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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this actually isnt that healthy?

41 replies

thisisnotwhoyouthink · 02/04/2010 21:11

It may just be me (probably!!) and how I was brought up and my general aversion to 'fast' foods and deep fried foods...

DS1's new school has apparently won one of those healthy eating awards for their school meals menu. I was in the front foyer and read the menu while I was waiting (DS starts after Easter so we were there filling out paperwork etc. He will be taking a packed lunch but was just being nosey considering how much they 'big up' this award).

There are each week at least two serves of hot chips and/or wedges!

This to me, is NOT necessarily promoting healthy eating. Given what the kids probably eat at home, I think the school dinners should not have this type of food in it. Especially not twice a week.

So what are your thoughts? ( I just KNOW I am going to get flamed for this!!)

OP posts:
seeyoukay · 02/04/2010 21:15

They could be baked.

GlastonburyGoddess · 02/04/2010 21:15

Our school also has that award. Im sure it must be based more on packed lunches than the school dinners. This was one of the reasons(+the cost) that I decided not to give ds1 school dinners, like yours our school has things like sponge pudding and custard, wedges etc more than twice a week. At least with his packed lunch I knew Id have more control over his weight gain.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 02/04/2010 21:15

Not really healthy eating but twice a week isnt extreme is it? When I was at school chips were an everyday option (and sometimes the only option!)

seeyoukay · 02/04/2010 21:16

Oh and everything in moderation etc etc. Schools shouldn't be super healthy just to make up for the crap parents feed their kids.

The parents should change as well.

FabIsGettingThere · 02/04/2010 21:16

potato and a bit of oil

it isn't lard and dripping

yabu

Eglu · 02/04/2010 21:27

YABU - have you seen the size of the portions they get, they are hardly going to make children fat. And they mat have been baked.

wrinklyraisin · 02/04/2010 21:29

There's nothing wrong with chips or wedges AS LONG as they are not the main source of food for the week! Throw in some broccoli and a baked chicken breast and that's a pretty good meal for an active school child. Children shouldn't be on diets. What they should have is fruit and veg every day, and a good amount of exercise. A pizza every now and then or even (whispers) a Maccy D's is not the end of the world if a child has a balanced diet the rest of the week! It's a parents responsibility to put healthy food choices in front of their children at home, so they learn moderation and that no food is a sin if they get a wide variety of good fresh food. I hate seeing little kids on low carb low fat diets, they don't need to lose weight FGS they need to have energy for their bodies to grow and thrive. They need fats and carbs, expecially in the first five years, to help their bodies and brains grow and develop. Children are only overweight if they eat crap and don't exercise, or have a medical reason. It's mainly up to the parent not the school to help each child be as healthy as they can be.

BakewellTarts · 02/04/2010 21:31

I hate that certain types of food are demonised surely everything in moderation even fried food (you do need some fat in a diet). Sorry YABU IMHO.

weloveyoumisshannigan · 02/04/2010 21:34

school food trust has a leaflet which tells you what they are allowed. Deep fried food is allowed twice a week. Children (especially YR and Y1 ime) don't eat that much at lunch because they are too easily distracted so the more calories the better.

macdoodle · 02/04/2010 21:34

oh FFS they arent deep fried in goose fat you complete and utter loon!
they're baked and actually pretty healthy, YABU, and totally PFB, you'd better get a tougher skin you have many school years ahead, if this is freaking you out before he even starts you will be gibbering wreck by secondary !

usualsuspect · 02/04/2010 21:36

yabu ...its a few chips ,so what

TeamEdward · 02/04/2010 21:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
thisisnotwhoyouthink · 02/04/2010 21:40

Yes, they may have been baked - good point that I didnt think of!

For the record:
I DONT demonise food at all. DH grew up getting chips and fish from the chippy on a Saturday night and has continued that tradition with the boys. Although I do our own fish and he just gets the chips.

My children are not on diets. They are not overweight. They have a very balanced diet and I agree a certain amount of fat in their diet is a good thing. See point above. They just dont eat processed foods much and I cook as much from scratch as possible. My four year old knows about the healthy food pyramid and does make his own educated choices about snacks etc. Quite often he will turn down a biscuit in favour of an apple. They are also extremely active.

I agree schools shouldnt make up for the habits of crap eating parents.

My main point was, the school got a healthy eating award for a menu that actually isnt that healthy.

Having said all that, I accept, as I pointed out in my OP, I may come form a slightly skewed background!!

OP posts:
TeamEdward · 02/04/2010 21:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
thisisnotwhoyouthink · 02/04/2010 21:45

macdoodle - as I pointed out, he is getting a packed lunch. again it is about the AWARD, not the lunch per se, and I am certainly not freaking out about it. Just something I am musing about! He is getting a packed lunch so it really doesnt affect him at all.

I was just concerned that a parent might look at the award and go well the fried chips got an award for being healthy and get the wrong message that it is healthy rather than a sometimes food. Its all about education of the healthy options, iyswim?

OP posts:
thesecondcoming · 02/04/2010 22:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rainbowinthesky · 02/04/2010 22:18

All schools have to have their menus analysed to ensure they meet very high standards. Believe me, it will be a healthy menu. It isnt allowed not to be.

rainbowinthesky · 02/04/2010 22:19

The chips and wedges arent fried. They are fresh and baked.

wrinklyraisin · 02/04/2010 22:30

OP, I would be interested in hearing what you would consider to be a healthy daily/weekly menu? Baked wedges/fries served with a protein and a veg is a perfectly healthy meal IMHO. Fruit sponge and custard too. The children aren't getting huge troughs full of food, they are getting (probably) quite small portions. You would freak out if you saw the Frech primary school menu I witnessed last year! 4 course meal: soup, meat/fish and potato/rice/pasta with a dressed side salad, desert, fruit and cheese and crackers. All the little ones sat nicely and ate their meals, all with bread and butter too. Couldn't believe how civilized it was compared to the zoo I remember my primary school being!!!! As long as children are encouraged to be active and have everything in moderation then I really don't see what your issue with the school is?

runnybottom · 02/04/2010 22:34

perhaps the people evaluating them for an award know a bit more about the menu than you do?

notapizzaeater · 02/04/2010 22:37

Our school has a healthy award. The muffins/cakes are sweetened in our school with fruit juice/pureed apple. Custards/rice pudding etc have lots of milk. The jellies have fruit in. The Pizza is wholemeal base. The nuggets are "real" chicken and wholemeal breadcrumbs. The wraps are meat with stir fried veg in them. They manage to get a lot of veg/fruit in the stuff they provide.

I had to spend a lot of time with our cook after DS was diagonosed coeliac and she took me through the menu.

JeremyVile · 02/04/2010 22:40

Potato baked in a bit of oil.
As part of a meal.
Acouple of times a week.

In what whay would this mean the menu is unhealthy?

This strange attitude towards food is whats unhealthy imo.

shakingmyfattybumbum · 03/04/2010 10:35

I sometimes wonder if we will end up with more eating disorders with all this 'good food/bad food' nonsense. A balanced diet means just that - a balance in favour of healthy food. my son is 4 and already obsessed with the idea of 'bad' food. it is a load of crap.

Oh and FWIW, I am size 18 and in my youth never got sweets/cake/takeaway/pizza and all food was home made. As soon as I left home, I lived on white bread, pot noodles, bought jam etc. Moderation in all things I say.

BelleDameSansMerci · 03/04/2010 10:45

shaking, that's interesting because I was just about to say that I every day for the 4 years I was at High School (we started at 13) I ate the following:

Morning break - jam doughnut - sometimes two (delicious!)
Lunch - cheese roll, large portion of chips (dinner ladies liked me because I was polite), mayonnaise; whatever was stickiest for pudding.

My mum would have been horrified! I was, however, a size 10 until my mid 30s and am now (at 44) a size 12.

My point is that my attitude to food is quite balanced because I wasn't really denied anything and therefore don't have the binge mentality thing (except for one week a month).

I get the point about the award though... I'd be a bit too, I think!

foxinsocks · 03/04/2010 10:52

how marvellous is this

I'd quite like all the wanky coffee shops to close and have greasy spoons in their place tbh

chips twice a week doen't sound excessive