Classify the following foods as junk/healthy

[tortoiseshell]

1. Fish fingers (100% cod)

2. Sausages 3. Rice 4. Pasta 5. Cereal (Shreddies, Bran flakes etc, not sugar coated cereal!)

I think all are pretty healthy, possibly the sausages are least healthy. My children eat A LOT of these foods, so interested to know what people think of them.

All healthy except sausages IMO.

mmm my farmer's market does pork and honey sossies which go down very well here

um...they're all potentially healthy but can be made unhealthily...and they can all be unhealthy depending on what else you've eaten...

Why do people object to sausages? Is it the fat? Do you not eat pork, steak type stuff?

Do you buy "lean" beef mince becuase if so please can I take the p*ss out of you?

God you need half a bottle of olive oil to fry the damn stuff and it takes like packing material

um...they're all potentially healthy but can be made unhealthily...and they can all be unhealthy depending on what else you've eaten...

When I think 'sausages' I think the supermarket-sold type with about 0.1% real meat.

has this kicked off yet?

there are lots of great sausages these days

you need to revisit the sausage aisle

sausages have undergone a marvellous transformation in the last few years

none of them are junk as such
I would say they are all healthy, with the exception of sausages - but for sure they aren't junk either. Just meat. as long as it's good quality meat, I don't see the problem.

I'm a vegetarian

I'm a bit of a label junkie so I think with sausages and fish fingers you need to check what's in them as they vary quite alot.

The crispy batter fish fingers that my kids like are horrid. Only 49% fish fillet (not cod) and the rest made up of batter mix (shudders at the ingredients list) and these are B*rdseye. I dread to think what's in the generic brands. Also probably the fish fillet isn't necessarily a nice chunk from one fish, it could be the leftovers from lots of others.

We love sausages in our house so I try to buy the ones with at least 85% meat and the rest just herbs and stuff. The normal supermarket sausages and chipolatas have about 50% meat and the rest is made up of bone, gristle and floor sweepings.

we just had some yummy Rankin sausages for dinner
from Waitrose donchaknow

1. Fish fingers - good as long as not fried and are pure fish fillet rather than the mince stuff

2. Sausages - not the best but go for the high quality and again not fried - my lo loves them and I always serve them with veggies!! 3. Rice - good, mix brown with white as kids should experience everything 4. Pasta - same as rice, especially when served with a veg and tomatoe sauce 5. Cereal (Shreddies, Bran flakes etc, not sugar coated cereal!) - good especially the fortified ones - wouldn't give too much high fibre cereal though in small children as this can lead to constipation etc

I fry lots of stuff for the smalls actually, I like getting olive oil into them however I can

I am convinced that olive oil makes you live forever

Do you REALLY mix brown rice with white? I mean this would involve two pans and military timing

I don't do low fat anything for the dds.
that would be weird.

gosh no

I roll my children in butter as soon as they are up in the morning

can't get enough of it

Message withdrawn

then roll them in breadcrumbs for a crispy finish

Ihave had this conversation before, I am sure...

But what is unhealthy about minced white fish? Because unhealthy isn't the same as distasteful to think about, is it?!

1. Fish fingers (100% cod)- Fine, once a week or less. Birdseye, with oven chips and tomato ketchup. Lets not forget they are kids and should eat "kids meals" every now and then.

2. Sausages-- 85% meat or more from farmers market, fine, once a week, Everyday, no. 3. Rice- basmati has a lower GI content than brown. 4. Pasta- fine- mix of wholemeal and white cooked in the same pan is the norm chez moi. 5. Cereal (Shreddies, Bran flakes etc, not sugar coated cereal!)- branflakes are quite high in hidden sugars, I mix mine with weetabix and are eaten 5 days outof 7 here.

So there I am googling for fish fingers and all the answers are coming from mumsnet:

old thread

so it turns out from this old thread that
(a) everything we know we have learnt from CBeebies
and
(b) we should stick to haddock fishfingers

I think to class whole categories of foods as unhealthy is problematic really. I saw a children's game today where the object was to sort the healthy foods from the unhealthy. Pizza was one of the unhealthy foods - but I have always considered a well made pizza quite healthy - what do you think?

The thing with minced fish is its the same as the anti sausage argument - you don't actually know what you're getting in with it.

MP - i didn't mean mix the brown and white in together, sorry, I meant let them have both brown and white rice. I don't think kids should be bought on up solely on wholemeal anything (but that's just my opinion!!). I too fry in olive oil as I share your argument lol

mp - am roaring about your last post!!! I remember that thread!!!