I despair - the healthy eating message in schools

[FurtherSupport]

I really have tried with my DC. I believe the best diets have everything in moderation, lots of fruit and veg, plenty of protein, fats so long as it's not so much it's you overweight, avoid processed food and artificial rubbish and include minimal sugar and refined carbs.

I'm in no way obsessive about it, but this is what we aim for.

The message from schools is all low fat and replace sugar with sweetners. At the school where I work they serve an ice lolly that is basically coloured flavoured water as dessert. It's low in fat, sugar and salt and therefore must be healthy.

DS1 is just back from cadet camp and thrilled to tell me how unhealthy the food has been because he's had a cooked breakfast every morning before going out on the moors for a long active day. OTOH, he thinks (despite me continually telling him otherwise) that the fruit cola they sell at school is healthy because it says on the bottle it contains one of your five a day

I guess the answer is that they don't keep a straight face. They just laugh all the way to the bank.

In thirty years this stuff will be the equivalent of giving cigarettes to tommies.

Yup.

Packed lunch suggestion on that c4l website;

Double decker ham sandwich

Mini blueberry muffin

Mixed dried fruit

Kiwi

Water

Ok do they suggest salad in the sandwich. But that's too much sweet stuff? Why dried fruit and a kiwi?

Dd hates sandwiches so has a tub with cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, beet root, pine nuts, red onion etc and was told off for having cheese and pine nuts in it as they were high in fat! She's a normal 9yr old girl. She's not fat and she's not skinny she's within normal weight range. She now won't let me put cheese or seeds in her lunch. She is usually starving when she gets home because she's had hardly any protein. A few salad leaves and tomatoes isn't a fully balanced meal for her age.

They are even brain washed against chicken and told to eat turkey, even turkey bacon. Wtf is turkey bacon????

That list of partners has just sent my blood pressure up.

Take out the muffin and the dried fruit, put in a piece of good quality cheese and some carrot and cucumber sticks and you have a better, more filling lunch. It isn't difficult. (Why double decker sandwich???)

I hate the suggestions usually given for packed lunches. I don't think they see it through a child's eyes. Mine wanted something they could eat quickly so they could get out to play - anything messy,that took time came back uneaten.

This is making my fucking blood boil. So what do we do? My DD isn't yet at school but I can't bear the idea that she'll have this shit peddled at her.

MN HQ - are you taking note? Can we all collectively do something here - for one thing get the appalling Change 4 Life campaign pulled.

I'm livid.

Double decker sandwich because they like variety! ( and things that take more time to produce). There is utterly no point in a double decker sandwich unless you are entertaining and want it to look pretty on the plate.

My DC have a healthy disregard of the "healthy eating" advice. We talk about it at home and use the C4L leaflets as educational material of what not to do... (It is quite a nice bonding thing, us against the establishment. )

Oh and Turkey bacon? wtf??

I have reported this thread to MNHQ as I think it iis definitely something MNHQ could get behind.

I hate Change4life with a passion - even if you use the excuse that it is catering for the lowest common denominator they still give out shit information. Far better formnthr government to spend the money on schemes teaching basic cooking techniques etc (one of these was offered at DDs nursery). And they (C4L) obviously have ulterior motives.

I also hate all this stuff being labeled as healthy when it really really isn't eg the example of Bear Yoyos given up thread.

I agree about making it easy to eat. I used to cut a sandwich into fingers rather than one piece, cube the cheese, it would all get eaten.

I don't think that I even want to look at this Change4Life campaign- I get cross enough without!

I dunno if MNHQ will take this seriously. They are in the middle of a big sponsorship thingy with BEAR the people who make yoyos. They have a sponsored test thing running where the product BEAR Paws is marketed as one of your five a day but gram for gram this snack contains more sugar than Haribo sweets.

Tricky.

What a terrible list of partners!

Would be nice if schools could team up with local allotments, people who keep chickens, etc., but I guess health and safety would be against that.

I am in favour of a cooked school lunch or at least a substantial meal, rather than packed lunches. I think it´s healthier to eat the main meal in the middle of the day, rather than in the evening, and also I think it´s part of a child´s education to sit down at the table with their peers, use cutlery, etc.

Shame on MN in that case.

Not that I have anything against BEAR's products or even Haribo. My beef is with the healthy snack claims which I think are very misleading and I'd go so far as to say disingenuous.

This is the Scottish version of Change4Life: www.eatbetterfeelbetter.co.uk

And what the Scottish government says about healthy eating: www.foodstandards.gov.scot/nutrition-healthy-eating

I have this very battle with my own child. We get the school dinner menu and its mostly carb based with carb covered protein and veg. The level of carbs is way too high compared to the rest. Take the veg away everything looks... beige!

It's far from healthy and I hate they peddle sugar free drinks. They are just as bad and there are studies that sugar free stuff can increase food cravings and cravings for sugary foods because it gets the taste buds used to such a sweet taste.

Planning on sending packed lunches in for next term but with the 'packed lunch police' I have a feeling sending him in with sushi (his favourite food after pizza) or a bento box meal I'll be sent a letter out for not providing him with the right diet.

I do get it though, some parents do not have a clue about feeding kids the right diet. Most of the time its just portion control. DC class there are 4 'obese' children and they really do need the guidance. The number of kids who eat sweets everyday after school. Its a constant battle with my own getting them to understand sweets/biscuits/cakes are treats and not for everyday yet in school dessert is always biscuits, cakes or flapjacks. Why not fruit for dessert?

Oh we have chickens at our school Happy. We're not allowed to feed the eggs to the children though cos they're not lion marked....

Yes Moving, that's my gripe. I don't think sweets or even "fruit cola" should be banned, all things in moderation. It's being allowed to sell them as healthy/one of your five a day that I object to.

HelpMe that's terrible she must come home ravenous.

Send any spare eggs my way! There are fewer treats more delicious than an omelette or scrambled egg made with real free range chickens who live in someone´s garden. Yum yum.

What a shame the students cannot eat them.

Reply from MNHQ re my report:

"Thanks for reporting, you're not the first to point out this thread and ask about campaigning on it, because I notice it's already been sent to the relevant bods. We can but wait and see now, thanks,"

FurtherSupport is that just a mark to prove they are vaccinated against salmonella and isn't it voluntary? ffs. That seems like such a waste. Teaching kids here! chickens lay make eggs but you cant eat the eggs. No, they're dangerous because they haven't got a stamp on them.