To think it’s a bit unreasonable that children have to have fruit for school snack.

[MyLittleLove1]

DD’s school have sent a reminder that parents must send their children to school with a fruit snack for morning break. They will not be allowed to have anything else. This is to encourage healthy eating. I do understand this, but my daughter has breakfast at 7 as she is starving when she wakes up, and feel that a piece of fruit isn’t really that substantial for a snack. She would normally have fruit and a snack like some malt loaf. I feel a little against this also because there is so much to having a healthy diet. Many foods are healthy and make a great, filling snack. Why are we being policed on this? Or am I BU?

This thread is depressing and I can see why we are the way we are. If we can't start the good habits at this young age, then we don't stand a chance.

Our school says the same thing but then they provide toast, crumpets or ice lollies in hot weather for a small fee at breaktime. So clearly they aren't that bothered about it being fruit!

It’s the fibre in whole fruit that slows down absorption of sugar. Obviously it varies so a firm banana is starchy and fibrous will release sugar slower ghan a really ripe one.

Say you have three kids. An apple a day for each of them would be £4.50 per week. Or you could buy 2 packs of biscuits for less than £1 and share them out over the week.

Yep.

My son is under a dietician due to his limited diet and snacks are essential for him.

DS' school insists on fruit and provides it i think it's great. Could she have something different for breakfast if she's getting hungry so quickly? DS had a big bowl of porridge this morning with some almond butter stirred in, dollop of greek yoghurt on top with slices of peach. He eats a bigger breakfast than I do.

As an aside until this term DS' school didn't allow packed lunches for infants, the school dinners are free and good, always a meat/fish and a veggie choice plus something simple like pasta with tomato based sauce or jacket with cheese and beans as well as sandwich and wrap options plus a salad bar.

So many parents complained they've now allowed packed lunches and we're already getting letters reminding parents that a mars bar isn't a healthy snack (and similar)
This is a state school with just under 40% pupil premium students it has a very mixed demographic due to a large catchment area, so you'd think it would be good for some of the families to have a free healthy lunch option. What I find interesting is it's largely the families from the more expensive part of town still using the free lunches.

Fruit is a rubbish snack. It's just sugar plus a bit of fibre and will spike their blood sugar leaving them more hungry after. A protein snack would be much better.
What does she have for breakfast? I would try to incorporate more protein into that in the hope it sustained her for longer.

People talk about feeling hunger being healthy but I recall walking home for lunch and feeling so weak with hunger that I could have cried.

Fruit is a perfect snack. Breakfast, fruit, lunch, snack when she finishes school and then her evening meal is plenty of food for a primary age child

She'd fall in the second category then? People without specific medical conditions do not need a snack every two hours.

A banana and an apple would fill her up.
I work in schools and most children don't bring snacks. They also refuse to eat the fruit given in early years and KS1 and yet they all okay/happy/survive.Unless they have a medical condition, then I don't see the need to fuss.
At lunch, most children have a few mouthfuls and then run off to play. Most schools have lunch assistants to watch and ask children to eat a little bit more before they bin everything.
Some school do offer pieces of bread or bagels. But again not all children will eat them yet they are all okay/happy/survive again unless they have a medical condition

Op give her a boiled egg to eat on the way to school, or some edamame or something, to fill her up a bit more. What you want to avoid is anything sweet as it will be sugary, that's what gives that rush & crash and makes her want another snack after a short period.

Pomegranate is another filling fruit at this time of year, as they are filled with seeds. But as PPs have said, a snack on the way to school is helpful too.

Fruit yo yos are highly processed, completely lacking in fibre and a total scam.

My dc school allows a piece of fruit of veg and a breadstick.

When I was primary age it was a cup of milk and a slice of apple. Everyone got the same, provided by the school.

Yabu.

Give her a bigger/more filling breakfast with slow-release carbs and protein.
A piece of fruit such as an apple will be fine to keep her going until lunch.

People seem hung up on giving kids snacks but if they have three good balanced meals it’s really not necessary. My kids never had after school snacks at primary that nearly every other parent was handing out.

I promise your daughter will survive and not suffer from lack of malt loaf mid-morning.

My primary school in the 90’s did this, fruit for morning break only. You could sometimes get away with a little pack of raisins or apricots too though. Seems normal to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Im 63 and we never had snacks at school, we had milk which was horrible because it was warm, i have been put off drinking milk for life!
My dc are in late 20s and i think there was fruit in infants and if any left over it went to the juniors, however it was always given out in alphabetical order and they being W never got any.

unless you have broken your insulin system fruit tends
not to spike sugars in the way you describe - fruit juice will do so but because the fruit comes with its fibre it seems to be ok as a snack for most people

the way that obese people need to approach food should not be relevant to kids

“What I find interesting is it's largely the families from the more expensive part of town still using the free lunches.”

Because they know it’s good sense!

Yes it's unreasonable to dictate that. There are plenty of non-fruit options.

Morning break is only one or two hours before lunch

I don't agree at all that school age children need to feel hunger for some vague made-up benefit. That's based in absolutely fuck all. Young children actually do need the calories and let's face it, school lunch is rubbish.

I support schools in healthy eating initiatives in general and have always abided by the general 'no sweets' rule (my daughter is P6 now and stopped moaning about it long ago when she realised I wasn't going to budge) but I don't support rigid diktats.

When I was a child, I had breakfast at 7.30 - school started at 8.40 and we had assembly and lessons until 11.00. Break was a bottle of milk and a biscuit such as Royal Scot, Abbey Crunch or Lincoln. Lunch was at 12.50 or 1.30. No breaks in the afternoon. School finished at 4.20 and we had dinner at 8.00. No snacks and I never felt hungry! It's all a question of practice and conditioning. Children eat far too much these days.

That milk was gross though, I dreaded being given it. It had a slimy layer on top!

You have to remember that some mumsnetters live on seeds and dust and the mere thought of an orange is like 20 bags of sugar,