oh, fabadooz, thanks to the schools "Healthy Eating" campaign...

[Fruitbatlings]

DS wants white bread

I've managed to get him to the grand age of four happily eating wholemeal/granary bread.

Now, he tells me, he made a cheese sandwich at school as it's been "Healthy Eating Week" (not entirely sure how healthy a cheese sarnie is anyway ) and he used "white bread!"
Now, I don't ban it at all. He's allowed it but we just don't buy it.
I'm just really cross that the school gave them white bread to use! Now he thinks it's the best thing since, well, since sliced bread

I've always stated wholemeal MrsGently, not brown bread.
I only like to buy wholemeal/granary. In fact Hovis (think it's Hovis) to a wholemeal granary which is delicious and DS has never complained
Like I have always said on this thread, I have no problem with white bread. I buy it now and again if we're desperate and the corner shop has run out of wholemeal. I also like to buy a nice white French stick now and again.

I just didn't like the fact that the school had given the children white bread as part of "Healthy Eating" - it sends out the wrong messages.

I also don't agree that white bread is better for children.

As I said I don't see a cheese sandwich as bad - it could be better, they could thrown in some cucumber and some cherry toms and better quality bread but it depends where on the scale you are. Turkey Twizzlers v's cheese sandwich?

I was going to say I'm sure a cheese sandwich is better than chicken nuggets and chips but I wonder if it really is. Good quality nuggets and low fat chips could compete with a white bread cheese sandwich quite easily in the health stakes.

Young children shouldn't have too much wholemeal bread- thought everyone knew that?

It wasn't part of their school meal

It was an exercise to make a sandwich as part of their "Healthy Eating Week".

I'm not bothered that DS put cheese into it. I'm sure there was a lot of other fillings he could have added like tomato and cucumber - DS is just fussy.
It's the bread. In a "Healthy Eating exercise" I would expect them to use wholemeal/granary. That's all

No, children shouldn't eat too much wholemeal bread. Same as anything else. Too much of anything is bad for you.
I still don't believe white bread is better for children than wholemeal.

A Healthy diet shouldn't contain too much of anything - it's all about balance. And wholemeal isn't just about bread. Given most people, by way of carbohydrates only eat the refined variety - white bread, white rice, white pasta, refined breakfast cereals, refined flour pastries etc... I would say we have a long, long way to go before the balance is being tipped the other way and we get concerned that the majority of our kids are eating too much wholemeal!

Well said MrsGently!

I suspect that the school used white bread because they wanted the children to actually eat the sandwiches and they knew that most of then wouldn't eat wholemeal. I work in a junior school and when the Year 3 children make sandwiches they bring the ingredients in themselves, having talked about healthy choices beforehand. If the school was providing the ingredients or asking for a contribution from parents they may also have had to keep the costs down.

And don't be too quick to blame the school for the content or quality of school dinners - we have no control at all over ours - they are provided by an outside company which the LA requires us to use.

I have no qualms about the actual school meals. They are actually pretty good, we get to try them ourselves now and again

Since DD1 has started school i have noticed the impact of the "healthy eating" agenda. She proactively eats vegetables rather than me persuading her to.
she tells me about protein/carbs/vitamins etc. and how she needs a balance.
she WANTS to walk to school to earn her "walk to school" badge rather than me dragging her down the road (it is ok for her on a good day on a scooter but too far to walk)

i know what you mean about the white bread, but overall i think the agenda is positive and ime seems to have an effect.