My son as free school dinners which he really enjoys. But I know that when he gets to the canteen at lunch time he will always opt for the healtheir food. And that I think is where the problem lays...
Children have no idea whats good for them. Since the day he could eat my son has loved pasta, salads, fruit and every veg you can imagine. I believe it is because they have always been available to him.
I'm not saying that this is the case in every household but sometimes I see what other children are eating at home and it makes my blood boil...they make school dinners look good.
Only this morning when the morning bell went (at 8:50am)a girl in my son's class in year 2 walked into class eating a bag of crisps...i mean really...what are these parents thinking of. Its disgusting.
I'm a single parent so I know what its like when money is tight but thats no excuse...SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THESE SO CALLED PARENTS!
I'm a single working mother, too. I know what you mean about kids eating junk. So-called 'poverty' is no excuse.
It doesn't cost that much to buy a load of fresh veggies from the market. Add a tin of butter beans or similar (lots of 3 for 2 offers around) and cook up a healthy veggie soup with a little chicken stock.
Add some home-made herby dumplings, garnish with a little grated cheese and you have a complete meal. Not rocket science.
Buy a chicken at the weekend (costs about the same as a 10-pack bag of crisps) and get at least 2 meals out of it: roast chicken on Sunday, strip off the meat remaining and use in sandwiches during the week, keep a little reserved meat for a chicken and noodle soup on a weekday, boil up the carcass and use the stock produced as the basis for a cheap and cheerful risotto, with home-grown veggies.
It's easy to grow a few runner beans in the garden - they don't take up much space, and kids love planting and picking them. It teaches them about where food comes from, too.
Donnadonna, you would be shocked by the children in my school, they don't know their veg at all. and they call some of it "that green stuff" followed by "i dont want it" we have pizza with a lovely array of veg on it ie mushrooms,peppers,corn etc and they pick it off (which also takes the cheese off as you can imagine)and end up eating just the crust. i'm not just talking one or two children i'm talking loads of them.
anniex1 thats the problem...i'm all for that Jamie Oliver has done but the problem remains that in order for the children to eat better at school then its the parents who need to be educated.
Each generation of parents (i'm 27)thinks they can do better then their parents. they are so intent in becoming 'best mates' with their children that they're failing to be parents...and its getting worse...kids are raising kids. i see them in the school playground...the other day two mums were physically fighting about whose child was better...and thats the example their children have to live with.
same applies with the food issue. if the children were given fruit and veg as babies there'd be no issue about them picking them off the pizza. but instead the parents think its easier just not to bother....
Pink Bunny, I agree with your comment about parents trying to be 'best mates' with their kids. Parents should be parents and that means setting a good example in all ways. That includes healthy eating, showing respect to others, working hard, keeping a tidy house and... not fighting in the playground!
I feel like one of those grumpy old women who moans about the 'youth today'. Maybe that's because I'm now over 40!
I know what you mean...I'm only 27 but hate the youth culture. Its very easy to blame the schools, government etc but its up to you as the parent to stand up and make sure your child is counted and healthy.
when at 5:30 I tell my son (who is 6)that he has to come in from playing...he normally first replies with "but so and so is still playing out" but now he is beginning to understand what i am saying when I reply "they are not my problem...you are". And its the same as everything. He is having problems at school with reading and writing and the school are taking their time getting him extra help. so as his mum I'll keep fighting with them till he gets it.
He likes his school dinners but if he didn't or I didn't think they were up to much then i'd send him with a healthy pack lunch.
maybe I am just really uptight about my son's food and even more his education (schools hate me...lol) and I don't think I'm better than anyone else...i make mistakes but i'm big enough to acknowlegde that rather than pass the blame on.
so thanks mum and dad, although money was sometimes tight, we were taught well, ate healthly and now I can pass them values onto my son!
when at 5:30 I tell my son (who is 6)that he has to come in from playing...he normally first replies with "but so and so is still playing out" but now he is beginning to understand what i am saying when I reply "they are not my problem...you are". And its the same as everything. He is having problems at school with reading and writing and the school are taking their time getting him extra help. so as his mum I'll keep fighting with them till he gets it.
Good for you. Keep on making a 'nuisance' of yourself until you get the result you want. If you don't fight your son's corner, who will?
the schools can do their part but the parents need to their bit and provide healthy food at home, home made meals not them rubbish ready meals, if the parents want their children to do well at school and have a healthy childhood their need to buck up their ideas
My daughter is only just 1 so not yet at school but I have already run into the same types of problems. I feed her good food..loads of veg, fruit, pasta, cheese etc and no junk!! Any biscuits or crisps she has are from Organix and she loves them. My problem is my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who happen to look after her 2 days a week while I work. They think kids from the age of 1 should eat all sorts of variety of food which only include take aways, sausage rolls, pot noodles, sweets, crisps, chips and chocolate. I wouldn't eat the food my 2 year old niece eats!! I get all sorts of comments about how I feed my daughter..just because I want her to be healthy which is a long term thing....helps her nehavious, weights etc when older. I am so shocked at what some other kids eat even at the age of 2!!
Liking Darnell, Rachael and Mo Sarah LEAVE HIM ALONE PLEEEEASE
i too am shocked by these parents attitudes towards their childs health- i think what jamie is doing is great but i dont feel that all schools should have to supply hot meals. if u feed ur child a healthy hot meal in the evenings give them a healthy breakfast and a healthy packed lunch then they dont really need a hot meal at school. the problem is that too many children eat crap at home and arent cooked propler meals so the only time they would get a healthy meal is at school. come on parents wake up and take responsibility!! i feed my two girls a healthy varied diet- they eat( and enjoy) a variety of fruit and veg and proper home cooked meals. i am 24 and had my first daughter at 18 and i have always fed her properly and it is nice to come on this frorm and see other parents who do too cos all too often i come acrooss parents who just dont care!!! xx
Hi, I', a single parent too my son's nearly 5 & he has always eat healthy. It doesn'r cost that much or take that much effect to make good easy healthy food!!!! My son's school(devon)has a very good dinner menu....which the parents are given a copy of every week.....the kids are only aloud chips on fridays as "childerns choice". This is the most important time to make sure kids get the right food, cuz when the get to secondary school the have to opition of goin outside school at lunchtime..THATS WHEN THEY SART BUYING CRAP!!!! Even the lunch boxes can't cantain "rubbish" in them. Thou I agree with the comment about kids going to school eating "junk" it's maddening!!! The other morning I saw a gril pouring pop in her drinks bottle with her mother helping her...UNBELEIVABLE!!! Some of those parents need a kick up the backside & don't get me started about those mothers in Yorkshire taking orders for junk food & passing it through the school fence
I can remember my mum and grandmother making all our food from fresh produce. But in todays society everything is all so rush rush and most kids tend to be left to sort out thier own lunch. so the kids just pack 5 packets of crisps and umpteen choccie bars and the parents dont care.
I for one am glad that Jamie Oliver is doing his upmost to change school dinners and I am 100% behind him when he says parents are to blame as well for the poor diets of their children.
Far too many parents say they are too busy to cook a proper meal and I think that is nonsense
I mean for god sake we are not talking about making a full roast dinner every day of the week its a shame that in this day and age you still find children that don't know the names of certain fruits and vegetables. I still can't get over the scene in Jamies first shows when the school kids didn't know what a leek was and I remember reading once a little boy had never eaten a banana before but knew the taste of a banana from drinking banana milkshakes brought from supermarkets. To think these children are the future and look at the start some of these parents are giving them.
Originally posted by lost-mye-mind: i too am shocked by these parents attitudes towards their childs health- i think what jamie is doing is great but i dont feel that all schools should have to supply hot meals. if u feed ur child a healthy hot meal in the evenings give them a healthy breakfast and a healthy packed lunch then they dont really need a hot meal at school. the problem is that too many children eat crap at home and arent cooked propler meals so the only time they would get a healthy meal is at school. come on parents wake up and take responsibility!! i feed my two girls a healthy varied diet- they eat( and enjoy) a variety of fruit and veg and proper home cooked meals. i am 24 and had my first daughter at 18 and i have always fed her properly and it is nice to come on this frorm and see other parents who do too cos all too often i come acrooss parents who just dont care!!! xx
I totally agree with you but you just can't trust these lazy parents to cook a good meal for their kids when they get home so if someone like Jamie is pushing for hot meals at school at least that child is definately getting at least one good hot balance meal for the day. Like you I am glad to see parents on this forum that cook for their children but lets face it which lazy parent would come here and admitt they are the problem Jamie is highlighting.
These parents who say their children simply won't eat healthy food make my blood boil!
What they really mean is that they are too lazy to persevere and so give in to the children and allow them to gorge on fat because it's an easier option.
I wonder how much easier they'll find it when their child is obese, cannot run in the garden withhout getting out of breath or is hospitalised due to blocked arteries.
To the mothers of Rawmarsh, shame on you.
Personally I would involve Social Services as these people are not fit to care for children
i'll be the first to admit that yes I don't cook as much as maybe I could. And its not out of laziness but lack of knowledge...i want to learn and try new things but as its just me and my son I get put off and think whats the point, he will (my son 6yrs) hardly appreciate it.
HOWEVER, i can say that we do not have take aways every night (or ready meals). My son eats a well balanced diet and is very healthy. In fact he eats better than me as I don't like tomatoes but i always make sure they are available to him. it may be boring basic recipes but every week he has a variety of meat, fish, pasta, veg, potatoes or rice and fruit throughout the day. chips is only on the menu once a fortnight and they are oven...all burgers etc are cooked on the george foreman grill which is the best thing ever!
His school do not provide us parents with up to date menu's but I ask him everyday what he has eaten and its always well balanced and includes veg. I believe that this is down to my son though as:
recently the school kitchen was closed for the day as it was being used as a polling station. parents were told to send in a packed lumch. However if your child (as mine is) was entitled to free school meals the school would provide the packed lunch...i was disgusted at was to be the contents:
1x carton of oj 1x ham sandwich 1x packet of crisp 1x jam donut
I couldn't believe it...obviously i sent in my old lunch for him consiting of cold tuna pasta salad, 1x netarine, 1x yoghurt, bag of corn snacks (lower in fat), and a bottle of favoured water. he eat everything but the corn snacks....
Jamie Oliver can come to my house anytime and show me how to cook more exciting things!
This reply is for this and other threads of the same note.
Not everyone is the same. Some parents ate OTT on the healthy issue and will provide spring water collected at 3.17am on Tuesdays from a spot exactly 2 and a quarter miles from the source of the stream and bottled by candlelight on nights with a full moon, and other equally strange ritualistic foods. Others will have the worst junk going in their cupboards and their children’s lunch boxes and no so much as a real egg in sight. All the others are at some point inbetween. No one is saying that all packed lunches are just junk. Admittedly, I saw little evidence in the programmes of praise for a good packed lunch either.
What is being said is that on the whole the children in this country are eating processed foods which are not healthy when eaten in excess, and eating them to excess, even to the exclusion of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat.
One of the things I saw in the programme was the appalling ignorance displayed by the children when it came to identifying fresh vegetables, and the speed and enthusiasm shown when logos were held up for them to name. It wouldn’t have been so bad had the vegetables shown been the more exotic, like asparagus and squash, but these children could not name leeks, potatoes, onions etc. Now, THAT is an indication of the scarcity of fresh food cooking in the average household.
Becoming accustomed to the preservatives, fats, sugar and salts in processed foods dulls the taste buds and install a mistrust for anything that does not look like a dinosaur or smiley face. But once these children had handled these strange new foods and tasted them, both raw and cooked, they liked them. And, I think, eventually (once the addiction had worn off) actually preferred them. It was a delight to see the children tucking into their meals after some weeks. And not just because I agree with Jamie, but because there are so many tastes and textures out there and now these children are prepared to try and enjoy.
Well seeing as it's raining buckets here and a cold dark night I have just made a huge pan of veggie soup for the family. My 7 year old helped me chop the veg, and then enjoyed a great big bowl of soup for her dinner! While we were making the soup we sang to songs on the radio and talked to each other about our day at work/school. It's called communication...and it works wonders with kids!
totally agree- that sort of family life is unfortunatly scarce nowadays!! i think it boils down to the fact people cant be arsed and would rather watch the telly!!! i try to spend as much time with my girls as i can- quality time that is!!
i too totally agree - i love spending time with my 6 yr old. he is such a character. his dad plays no part in his life so its down to me to be mummy and daddy so therefore i do everything with him. from football over the park, to board games when its raining etc. he watches about 1hr of tv a day. I sometimes feel sorry for his friends who i see out on the streets all day, every day.
he helps me prepare the dinner most nights and loves it. he is getting really good at making the salad but eats most the cucumber before it gets in the bowl. some of his cousins who are not much older than him are literally left to prepare their own breakfast in the morning and their own dinner most nights.
these so called parents I feel should be made to do national military service like the old days (i'm 27). My dad had to do it as did my grandfathers etc and I tell you they are great cooks and very domesticated. I'm not saying everyone should do it, especially considering the way the world is today. But at least send them to boo
Not rocket science. 
