Half term and beyond: Ask an expert anything about kids nutrition - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

Did you know research by GoGo squeeZ shows that British children consume over 40% more added sugar during the school holidays? With half-term approaching, many parents are looking for ways to keep their kids energised while cutting down on sugary snacks.

That’s why we’re thrilled to have Lucy Upton, a leading UK Paediatric Dietitian, here to answer your questions on providing nutritious, balanced snacks and meals during half-term and beyond. Whether you're seeking nutritious snack ideas, advice on managing sugar intake, or tips for ensuring your children stay full of energy throughout the holidays, Lucy is here to help!

Drop your questions below, and let’s tackle half-term snacking with nutritious, delicious solutions!

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 29/11/2024 will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Lucy Upton will be back soon to answer some of your questions

Expert Bio:
Here to answer your questions about nutrition during half term and beyond, Lucy Upton is a leading UK Paediatric Dietitian with over 14 years of experience. Passionate about children’s nutrition, Lucy supports families with advice to overcome feeding challenges, and creates nutritious recipes using her expertise learned from diverse NHS settings, including GP clinics and specialist children’s hospitals.

Here is what GoGo squeeZ has to say:
"GoGo squeeZ fruit smoothie snacks are made from 100% fruit, contain only naturally occurring sugars and are a source of fibre for a nutritious and mess free snack. GoGo squeeZ is perfect for busy kids and parents, whether it's in lunchboxes as a school friendly snack or for half term adventures, it's an easy way to squeeze in one of their 5-a-day."

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ
Insight Terms and Conditions apply

What would be your go-to home made snack - I like to make flapjack but would want a healthier version.

What are your thoughts on aspartame and other sweeteners as a lower sugar alternative in foodstuffs available for children - and what damage can it do ?

Do natural sugars erode teeth enamel?

If you want an underweight child to gain weight then isn’t sugar actually a good thing?

How on earth do I keep active teen boys full - on a budget - over the holidays?!

I am confused about honey - I would love to add this as a natural sweetener, but there are so many honeys bulked up with sugar syrups (so I have been lead to believe) what should I look out on the food label ?

Often I find when out and about that I have to make choices which all appear unhealthy eg. in a cafe/cinema there would be a choice of fizzy drinks/squash and food either pizza or fishfingers and chips - none of these seem healthy. Given that I have not prepared own food, how can I make a good choice in these circumstances?

What are the best 'naturally occurring sugars' to make food swaps when baking, and preparing packed lunches for days out at half term - we avoid fast food when we are out and about and always take a packed lunch - but a lot of yoghurts, cakes and pot snacks contain additives and hidden sugars.

What are your thoughts on ultra processed food? Are GoGo squeeZ fruit smoothie snacks ultra processed?

My youngest two children are both overweight for their ages. They’re both in their late teens. How would you go about tackling their weight without giving them a complex. My son is 18 and definitely obese and my youngest daughter is not far behind. I don’t have snacks in the house but they have allowances and that’s what they spend their money on. My son does not like fruit flavours of any sort.

I have a daughter with allergies to dairy,eggs,fish,nuts, sesame, coconut.
Can you recommend go-to high protein snacks & also breakfast ideas. Would be much appreciated..She also has pcos & trying to keep her weight down has also been an issue.

I think lack of activity, sport and simply 'playing out' with friends is one of the main causes of children being overweight, combined with the addiction to sugar and junk food, and 'quick' food. Do you think lobbying supermarkets would help with reducing the bad sugar in sweets,foods and drinks ?

How would you calculate a childs calorie intake - to assess how much they are eating, and know if it's too much/too little, and if you have a very 'busy' child how many more calories should they need ? My little one is very busy and grazes all day, with no really big meals, we have plenty of fruit and vegetables as well as treats (chocolate and jelly sweets)

How do you help a child with ARFID get over their dislike of eating fruits and vegetables?

I make a lot of cakes and oat cakes with grated carrot and parsnip as a sweetening agent - but this needs sugar too - any ideas, I know oat cakes and flapjacks are great slow releaseing energy providiers.

What idea ms do you have for reducing even natural sugars? My child eats a lot of fruit for snacks but I'd prefer to find something quick cheap and portable but with more nutritional balance?

40% extra does sound excessive - how are these figures calculated, I think eating at school, when I don't have the control as to what they eat when at break time - buying sweets on the way to school with spending money etc -what's in school dinners ? I do what I can to have my DC's make good decisions on eating sugars - do you think there is enough done about this in schools ? We can only do so much in the home.
My DC's will go to friends houses some- where confectionary is abundant - any advice on that - out of my control.
Think this is a scarmongering post tbh

My Son refuses fruit and vegetables but will eat baked beans. Do they contribute to his 5 a day?

For children on very low salt diet (due to kidney disease), what are good ways of adding extra flavour to food? Garlic, chilli, curry, mustard, paprika, dill...etc are all being found too strong by them. They do enjoy italian herbs though, but would be nice to be able to expand on this. Thank you.

Should natural sugars also be limited ?

How can busy parents start to reduce the amount of ultra processed food and incorporate more nutritious and filling snacks for their teen dc (who love junk food)?

I worry about sugar but I also worry about artificial sweeteners, especially in drinks. Fizzy drinks are a rare treat for that reason. Can you recommend any nice drinks?

Carrot cakes and beetroot cookes are a good way of sweetening cakes and biscuits - but how would you sweeten drinks (they don't like honey)

My DC's eat far to many sweets, especially after trick or treating last night, I still want to be able to offer them sweets - are the low/reduced sugar versions full of bad sugars - and if so what sweets would you recommend - love haribo etc - I only offer these at weekends and when we go to the cinema - but trick or treating means they have a massive haul of chocolate and chewy sweets