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

How can I encourage my sons to eat more fruit and vegetables? Previously good eaters, they are now increasingly picky and claim not to like most fruit and veg!

what wholegrains would you recommend to make slow energy filling snacks, and is dried fruit good for this ?

My youngest baby girl has Down Syndrome and she simply won't drink water.
Our Drs have said this is probably a sensory issue as children with DS prefer stronger flavours. I know stronger flavors can increase saliva production and provide more sensory stimulation, but I do worry about my girls teeth.

At the moment age 2.5 they are still coming through, and look beautiful & white right now, but how 'sugar free' are sugar free drinks? lol. Sorry if that sounds odd. But I would rather my girl drank plenty, but also don't want to rot her little teeth. Any advice is great!

how can I ensure that my teenager gets their 5 a day when they eat school dinners (that don’t appear to have any fruit or veg as choices) for lunch?

What optimum foods should I feed my vegetarian child who also has ARFID? Safe foods are pasta, bagels, orange juice, olives, fried eggs, water melon. Not keen on most meat substitutes. She will eat some vegetables sometimes. How can I get a wider range of nutrients into her diet

The kids love more of a free reign or relaxed food choice for a week or few weeks. It's part of holidaying. It's part of being on holiday. There is still usual balance to meals. But there can be more of the other too. Can that really be so terrible? If the balance is quickly back once school and normal routine is. It's not a big deal to them because we don't make it so. We don't add guilt or shame or emphasis on there being this huge change to "junk" foods. It's just a bit better time for them in regards to choices! 😊
But it seems to be being demonised so much. Just look at all tye questions on here fearing sugar! Sugar has become the new demonised food. The instagrammers screaming tactic. When it never has been a problem. Not in balance. It the same with UPF. They were never seen as this evil they are now. Hell, a tin of beaches is processed. Not to mention the fitspo nutrition bars people rave over are full of more unrecognisable ingredient than that of most of kiddie type foods.
Can't kids go to the pictures anymore and loom forward to pop and pic a mix. Or cereal for tea one night on a holiday sleepover?
I hear kids worry so much more and its the words of instagram or parents. They are losing their innocense and actually creating more food issues. More hang ups and in tue end more food issue. That is whats concerning me. The fact we are need to make kids make smarter choices over their holidays. When? Why? Why has this now become a new guilt to laden on them and parents ovsd food choices. Because you can see it reflecting to yhe children.
So is there really an issue if kids have a bit more palatable foods for a short time.
And are we doing our kids. And even us more harm than good because we are making them think way to much about certain foods and or thesemvles in terms of bodies, changing, good foods bad food.

How can we realistically reduce our intake of ultra-processed foods, when they seem to be present in so many things?

I think when we see how many teaspoons of sugar are in our everyday foods - it's a real eye opener - even cornflakes and bread contain significant amounts.
Is there anyway of knowing what foods have hidden sugars ? I find it increasingly difficult to help cut down sugars - and is 'sugar free' really healthy - are artificial sugars more harmful - what tips would you give to make healthy choices without cooking everything from scratch.

How many eggs a day are too much for kids

Is it okay for toddlers to drink apple and orange juice very occasionally?

What are your thoughts on using tap water for making squash drinks - whenever I drink water it always smells chemically - same when I am bathing. Tap water has changed so much - are we safe ? would you recommend filter or bottled ?

Asking for low sugar juice drinks primarily.

Best idea for sandwiches - mine love peanut butter and banana sandwiches on seeded wholemeal but they drink lots of fruit juices, it's a calorie filled sandwich, but they are very active at half term, with sport and socialising, I find there are very little nutritious low sugar offerings at the sports centre and swimming pool - what would you recommend ?

my kids are autistic and I'm pretty sure one has arfid so wont eat anything I make at home, snacks are always shop bought, any ideas for extremely picky kids?

This, thanks, same issue here. also wont eat anything home baked.

Why is snacking so common now when it wasn't very common a couple of generations ago? Has the nutritional value of typical diets decreased over that period, leading people to feel hungry between meals when they previously would have felt satisfied?

My DS2 comes home from nursery and doesn’t really want to eat any dinner most evenings. He prefers snacking and grazing (fruit / kiddie snacks / sometimes chocolate) - I do my best to hide these or limit them but it’s so hard. The snacks aren’t super unhealthy but I just feel bad if he’s not having a proper meal. Am I being too hard on myself?

My question is, is white pasta really that bad for you? I feel like a lot of diets include wholemeal pasta instead, or other alternatives. We eat a lot of pasta as a household, should we be switching? Also in Italy they eat a lot of pasta and have lower obesity rates than us...

What are the quick swaps that early teens don't object to when they prefer to reach for sugar?

My teens are obsessed with protein and drawn towards high protein snacks.

What else should they be eating and how best to encourage that?

Hey, thanks so much for your question. Calculating a child's calorie intake isn't something I recommend parents routinely do, as it can focus extra attention on numbers rather than allowing a child's appetite to lead. Young children, especially those under 7 are brilliant at listening to their bodies and eating to their appetite, and if using more energy due to activity and play will compensate for this at meal and snack times. A child's growth is the best way to assess if they are getting the energy they need, and if your child's weight and height are tracking their centile lines, this is usually a good enough indication they are getting the energy they need.

Hi, lifewontwait; thanks so much for your question. I see many children with ARFID, and due to the complexity of the diagnosis and associated individual factors, it would be difficult to advise on specific approaches for your child without understanding more about their history. A specialist team such as psychologist, dietitian and occupational therapist would be able to support more.

Hi there! Thanks so much for this question and it's great to hear you are already baking with fruits and vegetables - a fabulous way to add extra fibre! I hear you on the sweetening - my favourite additions include using fruit smoothie or puree options like GoGo squeeZ, which work brilliantly in flapjacks and oat pancakes to add extra sweetness, fibre and a portion of their 5-a-day. A little maple syrup or honey (unless your child is under 1) can be another option.

What are your thoughts on vitamin tablets for children in the colder months, extra vitamin C and D I think are much needed - mine don't eat as much fruit in the winter as they do in the summer.

What’s your option on sugar free versions of food, I hate sweeteners and reckon they can’t be better for us than moderation of sugar a natural product

Have you got any suggestions for a toddler breakfast that can be eaten on the go (ie walking to school to drop off siblings)?