with snacks

@fruitbat2021

Also you need to consider that it can be genetic so just because your children are haribo all day long and have no fillings it doesn't mean other children might experience tooth decay from just eating raisins 3 times a week.

Protect the masses not the few

I understand it can be genetic. So do your children have genetic predisposition to tooth decay?

I agree with you OP! I didn’t let my kids snack on fruit either. I’d prefer them not to snack really. I think apples and strawberries are better for teeth than acidic citric fruit,

Nothing wrong with two fruits snacks a day.

However I take the OPs point in that a piece of cheese or similar would be fine too.

They allow fruit and veg but your kids don’t eat the veg. That’s on you. You need to be encouraging and offering veg everyday at home. A mix of peppers / carrots followed by a few apple slices and berries will give them a better variety of nutrients.

Lol

There's no evidence that fruit causes tooth decay, regardless of what your dentist says. Ask them for peer reviewed evidence if they tell you this.
Sugar in fruit is bound up with the other constituents and we have evolved for thousands of years to cope with this. Tooth decay only became a problem when people started eating refined sugar.

Teeth can cope with the onslaught of food 3 times a day according to my dentist

Brillant!

Onslaught of food? what are you feeding them? Genghis Khan dipped in hummus?

There's absolutely nothing wrong with eating two pieces of fruit a day ffs 🙄

It's so lovely to read all this uber mothering faux outrage again. How I've missed it. Things really are nudging back to normal

I think people are being tits on here.
The school's rule sounds rigid and like they've only partially understood health/diet guidelines.

This thread made me laugh so much.

Some fruit have less sugar.
Raspberries.
Strawberries.
Blackberries.
Kiwis.
Grapefruit.
Watermelon.
Cantaloup.
Peaches.

Why don't I have one of these incredible vibrating dentists

My DC are 19/20, never needed any treatment on their teeth and have snacked on fruit at least twice a day all their lives. One eats virtually no veg so all his intake is fruit

My dc’s eat loads of fruit, between 2-5 pieces a day. They are now teenagers and none of them have so much as a filling.

They also occasionally drink fizzy drinks and I’m sure don’t always brush their teeth twice a day either

@Deadringer

Fruit isn't the devil, it has loads of benefits for the body. It's not the school's fault your dc don't like raw veg. You and your shuddering dentist should lighten up.

This

From the NHS:
www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/dental-health/which-foods-cause-tooth-decay/

"The naturally occurring sugar in dried fruit, such as raisins, dates and apricots, can also contribute to tooth decay."

Nothing about fresh fruit.

@Loopyloututu2

My dc’s eat loads of fruit, between 2-5 pieces a day. They are now teenagers and none of them have so much as a filling.

They also occasionally drink fizzy drinks and I’m sure don’t always brush their teeth twice a day either

You MONSTER.

Raisins are far worse for teeth than fresh fruit! They sound nuts tbh. It’s taking the healthy eating thing waaaay too far.

My kid gets far more of her 5 a day from
veg (fresh and frozen) than fruit.

But cleaning their teeth twice a day should me enough to ward off the fillings either way. I think dentists can go a little OTT.

A couple of bits of fruit a day does no harm whatsoever.

Just send in fresh not dried and you’ll be golden, I can’t see why the school would object to hummus as a dip though.

You MONSTER.

🤣🤣🤣

I think the school just wants to stick with an easy rule everyone can understand and manage easily. So 2x fruit or veg works well, is relatively healthy, and covers everything from parents who want to send a full fruit salad (or wrap cheese string around veg buttons?) Or those -normal people- who just grab an apple out of a 50p aldi bag.

You could argue that cheese is a better alternative, and there's nothing wrong with cheese as a snack, but then you open the flood gate to is x,y,z ok too, as lots of snacks are objective have equal health benefits/drawbacks as fruit. Next thin they need to have a list of approved snacks and spend time policing it, and weighing up the nutritional value of each kids choice of snack.

It’s not just 2 fruit snacks a day though if they are also having fruit in their lunch box?

Dd2 eats many fruit and veg snacks a day 🤣, she would chose a apple or a carrot over a cake or biscuit.

I would ask if you can send in a dip with some carrot/celery sticks?

Not sure why kids need 2 snacks as well as lunch, surely most have breakfast before school and a snack when they return?