What do you think of healthy eating weeks in school?

[AutumnLeeves]

Where pupils only get a ‘tick’ if they have fruit and vegetables only?

So a child who had strawberries, cucumber and a few slices of chicken breast was deemed unhealthy.

Another with sugar free muffins that her mum had baked with sliced carrot didn’t get a tick on the healthy chart.

An SEN child who only eats blueberries and sugar free jelly also was denied a tick on the school chart.

AIBU to say it’s not the teacher’s or schools job to police lunchboxes?

I don't think it should be their job to police children's food.

But since they are, what's wrong with the first one? Or was it chicken breast from a packet?

The muffins - well no-one can know for sure whether they were sugar-free and healthy etc.

And eating only blueberries and sugar-free jelly is obviously not a substantial or healthy lunch.

But I don't really think schools should be getting involved to be honest.

For lunch? Children are being denied a tick for eating anything but plants?! I’d raise a safeguarding concern, that’s ridiculous.

If however, as I strongly suspect, you are being misleadingly provocative and that’s a snack policy and in fact nothing to do with policing lunchboxes, then I’d say a fruit or veg only policy is completely fine. Such policy is very common but it doesn’t need to be badged as “healthy eating”. Healthy is subjective anyway - it might be “healthy” for sugar free muffin child to have her muffin, but what about “lower sugar muffin with raisins” kid? Or “two muffin kid”? Or “unwrapped and disguised Mr Kipling” kid?

Staff don’t have time to check this kind of stuff so I can understand fruit or veg only.

It just makes children think they have done something wrong when they don't get a tick, and causes them to worry about food at an age when they shouldn't be.

I’d hate to have to do that (as a supply that has seen the inside of many a school lunch hall.)

It’s just a cheap way to shame children so they nag their parents about what to put in lunch boxes. It’s probably a diktat from some head of a trust who never goes near actual children, but is desperate to show how forward thinking they are.

Perish the thought they put their hand into the vast pockets of these trusts and provide some extra fruit or veg.

And I better not get started on the state of school lunches….

Healthy eating should be promoted in schools.

eating ONLY fruit & vegetables is not a healthy diet for a growing child.

Surely that can't be true? That doesn't sound like they're teaching healthy eating at all. Just fruit and veg? Where's the whole grains, protein, dairy (or alternatives), healthy fats...

if they are teaching that meat is unhealthy i would have a problem with that. is that the case?

Eating only fruit and veg for lunch doesn’t seem healthy to me, so I wouldn’t be happy.

If it’s really only fruit or veg then it’s almost certainly a snack policy not lunches. So a small item to be eaten at playtime, not a balanced meal. My kids school has a permanent “healthy eating” policy of fruit or veg only at break time, it’s quite common.

If they are genuinely encouraging children to eat only fruit or veg for lunch and calling that healthy then they’re breaking all kinds of nutrition guidelines and I’d actually call it a safeguarding issue. But I’d be very surprised if that was the case.

Where pupils only get a ‘tick’ if they have fruit and vegetables only?

I've worked in more schools than I can count and never encountered a school with this kind of policy are you sure you've not misunderstood something?

There’s no way a lunch can be just fruit/veg. I think this must be snack time?

As a teacher, I do not check lunch boxes- I wouldn't have the time even if I wanted to! No school could possibly expect a child to eat only fruit and vegetables- we should be teaching about a balanced diet!

You're right it's not the teachers' job to do that and it absolutely beats me how they hsve the time to do it either.

When I was at school (a very long time ago) I recall Healthy Eating Week would follow a lesson on good nutrition and you’d get a mark each for a portion of protein, a portion of fruit, a portion of vegetable, having your sandwich in brown bread etc. No marks taken off because you also had a bag of crisps or marks withheld completely because you didn’t have a completely “correct” box.

This school’s way is mad. Just fruit and vegetables isn’t a nutritionally ideal meal, and it’s demoralising for children who might be trying their best to try something new. I think schools do have a role to play in encouraging healthier food choices and, as too many children don’t get that learning at home, and restricting particular items - but chicken breast and fruit muffins shouldn’t be those items.