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

My child isn’t keen on meat or eggs, what can I feed or give them to make sure they don’t miss out on important nutrients?

Hi Jacqui5366! There are lots of homemade snacks I go to for myself and my young family. Flapjack is a great option to adjust the recipe. For example, I tend to swap the butter for something like olive oil or nut butter, replace some of the refined sugar with finely grated fruit or fruit purees which also have a source of fibre (GoGo squeeZ is an option here, too), and add in plenty of extras like seeds and coconut. Other options include banana and oat pancakes, avocado and cocoa muffins or lemon blueberry muffins made with yoghurt.

Hi there. The first thing to say is that sugar alone isn't 'bad'; however, the challenge often arises due to the amounts of sugar being consumed compared to guidelines for children. For children who need support with their growth, and therefore energy-dense meals and snacks, the use of sugar absolutely has a place.

Hi there violentknight! Thanks for your question, and I empathise with this challenge. Similar themes of concern amongst parents were found in GoGo squeeZ's poll of parents during the summer holidays. Choices can be challenging, but choosing no added sugar drinks or squash would be a good start where possible. With food choices, if all options are high in fat/salt or processed, I would suggest considering other benefits to the foods on offer - for example, nutrients like protein, fibre or vitamins and minerals. Mentioning the lack of healthier options to establishments can also help create demand and change. Grab and go lunchbox or snack options can be helpful to, such as; crackers, individual cheeses and vegetable sticks.

Should I offer pudding after every dinner?
Or just a piece of fruit.

Mine don't consider fruit to be a pudding.

Hi Britanniaa, thank you so much for your question! There is the option of using finely grated fruit, dried fruit or 100% fruit purees like GoGo squeeZ for baking foods like muffins, pancakes and flapjacks. All be considered naturally occurring sugars, and have additional nutritional benefits such as fibre.

Hi there, and thanks for this question. GoGo squeeZ fruit smoothie snacks are not Ultra-processed Food (UPF). The smoothie snacks contain ingredients you could made or have at home, and no artificial ingredients or preservatives. The topic of UPFs as a whole is complex and nuanced, as ultra-processed doesn't inherently mean 'bad'. Whilst there is no doubt that foods and drinks high in sugar, certain fats and additives should, on the whole, be limited, many UPFs such as cereals (as one example) offer nutritional benefits such as fibre and added vitamins or minerals.

Hi LittleDeeAndME, thank you for sharing your views and some questions. I've broken down my response to your different queries below...

1. This research aims to support awareness, not to scaremonger. I'm sorry that you feel that way about the information shared. The figures calculated for the research were based on information collected about what foods and snacks children consumed during a typical week during school and during the holidays. From that, we calculated the difference in sugar intake across those weeks, based on information about items consumed.

1. School food standards do exist in the UK. However, adherence to these is known to be a challenge and a topic for more comprehensive public health discussion.

1. Direct education for children around dietary balance is something addressed in schools as part of the curriculum. However, again, the need for additional education and intervention is apparent from public health information.

1. Regarding managing confectionary consumption at friend's houses, the advice here would depend on the age of your DCs. For young children, an open discussion with the parents or caregivers offering food can be really beneficial. For older children, support and education whilst embedding a degree of autonomy around food choices is often a helpful approach.

I hope this helps!

Are parsnips better to roast than potatoes, I see a lot of people doing food swaps for these .

I agree - but no milk just before bedtime - apparently it forms a film on the teeth overnight and causes decay of the upper front teeth - that's what my dentist told me years ago
If they won't go off to sleep without their bottle just gradually water the milk down over 2-3 weeks and they won't notice the difference :)

Of course any children can drink orange or apple juice, but moderation is key.
This question seems to have been totally ignored, but this may be my perception!

thank you for your detailed response - much appreciated

What kind of homemade snacks can you recommend to make which will keep my children fuller for longer and not always reaching out for the next snack? Both sweet and savory if possible please!

How would you make a filling sweet (good sugars) winter dessert - now it's winter (ish) yoghuts are now not wanted.

Natural sugar is surely just a way of saying sugar? Do you think sugar is better or worse than artificial sweeteners for kids?

Hi fionabeeb, Thank you so much for your message and I can confirm, yes they do contribute to his 5-a-day!

Hi BreezyHedgehog - Firstly, you are certainly not on your own here - many parents find fruit and vegetables tricky with their kids. There are a few key points that evidence shows supports children to eat these foods including;

1. Continuing to expose them to fruit and vegetables but without added pressure to eat them e.g. "just one bite"
2. Modelling eating them as parents e.g. at meals, when out and about
3. Getting kids involved in choosing and preparing them, e.g. washing them, grating, peeling etc

Sounds like your product is highly processed, full of sugar and will generate a lot of packaging waste. How do you justify its development from an ethical perspective?

My kids will continue just to eat fruit in its OG form.

Hi there, there are a few parts to this wonderful question, so I'll break it down here for you!.

1. r.e. sandwiches, the peanut butter and banana is a well-balanced option! Other sandwich options could include; hummus and grated vegetable or apple, chicken avocado and pesto, cheese and tomato, tuna, yoghurt and cucumber or veg like mashed peas.
2. I can completely empathise with options when out and about, and GoGo squeeZ's research in the summer holidays found a very similar theme among parents. Where possible, taking options like fruit, oatcakes sandwiched with nut butter, small cheese and other snack options can be helpful!

Do you think that the increased awareness raising in schools contributes to eating disorders for children who are not yet mature enough to understand balance and context?

Hello - which bread for filling and healthy option - white brown wholemeal malted or sourdough (why is this considered healthy). you see my dilemma ?

How would you make healthy vegetable crisps and dips for snacking ? any air fry tips ?

They don’t need 5 a day, they don’t even need one a day, this lunatic obsession with fibre is going to end up finishing off the human race. Fibre is not a nutrient.

What would you give for a drink when your DC's go out for the day - water is not an option and they don't like the sugar free drinks

What are some quick and easy (preferably budget friendly) snacks that are nutrition dense for a teenage boy?

My son has ARFID so I try to encourage nutrient dense foods so that even if he only has a small amount he's getting at least some benefit from the little he has.