GGGRRRR!!! They are doing healthy eating at school again.

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

We called at the shop on the way to dancing this afternoon. DD1 headed straight for the fruit "The drinks are here if you want one dd" I call after her "No sugary drinks are bad for you" She replies bypassing the bottled water, fruitjuices and smoothies

With the help of the shop lady we managed to get her to buy a smoothie so long as we "are carefull about hidden sugars we should be fine mum"

I ask if her if she is doing healthy eating again at school "yes"

The school know that dd1 has issues with eating and that she has been known to lose large amounts of weight due to this and that this is of great concern to both me and her doctors so why the fuck are they not more carefull about what they are teaching her?

She is always very particular about what she eats anyway. And because she only eats small quantities she needs what she does eat to high in calories.

I eventually persueded her to eat her chocolate cake afte she asked if it is healthy by replying honestly that chocolate is niether good or bad for you so long as you don't over indulge in it and that because she is small she needs to eat things like that too keep her healthy.

If the school are going to teach her about healthy eating I'd rather them approach it in healthy manner. telling an underweight five year old that her 'bot bots' are bad for without even knowing what she is talking about is irresponsible and dangerous. As is telling any five year old that chocolate is bad and they should watch out for hidden sugars in fruit juices and other things.

So who wants to take a guess at how much weight she will lose this time around? Just after I had got her eating again after her last episode.

Oh dear,I've fumed at this before now.My two don't have any issues with food,but are both skinny little things.DD1 came home once and said she wasn't going to eat my home made cakes anymore because cake wasn't healthy and would make you fat.

Luckily,she is easily persuaded,and after I explained that in moderation,it isnt bad and wont make her fat,she forgot all about it.

No one want to come and get angry with me then? Or help me think of what to say to the school when I raise the issue of dd1's eating yet again?

oh sorry x posts. Unfortunately mine is not so easily persueded and still won't eat sausages after being taught at nursery. Thankfully she developed a liking for chicken shortly after but sausages would have still been better re fat content.

Who exactly is it who teaches the teachers what to teach? They need sacking.

I understand your concern, SheSells, and I would be furious too. Have you got the doctor to write a letter to the school? It really helps to make sure that they have something in writing in your child's file, because then they have to pay attention to what they are telling her about food.

I think the Healthy Schools policy is going too far the other way in some respects and children may not be getting the calories they need to be healthy and have lots of energy. All this "water, veg and fruit is OK and everything else is BAD" is getting on my nerves a bit.

Everything in moderation is my rule and my children understand this completely but there are children who take this too far and may the bulimics and anorexics of the future.

My DS is not allowed to leave the dinner hall without eating all his packed lunch - I tell him he can unzip the front pocket of his lunch bag and put in there what he doesn't want. Sometimes you don't want a whole banana after a roll with ham and salad, you just want half, or you feel sick in the playground when you're running around.

I decide what he eats and I've told him that if anyone questions him about his lunch (he is a very good eater) that they should contact me.

I know some of children aren't fed healthy choices and these guidelines are needed for people that don't understand about nutrition and food groups etc but this forcefeeding children and telling them that things are BAD is going to far IMO.

So yes, I'm angry with you!

There is probably some government intiative behind it.I cringe when my 3 year old tells me what is healthy and what isn't.FGS at 3 she shouldn't be thinking about that sort of stuff.

for your poor dd though.You would think the teachers would be more thoughtful about what they say re food.

A lot of "healthy" eating at school is actually about weight loss, which is fine for the 40year old teachers but completely unsuitable for DCs. I would rather my DCs did not eat low fat jelly and other shit. I would rather they ate sugary things than artificial sweetners.

These posts genuinely baffle me. Healthy eating comes up over and over again in the Science and PHSCE curriculum from Reception to Y6, but always in relation to balance. We do lots of balanced plates, balanced food pyramids, so the message shouldn't come across as 'these foods are bad for you' - as posters say, it should be these foods are bad for you if you eat lots of them and nothing else all the time.
I wonder why so many schools are letting the wires get crossed? It can't be to do with Healthy Schools - we have been at a high level for ages, and still promote balance.

Balance I don't mind Feenie. But dd1 takes things to the extreme wrt eating and always has done. If you tell her too much chocolate is bad for you, she will panick and not eat any chocolate.

I don't know where this attitude has come from. But it scares me and the school are aware she has these problems and should therefore be carefull about what they teach her.

Though she did say that the school said chocolate was bad. She never said that they said too much chocolate was bad, or a little bit of chocolate is okay. Just that chocolate is bad.

I don't think anything about food other than what your body needs it for should be taught at this early an age, where children take things very literally.

Unfortunately, there is little choice, since it features heavily on the curriculums I have mentioned, and has done for years. Your dd's issues sound v. serious, I would have another word with her class teacher, maybe?

I'd read these sorts of posts before and thought much the same as Feenie - how do the messages get so twisted? And lo, DD comes home from school telling me that Mrs Rice (she's left, so I'll out her, stupid woman) had told her that 'cherries are bad for you because they're full of sugar'. Incredible. Fortunately DD is still just little enough to listen to me rather than a stand-in teacher (she didn't like her either) and I got it across to her that they ARE, but it's fruit sugar, and mostly good for you, and that anything can be bad for you IF YOU OVERDO IT.

Yes I am going to. I don't mind them teaching her about healthy eating. She needs to know about healthy eating and how and why your body needs food etc and which are best. But I don't want them teaching her things are bad other than adding extra salt and sugar to things where it is not necessary.

I am v carefull how I word things with her which is why I say things like 'chocolate is niether good or bad' or 'yes sweeties are nice but we shouldn't eat them all the time should we? We need broccoli and chicken and things as well don't we?'

Every time they do healthy eating at school I have to have another conversation about how "yes, bananas are healthy food for most people but when some people like ds eat them they can end up in hospital", and yes a ham sandwich is a good choice for most people, except that MSG and food colourings are in lots of cheap ham and isn't a shame people don't realise that? and eggs are healthy, but not if you are allergic, and cake is only flour and oil and sugar (in ds's case)and can give you energy if you are doing biking every day".

Basically I gently disagree with everything he has been told, tell him I love him and that mummy and the dietician at the hospital worked out his diet and if a Doctor said it was healthy then it must be.

Does your dd see a dietician? I think a five year old would know that medical professional trumps teacher in a case like this.

Yes she used to. But no longer does as I did't feel we were benefitting from it as she told me what to feed her but it's to get her to eat it that is the problem.

The dietcian was the one who stressed that because she eats such small amounts she needs every mouthfull to count and needs to eat a diet that is higher in calories than a normal child would need.

I think it's a pyschologist dd1 needs. I need to know why she won't eat and why she gets upset at eating sometimes.

"she told me what to feed her"

Maybe now the dietician needs to tell her what to eat. She is a bit older now. Maybe there is a benefit

I think maybe a trip back to the dietician so that your dd can have a talk about hidden sugar and what they told her at school, and the dietician can tell her that that advice is not good advice for her.

Does she take everything her teacher says this literally - or is it more like she's looking for an excuse and this is it?

But surely there's enough healthy things she can eat?
I can't see any problem with refusing chocolate or sugary drinks, and sausages are not the best food for kids either.
If she's not eating a lot, then what she does eat needs to be good stuff, not empty calories. IMHO.

I don't know if she is looking for an excuse. Possibly, food has become a big issue around dd1. I try my best not to make this the case, but is v worrying when she will not eat. I am taking her back to the doctors again soon and will get her refered again.

Vess she does eat lots of good things too. She loves fruit and veg but because she will only eat in small quantities she needs to eat things that have enough calories to sustain her energry needs throughout the day to ensure that she gains weight and grows normally.

A qualified peadiatric nutrionist told me that dd1 needed to eat foods such as mince, sausages, eggs, cream, butter etc. in order to fullfill her calorific needs.

I don't think a plate full of fresh spinache would be enough to sustain any child, let alone one who dances 4-5 times a week and never sits still.

I really feel for you. It drives me mad all the messages at school, and especially that they don't realise what effect they have on the children. At ds's nursery they are much better about this - they do cooking/baking with them, with fresh ingredients and don't worry if it is cakes or cheesy pasta! Shame they can't do this at school. We find it a problem with packed lunches too, but not as much as dd's best friend (she has always been tiny) and whose mum (like all of us) aren't allowed to put in any bulk filling treats except bananas! They are talking about this on School Gate at the moment too (though I'm not a fan of chocolate spread sandwiches, I have to say). You can see it here: I have to say I am quite getting into SG too (though obviously not like here
timesonline.typepad.com/schoolgate/2009/01/are-certain-foo.html