British kids and eating habits - IABU ?

[lovemycoffee2]

I have two young kids and we live in the UK but we are not originally from here.

At home we cook everyday from scratch our food and we take that food at a lunch box at our workplace. We have a light dinner again made from scratch.

The issue is our kids which are of course going to school/nursery and they love to copy their friends!

In the UK it's healthy if a kid eats sausages (god knows what the meat has inside), or for example Heinz baked beans which have 10% sugar and 20% salt (leaving 70% being actual beans) or if they eat fish fingers which are pre-fried (even if you bake them they were already fried before got frozen) or chicken nuggets (again pre-fried which god knows what was the oil quality).

It's also acceptable to drink juices which have no sugar but plenty sweeteners.

Also, it's perfectly fine to have a ham sandwich for lunch which has ready made processed bread full of emulsifiers and ham which (like sausage) god knows what ingredients has.

It's ok that primary schools offer desserts, even if they are small portions and low sugar on a daily basis - not on a weekly or as special occasion! I don't have a dessert everyday, why my kid is offered one?

Honestly, are all these things ok? Am I paranoid?

I am very worried that the kids will either end up obsessed. with diabetes or with other health issues given all the processed food and the fact that we are what we eat.

YABU - are you crazy?

YANBU - unfortunately this is a "balanced healthy diet" in the UK!

Personally I think having an obsession about food and what we eat is far more unhealthy.

I'm guessing you aren't European either as ham is widely eaten across Europe, and goodness does know what is on some French sausages (don't get me started on haggis!)!

I have always cooked from scratch and I can count how many fish fingers my kids have ever had (bought them once because they asked for them but they said it wasn't as nice as salmon so never bought them again), not everyone can be a sahm or work part time though, not everyone has my budget for food (though I spend £90 a week currently which is way cheaper than many people). Mine weren't allowed artificially sweetened drinks at all, water or occasionally apple juice in my house as primary aged kids. Took packed lunches as school meals weren't free.

That doesn't look like a British nutritional information label. That looks American.

You should know that given you're so invested in baked beans!

Yes OP, stop hanging around Chain Pubs and sending your kids to school with the WC kids 🙄

All tomato based sauces require some form of sweetener, otherwise the balance isn’t right and it will taste unpleasant.

Kid menus are meant to be like an occasional treat, not an everyday meal. And you don't have to go to those types of places. Wagamama does ramen for kids, Pizza express fresh pizzas or pasta.

Also sausages can really vary. Butchers sausages are just minced pork and herbs etc. Mashed potato is potatoes mashed with some milk and butter which is fine for kids. Most people will serve vegetables with that.

Ah but your kids don't ever tantrum cos they're not English

It’s hard to disagree. Your OP reminded me of when my DC went on French Exchange, we told them to be polite and eat whatever they were given. It seemed that conversely the French children had been told to treat everything they were offered in our British homes with deep suspicion.

my kids have probably had 1 fruit shoot in an entire year, they drink water all day and at school they aren't allowed anything besides water in their bottle. I actually don't know any parents around me who give their kids fruit shoot every day...

This is a wind up thread by the OP, surely. Makes me angry.

As a parent of a child in recovery from a serious eating disorder, 'bad' food is good.

So why do you let them have it? If there isn't a choice of fruit on there, then you need a better school

Just read south Europe - land of chorizo, salami and other deliciousness. Depending on exact country. Oh and dessert in primary school is common in many countries btw

I agree, absolutely the budgets should be higher. But not everyone can afford to send in a packed lunch and their DC gets FSMs.

You do realise that the aim is to fill the children full of calories (within approved macros) so at least they have had one filling meal a day?

Due to the controls on sugar and fat those will be joyless puddings and not what you’d get after Sunday lunch in a pub

That doesn't mean the portion is 10% sugar though it's 10% if the recommended daily intake

Also you can buy low sugar and low salt beans.

Of course not! I just cook with either pure tomatoes or tomato puree and there is no sugar in there and I add no extra sugar too...

Malta is our origin for whoever is so interested 😁

A tin for the UK market would have 4.3g of sugar based carb, so if that tin is for the market where you are from if seems that country has a greater preference for sugar and sweet ess.

Seriously, stop complaining about sausages. It’s British to the core and I find it a bit offensive your carrying on.

Fish fingers are fine. We have them every couple of weeks. Quick, easy and always on hand.

Nachos for young children? No thanks but it’s certainly not British!

I think the issue at Secondary is these are outside catering companies looking to make a profit and they know they will make it with loads of soft drinks and cakes.

My absolute favourite post on this thread is the one insisting there is no pizza on the continent. Absolutely brilliant.

Stop feeding these evil beans!

No pizza, no tantrums, nothing unhealthy…

@lovemycoffee2 if you don't add sugar to your tomato sauces I can guarantee your food is horrible!

I absolutely get that but you form a habit there which stays with the kid past the school.

When we have lunch on Sunday he asks "and what is the pudding today?" or if we go out for dinner again "what dessert are we having?"

That's not right and it's all about habits!

I agree with you op

I moved to Spain many years ago. kids lunches at school was fresh seafood, grilled fish. Veg etc

No one eats packet food here.

It was a shock to me when I moved as I honestly thought we ate healthily