Primary School pizza

[orchardgirl4]

My child's school has arranged a pizza day as a school trip for year R (4 and 5 year olds). They had a pizza activity day at school a few months ago, and a couple of months before that the school catering company had a pizza day. With junk food advertising just announced, by UK gov, to be banned before 9pm and childhood obesity rates at 25.5% of children by end of year 6 and 15.4% overweight, I am quite cross and fed up of pizza being normalised and hyped up by the school. I want them to instead take the opportunity to cook a healthy dish, or look at and taste different seasonal veg and fruit.
If I complain to the school, is this an overreaction on my part? Would it make it difficult to have conversations with my child's teacher in future, having complained? Or am I ahead of the learning curve (I work with type 2 diabetic patients so I am very aware) and I should pull them up on this?

It's not really healthy BUT as part of a balanced varied diet it's not evil either. Certainly not worse than a cheese sandwich, which you'll find in millions of lunch boxes daily.

Its not unhealthy for adult or child. I cant believe what Im reading here.

Pizza day as a TA who supervises lunches is my favourite. It only comes around once every 3 weeks sadly but the dc who's only hot meal they get in a day eat it all. I really worry when certain kids don't touch their lunch. The super fussy diabetic dc I work with eats it all so I can accurately calculate the carbs for their insulin taking away the guess work of how much of each thing I can guess they'll eat. The autistic dc I work with eats it all and parents are so removed when I report back he's had a full lunch. A trip to pizza express as well as fun and a good learning experience on cooking would be amazing for so many dc. Their pizzas a such thin crust that they are probably better than a cheese sandwich let alone the same as others have said . The only way done dc will eat tomatoes.

DS went on a pizza day trip to Pizza Express when he was in primary school and says it is one of his best memories. They learnt how to make pizzas from scratch. We still make homemade pizzas today after he got inspired. If you make them yourself with healthy toppings they’re really not that bad.

It's pizza most weeks for school lunch. I remember going to a domino's pizza at primary school learning how they make the pizza

Agreed.

You sound like you have an unhealthy relationship with food.

I'd be considering taking your child out of that school. How can your child concentrate on lessons if they get hooked on pizza!!! They'll be serving up chips next, you mark my words.

Op you should try and meet up with the ban ketchup in school poster, you two would get on great.

If anything, it sounds repetitive.

My dd is in reception. We haven’t had any food trips out

pizza or Toby - to which dd loves both

misses point of thread

This is utterly ridiculous.
Pizza is essentially bread, cheese and often lots of vegetables. Are you anti all dishes with carbs, vegetables and cheese?
Honestly 🙄

Half a shop bought chicken pizza has roughly 300 calories, almost 20g protein & 8g of fat. If you make your own you can make it even healthier. Served with a salad it’s a healthy, balanced and quick meal.

This has reminded me of a health visitor on what was probably my eldest’s 2 year check. She asked about eating and I replied that she wasn’t very keen on eating veg, but that we made pizzas once a week that she really enjoyed and I was hoping to use that to encourage her to try new veg as toppings. The HV was horrified that we had pizza every single week and insisted that I tried swapping it for a healthier meal. I said ‘like a cheese and tomato sandwich?’ which was apparently a much better (and healthier alternative) 🤦🏽‍♀️

Well a stopped cloxk.is right twice a day so it was likely there would be others with food issues who would agree with you. Most people just think you're batshit nuts.

Pizza is one of the easiest ways to get my veg refuser to eat veg.

good mix of carbs, veg, meat and cheese, pretty balanced plate to be honest. Better than most burger joints. White flour is not the cause of obesity pandemic.

Pizza every day is not a balanced diet. Now and then as a treat special day out is fine. It’s hardly normalising eating pizza every day.

if we want to look at issues let’s ask why Primary schools serve cake with ice cream every day for desert. Or is that only my kids school?

But it might be a gateway to something harder like a Pizza Crunch Supper

Well a stopped cloxk.is right twice a day so it was likely there would be others with food issues who would agree with you. Most people just think you're batshit nuts.

This - and tbh I'm surprised more didn't agree. Mumsnet is full of people with food issues. I still remember the person who actually used the word devil to describe a tangerine orange. 🙃.

Nobody is saying it should be an every day meal. But as part of a balanced diet a homemade pizza is most definitely not that bad, at all.
Even a big take away stuff crust deep pan isn't bad if it's a very occasional 'treat' rather than a weekly food.

Jesus OP you sound like hard work. You're getting worked up about pizza being eaten twice over a period of several months? Seriously?

And 'normalising' pizza eating? 😂

Give your head a wobble

The reason I think pizza is unhealthy is because it is usually made with white flour, which is quickly converted into sugar when digested, spiking blood sugar levels.

This is the same for many foods which have been eaten for years, way before we had an obesity crisis. White flour and white rice is still a staple food for many countries who don’t have issues with obesity.

Do not let this new fad of demonising carbs fool you.
Before carbs it was fat or salt that was to blame.
Now if you follow a low carb diet they’ll tell you to increase the salt and fat.

The resounding message in all of these diets is to just eat everything in moderation and to not ear so much processed food.

By teaching them that pizza can be enjoyed at part of a normal diet and teaching them how to cook it properly will allow them to have a healthy relationship with food.

As someone who had an eating disorder and a very bad relationship with food my entire life - I am telling you that your child will pick up on it and will end up having an unhealthy relationship with food themselves and end up becoming obese and not being able to get out of that cycle.

Instead celebrate food, allow treats but make home cooked, healthy food and enjoy it.

@Onwards22 I completely agree, and am amazed how anyone can think cheese and flour are anything other than unremarkable foods that have been eaten for centuries across numerous countries in one form or another.

For what it’s worth I think a key cause of recent increases in obesity is the fact that so many people drive virtually everywhere. Fifty years ago walking a mile or two to get somewhere was the norm, nowadays it’s unusual for a lot of people.

Aw, good on you OP for having a reflection on this and coming away from the thread positively

The fat in the cheese on the top will help slow down the rate at which the carbs in the flour hit the blood stream.

Im British, have an extremely healthy diet and I sometimes eat pizza. Crazy huh?