Just wanted to follow on from B00's packed lunch question

[daffidazey]

I know schools are promoting healthy eating but do you feel that it can be taken too far? My youngest is obsessed with what he eats and I know that it has all come from the school. Don't get me wrong, I like my children to have healthy diets, they get plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains, but my son is so fussy about what he will put in his mouth and needs to know exactly what is in it and what does the food label say!
Any thoughts much appreciated,
daffi x

[zzxxee]

its simple "everything in moderation no more no less"

[annie0000]

My son is obsessed with use by dates.

[daffidazey]

Yeah, I know, zzxxee. We do have treats in moderation but my son will say no to anything he thinks is unhealthy, saying 'at school, they said we shouldn't eat this' sort of thing.
What I'm asking is do we think that some schools are maybe taking it too far?
Like the reading of labels, the ones on the front that state fat and salt content etc, I do not do that at home in front of the kids so i don't understand why my 6 year old should be concerned with them.

[society]

Yes

[annie0000]

To be fair, our school isn't too bad - either that or my two have an independant spirit. They had the cooking bus at the school last week and all the classes got a chance to make some healthy foods, but it hasn't put my boys off treats (an they are treats, not part of everyday meals). The school does tend to have more of the weedy undernourished kids rather than the obese - I don't know which is worse.

[daffidazey]

Care to elaborate on that answer, society? Lol!
My daughter is in the Juniors and they follow what they call ' A healthy approach to food' It shows kids what is healthy and how much they should eat things including treats. I think the way they do it is good, they don't go over the top, My daughter understands the basic principles of what it good to eat and why.
The infant school, however, I don't think they should be teaching 4-7 year olds how to read labels and telling them that anything unhealthy is bad. A positive approach to healthy eating yes, but not to that extreme.

[daffidazey]

That's a good question too, annie. I guess either way, obese or under nourished, the child is unhealthy

[annie0000]

Popped into our local shop on Sunday lunchtime for eggs & bread as my son wanted french toast for lunch - it is in the middle of the council estate. While I was in there, a couple of girls (in my younger son's class, so about age 8) were in the shop buying bars of chocolate and sweets - they got their change and then went back to the sweet area as they still had money left - they already had I would say about £1.50 worth of rubbish each and looked like they each had the same again in their hand still to spend. I commented to the lady behind the till "that looks like a healthy lunch" she said - "I know, I had them in yesterday doing the same thing" For me, £3.00 is a lot of money to be handing out to buy crap and to do it 2 days in a row as well beggers belief. I bought half a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread - fed all four of us and cost less than £3 - so for me it can't be a case of affordability just sheer laziness.

[daffidazey]

I totally agree!
A friend of the family's child is overweight. From as far back as I can remember they have given the child food to pacify them. They were often out sociallising with friends and they would give the child sweets, chocolate, crisps anything to keep them quiet and this was all before the child could walk! At 10 the child weighed more than 13 stone and the doctor's got her onto a plan where they now go swimming and to the gym 3 times a week and helped educate them about their eating. The child is now 11 and has lost nearly 2 stone. When the doctor's intervened, the Mother blamed the child saying that they was always hungry and would only eat unhealthy food! I do think in the majority of cases that it is laziness on the parents behalf, it is easier to chuck chips in the fryer than to prepare a healthy meal, or to give the kids money and send them to the shops

[DEN53]

I think when you look back to perhaps when we were younger (I am 54) we always ate sweets, Mum would cook meals, but we did eat chips and were not to aware of healthy eating back then. I think the key thing here is, we always played outside after tea - riding our bikes - running around etc. Most kids like to sit on the computer or play playstations now - when it is very tempting to pick at junk food. If you are running around outside, there is less temptation to do this.

I think burning off the excess energy is vital - I do not think teachers bombarding 4-7
year olds with reading labels is the way to go. Let children be children not turn them into adults before there time. Parents should take the responsibility for their child's healthy eating not let them - they should be reading comics not labels. (:0 D

[bednobs]

however, it would seem from watching the news (and jeremy kyle) that many parents don't have the necessary skills to do this. In an ideal world the parents would be the custodians of healthy eating advice, but quiite frankly, a lot of them are not so i don't think it's a bad thing that the schools are really hot on it

[DEN53]

Thats a good point bedknobs -I think a school meal is some poor kids only meal of the day. They can educate the kids from disfunctional families on healthy eating, but when they go home it still will be to fags and chips. (:0 (

[curiosity]

Den53 I totally agree with you, and Annie000 was the council state really an issue here? You need to ask yourself about that, hopefully you'll realise that it is not, and is actually exposing a prejudice of yours. Some of the best home cooked meals and disciplined kids I know today come from council estates. Some of the sit with a pot noodle in front of the tele kids I know live in prestigious estates. It's all about attitudes towards eating. My family love the taste of nice food and enjoy a good meal, not always healthy, but we all sit together at the table and eat at approx meal times and have done since they were little. Snacks don't really feature in our lifestyle but are there if needed. Anyway daffidazey I do agree with you, The general advice given about less fat, etc is actually wrong for children , yes we need to teach healthy living, but to talk about calories, etc etc at a young age is potentially damaging, they arn't developmentally able to weigh up options. All they hear is what you eat is vital and in the wrong kids minds this teaching is potentially indoctrinating and damaging. Kids actually need more fat than a 66 year old with heart failure, so why give everyone the same patter?

[annie0000]

curiosity - i take offence that you believe I am predudice - I was born and brought up on a rough council estate. I know exactly what goes on there. What you remember is what happened when the estates were full of working class, not as they are now with 90% being on benefits. Granted I don't live there anymore and quite rightly there are always exceptions. I choose however to believe the evidence of my eyes at the school gates, where the majority of kids crossing to the council estate are either grey and skinny or overweight and the majority of those in the private estate look healthy.