Interesting "Fruit and veg diet 'danger for toddlers'"

[MrTempleDene]

According to to Sarah Almond, a consultant specialist paediatric dietician in todays guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/13/children.health

[Girlzmum]

This just proves that we can't win - every other day there is some more food that is bad/good and then its good/bad. I know a balanced diet is vital for us all but some reliable information would be nice to go on and that is never going to happen.

[Rainbowwitch]

This just proves that we can't win - every other day there is some more food that is bad/good and then its good/bad. I know a balanced diet is vital for us all but some reliable information would be nice to go on and that is never going to happen.

Hear Hear - for god sake one day with can eat something the next day we cant.

I say sod it and use common sense when feeding yourself or your family

[Purplecat]

that was what I was gonna say, nothing is right, I think we need to scrape the idea of god food/bad food and start working on a balanced diet again!

[josfab]

I've just been writing a lesson plan on healthy eating for 9 year olds for tomorrow funnily enough ... a couple of years ago 5 or so of the kids were convinced potatoes, pasta, bread were really bad for you due to diets parents were on! It'll be common sense all round tomo I hope!

[shazgh]

I've just been writing a lesson plan on healthy eating for 9 year olds for tomorrow funnily enough ... a couple of years ago 5 or so of the kids were convinced potatoes, pasta, bread were really bad for you due to diets parents were on! It'll be common sense all round tomo I hope!
Thats the scary thing, children pick up poor eating habits from their parents who are constantly on diets, even if they don't put that onto their kids, the kids still pick up on it.

[Emsickle]

Personally, I don't care what someone tells me to feed my children. I'll feed them a healthy balance of all foods, just like I do myself. My shopping bill is huge enough, without having to start faffing around with different foods for different people. Its bad enough with DH only eating chicken, and me loving red meat.

[Aisha]

We go so extreme with diets nowadays, whatever happened to eating a balanced diet? A little of everything?

I co-ordinator a before and after school care program and some of the things the kids say to me about the food we give them are unbelievable.
Grapes are bad because theyre high in sugars
Cracker biscuits are bad because theyre full of carbs
Cheese sticks are bad because theyre full of fat
Pineapple is bad because its full of sugar
Watermelon is bad because it has too much water

When 6yr olds are worried about the sugar content of a grape then you know that society has taken a wrong turn.

I have to buy both skim and regular milk for the before school care breakfasts because several mothers have complained that their children will become overweight from having full-cream milk in their cereal (meanwhile, these kids have doritos, chocolate spread sandwiches, lollies and bottles of cola in their bags for lunch)

Its funny how we consider ourselves to be so health concious nowadays, but we have the highest obesity rate of all time.

[jimblies]

AIsha - sounds like you're having the same fight with your healthy schools co-ordinator as we are!! 20061008

[Katiequiggle]

Personally, I don't care what someone tells me to feed my children. I'll feed them a healthy balance of all foods, just like I do myself. My shopping bill is huge enough, without having to start faffing around with different foods for different people. Its bad enough with DH only eating chicken, and me loving red meat.


I agree, I think if you use your common sense and give a varied diet using all food groups you can't go far wrong. Minimal processed foods and lots of fresh foods and you can't go far wrong. I get a bit fed up being told what to do for my children all the time, what happened to parental instinct.

[Emsickle]

Exactly Kate - what happened to living your life, and enjoying it, rather than worrying about eating this food or that food or this drink or that drink. When I was pregnant with DS1, there were minimal items that you were told were better to avoid during pregnancy, like liver etc - now its more what can you eat than look at the list of what you can't, because its so extensive.

I want my children to know that a healthy balanced diet is what is good for them, fresh foods etc.

[sanjan]

Emsickle I didn't have to worry about not eating liver when I was pregnant as I can't stand the stuff

I tend to go for the all things in moderation theory as far as food goes

[Emsickle]

Emsickle I didn't have to worry about not eating liver when I was pregnant as I can't stand the stuff

I tend to go for the all things in moderation theory as far as food goes

The only thing that gutted me, was that I used to love Pate, and thats made from liver isn't it :unsure:

Otherwise though - blehhhhh lol

[Aisha]

And are we not a healthy group of people here? Im pretty sure our mothers didnt have a book of foods they couldnt eat when they were pregnant, what harm did those foods do to us?

[avilo]

Why is this a surprise to them though? I was aware, as I am sure most of you, if not ALL of you are, that children need fats etc in their diets, that they should have whole milk, etc.

No food is 'BAD' its about enjoying a healthy balance, even my 4 year old gets that! I think one of the main issues is that the government is hell bent on nannying the entire population to the point where they can no longer make informed choices and decisions. It assumes that everyone is without enough common sense to survive. The reality is that most people and parents are very good at doing just that, but, when the government starts meddling in places such as school and nursery kitchens then they mess up the balance.

Recently at my DD's preschool, they did a whole term on 'healthy eating'. Can anyone tell me why 2, 3 and 4 year olds need to be taught this? I cant think of one good reason why, but, Ofsted insist it is covered because it assumes that the parents of these children cant explain these things to them, and teach them that, no, they can not eat crisps and chocolate for every meal but that they can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Grrr, this kind of thing makes me cross, can you tell123rolleye111

[jd28]

Humm, sounds like some nursery just putting into practice some fad 'detox' diet.

Aisha - that's scary! People are so confused about food. Those parents sound like my own - both terribly overweight, and convinced that the fact they use (vile) skimmed milk means they can gorge on everything else...

I can't help feeling that while this is a good headline-grabber, it's a bit of a distraction from the more serious problem. The number of children genuinely undernourished by being fed too many carrots at the nursery they attend for all three meals a day and snacks , five days a week, must surely be tiny. (Though I find the idea of portions being too small quite disturbing...) Most children will be getting a decent range of food at nursery, and even if it is too zealously 'healthy', they'll be getting other stuff at home.

The opposite problem - kids being fed unhealthy diets far too high in fat sugar and salt - is visible around us. One in 10 six-year-olds is obese. The total number of obese children has doubled since 1982. I'm more disturbed by that than an overload of broccoli somewhere...

[josfab]

teaching kids healthy eating at school is teaching the basic concepts I'm sure we all agree with - moderation, etc. It certainly doesn't cover any fad diets!

[Sedge]

OMG how annoying is that? I have a 7 month old and all he has eaten is fruit,veg and chicken (so far). I am proud of that fact too! Stop moving the sodding goal posts and give us some credit for giving our babies a healthy nutritious diet that gives them a better chance of avoiding allergies and stomache aches - or is that information incorrect now?!!!!