AIBU to think this WAS a healthy snack.

[Bathsheba]

DD1 is in Primary 1. Her school aren't very strict on Healthy Eating (not as hugely strict as some places I've heard about) but they do have healthy school dinners (which DD1 has 4 days out of 5) and they have the rule of "Healthy Snack on Wednesday".

DD1 has 2 teachers - 1 does Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and the 2nd does Wednesday - so she only ever sees DD1's snack on Healthy Snack day.

My conversation with DD1 this morning -

DD1 - Mummy, whats for snack today
Me - Its Apple and Blueberries Angel.
DD1 - Is that a Healthy Snack Mummy, because its healthy Snack day
Me - Yes Angel it is, but you always have a healthy snack...
DD1 - I didn't last week
Me (frantically wracking brains) - You did Angel - trust me you Always have a Healthy Snack...
DD1 - Well Mrs S said it wasn;t healthy - it was cheese and crackers and Mrs S said that wasn't a healthy snack.

Now, am I wrong in thinking that 2 crackers with some cheese on it is a healthy snack..?? Most days she has fruit, but soem other days she has a carbohydrate snack - crackers, or some home made banana bread. She NEVER, since she started, has had sweet biscuits, crisps or "sweeties" for her snack....although Mrs S never sees her on any day other than a Wednesday to know this.

DD1's memory is fairly rubbish so I can only think that Mrs S must had fairly obviously pointed out to her that her snack was unhealthy on Healthy Snack day for ehr to remeber it a week later...

Is it worth sending a wee note in her message book to say apologies for the confusion, I thought cheese and crackers was a healthy snack but I'll ensure now that she ONLY ever has fruit on a wednesday.

It keeps their mouths busy and stops them demanding another snack when it's nearly lunchtime anyway.

I would certainly not send a appolgetic note but would tell Mrs S that if she has a problem with the content of my DC lunchbox/snack she can come and talk to me rather than my child!

teachers can be proper twats about this sort of thing, ime.

When my ds was in Y4, his teacher told the whole class that eating dairy was Unhealthy. The kids really looked up to this guy, so they all went home parroting it.

I know he was- a bit- right- but this was in inner London, where a lot of kids' lunches consist entirely of sweets and treats (I'm not kidding, either- eg doughnut, twix, crisps)- surely he should have been gently persuading them about sugar instead??

I know! Oooh what could be worse!! (sounded great to me but of course I didn't say that)

This attitude to food really annoys me.

Fruit only is not enough to sustain some children throughout a morning at school, cheese is PERFECTLY healthy as long as you eat the right amount of it.

Do you remember the ban on ham? The woman suggested "Low fat cheese" as an acceptable alternative

It is the same kind of muddled thinking that led the others in my staff room to react in horror at the idea of using full fat milk in their coffee whilst dunking hob nobs into it.

that's amazing. cheese and crackers are a healthy snack for just about anyone, while the sugar in fruit puts its overinclusion in children's diet in question.

I don't think it is thinking about "good" and "bad" foods per se that has contributed to the rise in obesity, as it's a relatively recent phenomenon; but I do strongly believe that the diet industry and all this emphasis on Low Fat, 97% Fat-free and No Fat foods (that should have fat in them) has had a MASSIVE contribution.

So many people are stuck into their lowfat thinking - and yet the obesity numbers continue to rise. No fat in the diet causes all the cells in the body to start to disintegrate, including the skin - rats fed on a no-fat diet for some time could actually absorb water through their skin!

Refined carbs and sugar are much more risky as foodstuffs - the Go Ahead range is one of the worst in this aspect for having less than 3% fat but being chock full of sugars.

Milk, by the way, is never less than 92% fat free.

My dd (reception) has just started having school dinners on some days - her first was yesterday and she had cheese and crackers for dessert! Her school has healthy status, they give them veg or fruit at snack time, as dd is quite fussy sometimes she has snacks, sometimes she doesn't. But for dessert for school dinners they can choose fresh fruit, yoghurt, cheese and crackers or something like a cake or jelly. It doesn't worry me though, I know she has a pretty good diet, but it shows how different schools are. I sometimes give her oatcakes and cheese in her packed lunch too, which is what I've just had for lunch aswell - with fruit and salad too!

I think fruit and veg only is silly. I had porridge with dried fruit for breakfast today, then ate a satsuma, banana and pear at break, and my word, I was starving. And I wasn't running about - in fact I taught one lesson then spent an hour at the computer writing reports. How hungry would a growing child have been?

badger - you didn't have enough protein in there - next time try bashing up some nuts and adding those as well. Works a treat!

yes cheese/crackers a healthy snack

dc today got given carrots and they were dipped in chocolate spread

we dont take in snacks - this was nurserys choice

I love this.
Successive governments sell off school grounds and push oppertunities for physical excercise through PE, after school sports and playtime down to almost zero so they get an explosion in obesity and try to resolve it by putting all children on a low fat diet. Because they work
Fucking idiots.
KIds need loads of food and loads of excercise. Making children anxious about good and bad food is setting a generation up for food issues.
The policy is the very defintion of destined to failure

LOLOLOL @ Riven on this thread - I hope you're only having a child sized snack there Riven!

No problem with cheese and crackers. Its not like you sent her in with a whole packet of crackers and 2lb of cheese is it? People need to get a grip, I'm not surprised that children are growing up with eating disorders when they are brainwashed at such a young age.

I work in a nursery, chocolate and crisps are banned in accordance with the healthy eating policy. Yesterday a child had a homemade piece of chocolate cake in his lunchbox the outrage from the other children was unbelievable. I allowed him to eat it as I know for a fact that chocolate sponge pudding is on the menu for the children who take school cooked lunches.

I'm all for children being taught about nutrition and healthy cooking but I don't think the balance is right, a lot of children seem to be obsessed with it. I had ds's friend around for lunch in half term, I prepared them home made tomato soup with bread, fruit salad with yoghurt and then for a treat they each had a halloween biscuit that I had bought from the bakers. Ds's friend was outraged that ds was having a biscuit as ds had told him that the day before he had been to a cafe and had cake. His friend is only 5 but couldn't understand how I could allow ds to have two treats, they were arguing about it and his friend said "well when you are old you will be really fat, your teeth will fall out and you will die first". It isn't right for children to be so worried about food.

I cannot say I know much about the gouvernment selling the school grounds (our school has fab grouds) but if it rains they play inside so not much playing out from November to March + only 1 PE/Games lesson a week .Back home we used to have 3 full hours PE a week and althoug it rains less than here it is very cold in the winter but I cannot remember a single time in all my school years where we were asked to play in. I totaly agree with you Pagwatch.

Ruby, I had the very same experience!

I agree with the poster who said stick to fruit & veg on Weds.
The problem I see in this is that it´s the child who gets told FFS!

What time are breakfast & lunch?

By midway through page two, I couldn't live without cheese & crackers for a moment longer. So I went downstairs. I prepared newly bought water biscuits and spread 'em with some nice, squishy garlic and herb Boursin that I'd put in the fridge for this sort of moment. It having quite a long shelf-life.

To this lunchtime "repastette" I was mindful of Mrs S and it being a Wednesday so I added a handful of seedless grapes.

Having got the whole lot back upstairs to my work room, I took a bite and discovered I'd bought the farkin' PEPPER Boursin. Or "poivre" as it pretentiously labelled itself. Farkin' VILE it is too. I feel very let down and cannot possibly get on with any work while this disappointment weighs so heavily...

cheese & crackers would be verboten as a snack in my dd's school

fruit & veg only, who wants to be munching carrots on a day like today, certainly not the teachers, I'll bet

Thefoosa, DD1 reported to me that aty brak time she has several times been asked by a member of staff to go an please put the wrapper of the chocolate she ate in the bin. so to me it means that teachers/ta do not follow the rules they impose on children, that they do not exercise(can't be bothered to walk to a bin to dump their own mess) and have very little respect for the children as they eat in front of them the very item they do not allow them to eat!