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Original poster

Quick poll on packed lunch

70 replies

swedishmum · 26/05/2006 23:06

OK, so ds can't take fizzy water to school. Fair enough. Just want to know how many of you are not allowed to take chocolate covered biscuits in lunch boxes. Thanks for any replies.

OP posts:

nothercules · 27/05/2006 15:38

That's what I meant. WWW

WideWebWitch · 27/05/2006 15:42

Oh ok, herc, I have nothing against thwe odd stodgy pudding but ideally not containing hydrogenated fat etc.

Blandmum · 27/05/2006 15:42

and a cake, made with flour will take considerably longer to break down than sweets and chocolate, which will give them an instant sugar rush.

nothercules · 27/05/2006 15:44

I said in some schools. In my school we have a lot of underweight kids so the diet has to include stodge.

juuule · 27/05/2006 15:44

WWW - If it gets to that though, some of the 'good' foods are loaded with rubbish. Low-calorie drinks full of aspartame - in fact quite a lot of stuff full of aspartame. Some foods are full of crap and disguised as "good" foods. So unless we are talking of giving only organically produced stuff (and someone somewhere probably knows a reason not to eat that either)then there is a risk of hidden crap in most foods.
Children should be educated to recognise the effects that various foods in excess will have on them.

nothercules · 27/05/2006 15:46

low calorie drinks arent seen as good foods though.

WideWebWitch · 27/05/2006 15:46

Well it depends on your definition of good I suppose! I wouldn't call low cal drinks 'good'!

juuule · 27/05/2006 15:47

They were by my dentist and hv who advised me to give them to my children rather than those 'bad' sugary drinks (which I gave rarely and very dilute).

nothercules · 27/05/2006 15:48

then you need to change your dentist and hv.

WideWebWitch · 27/05/2006 15:48

Blimey, did they? I'm shocked!

nothercules · 27/05/2006 15:49

My dentists said only water and milk for my kids. I dont even bother with hvs.

foxinsocks · 27/05/2006 15:50

the problem is that we (on here) are generally sensible parents who have some idea of nutrition. Some parents are just not like this - I agree the children need educating but it can't be easy especially if they live on a diet of chips and soft drinks at home. So you can see why a blanket rule comes into action - it's not to catch out nutrition conscious parents who put in a kit kat on a Friday as a treat but more to stop the little ones who have chocolate/crisps as part of their staple diet.

Blandmum · 27/05/2006 15:52

and while you are doing that in a 70 minute lesson for 30 kids you are up against the food companies who have millions of pounds at their disposal to promote their poducts to kids. And promote them they do!

I have taught food and nutrition to kids over several years in science at secondary school. The kids have no idea what constitutes a good diet. And when you try to counter their misconceptions, they call back on the advertising they have been bombarded with over the years

'i'm OK I drink sunny D'

'My mother buys me fruit yoghuts so that is my fruit for the day'

I have worked with sixth formers who cannot peel a potato, let alone know what to make for a balanced dinner.

There is no where in the KS3 food tech curriculum where they make what passes for a 'real meal'. (I hve gone through all 3 year on the QCA site) They design a cake, invent a snack product (I shit you not) and they invent a new topping for a pizza.

We need to have a good long look at the messages that we are giving our kids about food. Because at the moment the messages seem to be mostly crap.

juuule · 27/05/2006 16:03

I've seen that MB. My older children's food tech lessons consisted of making chocolate milkshake complete with sweet toppings plus the things that you mentioned. The pizza lesson didn't even include making your own base. Everything was shop bought and assembled in the lesson.
Surely these lessons could have been better used.

Blandmum · 27/05/2006 16:05

I agree, and every food tech teacherthat I have speken to has also agreed with you. The trouble is that they have to follow the NC guidelines from the QCA...government body. It isn't up to the individual teachers in most cases!

And they want to meke lessons 'fun' you see! God forbid that the kids should learn something useful [fume emoticon needed]

moondog · 27/05/2006 16:09

It's really interesting what you say about shit food in schools MB (and glad to know it's not an urban myth!)
I agree-you have to blanket ban becasue so many people have nooo idea.
I have friends who swear blind they don't give their kids crap but when we go over after schoolI am truly shocked.

You only have to look at some of the MN posts to know that many quite intelligent people haven't a fucking clue.

juuule · 27/05/2006 16:11

@&*@%$ing NC. How patronising of QCA. I'm sure a lot of kids would find it more fun to find out how to do something which would be of some use in their lives rather than something more like they did at playgroup. These are adults in the making (hard to believe at times, I know).

Would it be worth parents complaining to QCA?

juuule · 27/05/2006 16:14

No you don't have to blanket ban. By that principle all children should be put into care because some parents are incapable of looking after them. Oh sorry - the gov't is already aiming to do that(sarcasm in case it was missed).

Blandmum · 27/05/2006 16:15

To be fair most parents are middle of the road. But you do see some kids who do only seem to eat crap all day. I am also horrified at the number of kids who (at the age of 14 and NT) cannot eat with a knife and fork, eat with their mouth open, spray food everywhere, throw unwanted food on the floor and will refuse to pick it up because 'That is the cleaners job miss.' The latter they only tend to say to me once!

All of these things lead me to feel sure that not only do they eat crap at home, they don't even eat crap with their parents. They have table manners that would shame my 6 year old! I mean , WTF!

A local school has started a nurture group where they select kids with behavioural issues and take them to lunch early (30 mins). They sit and eat two courses of real food , with a knife and fork, and are helped to be socialised by TAs. They are finding this this significantly improves their overall behaviour.

I know that for most MNetters it must be inconceiveable that parents would be so lax when it comes to food, but trust me those parents do exsist. And I see their kids suffer as a result.

nothercules · 27/05/2006 16:15

But it's a blanket ban in schools. What you do with them at home is another thing. It is true that we are not a healthy nation and eat loads of crap so why is so bad that the government are trying to do something.

moondog · 27/05/2006 16:16

I see it.
All the time.
I also have mothers (friends) of kids that i invite for tea,ringing me in a panic,asking if they can send stuff like Bernard mattheews turkey ham (barf!) 'Becasue I know she won't eat what you give her.

Blandmum · 27/05/2006 16:17

True. I have a blanket ban on bad behaviour in my lessons, I insist on please and thank you, sitting still and being quiet when others are talking....but it would seem that some parents do not.

nothercules · 27/05/2006 16:17

I've known 15 year olds who dont know that chips are potatoes and potatoes grow in the ground.

juuule · 27/05/2006 16:18

But a blanket ban on certain foods dictates to me what I can give my child for lunch.

foxinsocks · 27/05/2006 16:19

but it's not like they are banning fruit and veg?

they're banning chocolate - it's not like you need that for lunch!

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