AIBU to be annoyed at World Cancer Research Fund "outlawing" processed meat in lunchboxes?

[bookbird]

AIBU to feel that parents are constantly scare mongered? I'm constantly worrying about what's best to feed my children.

When they say processed, they mean anything preserved with salt. This means ham, bacon and salami are all off the menu! (well, no more than 70g a week).

Should WCRF keep such thoughts to themselves rather than announcing on BBC? Also why isn't this top news on the Food Standards Agency website.

We should just all eat seeds..like that Gillian woman..she's a looker!..hahaha

have you actually looked at the size of gillians mouth close up? don't think anything larger that a prune has ever passed those lips

My mum loves that "Dr" Gillian person.

When confronted with an enormous person, she would always say "I bet you have appalling stinking wind, you fart all the time, don't you" to which the mortified tubber would have to admit that yes, they were terribly windy.

Upon which Gillian would advise a diet of beans, cabbage, celeriac and cauliflower.

ROFL

LOL...see what you've started! now I just think her DH has a prune sized penis

not the type of image you should have in your head before bedtime

70 gr ham a week is enough to make more than 3 sandwiches, obviously some variety wouldn't be too bad?

DS has plenty of dietary restrictions which have, despite all the expectatives, led him to have a very healthy and varied diet. It is really easy to make a ham sandwich but there may be the case that by not been allowed to put one in a lunchbox every day, the child's diet may improve.

I really don't think salt is as problematic as other rubbish some parents feed to their children in a regular basis. Everything in excess is a problem be it ham or fishfingers (yes, whatever they said, if you are not doing them from scratch even the fish fingers are processed food).

[faints]

[DH gives smelling salts]..slivers off to bed..

This was in the paper here in Oz as well this morning. What the hell are we supposed to put in lunchboxes - our UK standard (tuna mayo/salad which DS1 asked for and ate EVERY day in primary school) is a no no as we're not allowed mayo (the only one allowed is egg free and tastes disgusting), salad only without egg is a big dull and soggy etc. Who on earth has time to prepare delicious nutritious lunchboxes full of cruditees and pasta salads for three kids every day. Packed lunch is a small part of my children's overall diet which in general is pretty good. Why not just issue a large stick we can beat outselves with the day our kids start school.

I thought the bbc late news last night was really unclear it had nothing to do with my wine consumption- about what was bad or was niot bad. It said processed meats and then said cheese is healthy and humous and showed a plate of what looked like dairlea slices

So.....

Can't have ham (cancer causing)
Can't have peanut butter (in case someone else is allergic to it
Cheese is out (too high in fats and salt
Can't have chicken (decomposes within a morning to a dangerous level)
Can't have fish (mercury, other crap in the water, fish dye)
Can't have humous (sesame allergy in another urchin)
Can't have nutella (not allowed chocolate in school lunchboxes)

So....suggestions on a postcard?

Can't have tuna either as it's almost extinct

It's all pretty grim isn't it.

Are lettuce and cucumber acceptable....well no, not enough protein. So we are back to marmite or jam then?

marmite's too yeasty. cucumber has almost zero calories and lettuce is too green...as for jam, lets not get started on the evil that is jam

bananas - nope food miles

Apple and full fat cream cheese sandwiches.

Fuck it. I think everything in moderation, we only have one life, then we die, so we might as well enjoy it.

This thread is the exact conversation I was having with my DH after watching the news last night... What are we supposed to give our children for lunch? I cannot think of a single thing to go in a sandwich which is regarded as healthy and balanced... let alone a variety of things to give them on different days.
The BBC alternative to ham sandwiches was cheese (which we're all continually told is bad for us and should only be eaten ocassionally) or humous (which my children at least would not eat in a thousand years!!!)

My DS pretty much gets cream cheese and vegemite sandwiches everyday (obviously also has other stuff like an apple, carrots etc).

I used to have the same, but I used to save my pocket money and buy crisps to put on the sandwich. We also used to trade sandwiches which I assume isn't allowed anymore.

I was thinking pasta or chicken and veg kebabs might work for DD but have just been told you can't give them blunt kebab sticks and I'm just not confident she'll handle the pasta.

Yet something else to worry about before we start in September

This isn't a direct response to the news article, but my DH has been told to reduce salt in his diet due to high blood pressure. Having read that processed meat such as ham contributed a high percentage of salt in the diet (and I do normally give both DH and DS ham sandwiches approx 3 days a week) I decided to look for an alternative filling.

However after studying the sliced beef, turkey and chicken on the shelf in tesco I find that they all contain additives such as sodium something-or-other which I presume to be salt. Looking then at the tinned fish which DH loves (although DS refuses to take as the other kids complain at the smell) I discover that all tinned sardines, mackerel and salmon stocked in my local tesco have added salt. Cheese is also salty and I ended up buying two cans of tuna in spring water.

DS has had his friend round for tea and they have just had ham sandwiches and mini sausages

Looks like its bread and butter (unsalted) for us in future!

Well my DD does have ham sarnies in her lunch box every day. I do buy "nice" ham but it sounds like that may not make much difference as it is still full of nitrates. Like others have said, choices are limited, peanut butter not allowed due to allergies and she doesn't like cheese or tuna. So I'm going to keep on giving her ham, it's a source of protein, and she likes it. I don't think one ham sarnie a day is too bad in the great scheme of things really.

Perhaps a good idea might be to put less ham in the sandwich? my DD is quite happy with one wafer thin slice - and seven wafer thin slices per week probably only amounts to about 10g

Marmite?