General Chat

Great thread this some very interesting views on it. Davex

My Brother is a prime example, he is 'obese' nobody in our family is, why is he obese? because he eats rubbish! I had alot of sympathy for him at one time,we all did but after a while sympathy runs out when people dont help themselves, he lives on junk food, his wife wont cook so he is now 25stone plus!! we had the same diet at home healthy home cooked meals, when he married all that went out of the window, he has so many health problems, hes diabetic, he had high blood pressure, high cholestrol and his knees are destroyed because of his weight, he needs an operation on his knees but cant have it until hes lost weight. If you try to help him or advice him he gets angry with you, ive stopped trying, hes heading for a very early grave!!

I haven't read all the replies Len, so sorry if i am repeating what may have already been said. Car culture has a lot to do with this Obesity in children debate, also in my opinion over eating sedentary parents pass on their lifestyles..Monkey see, Monkey do.

or maybe driving your children to and from school may help. my youngest son now has a complex about his weight,because of his school and his mother. looking at those who have stopped growing in my family.it seems to me they are over weight because they are happy and content with life. i seem to put on more weight when happy and content,and lose it just as fast when things not going too well. perhaps making my sons life a misery that will help. i may be wrong but even in the past was`nt we told these are good for you and more recently found out that they are not that good for you. derek

Its the parents responsibility to make sure their children are getting the right food. Some people are happy to give their children ready meals and takeaways, thats why obesity is on the increase. Children should be allowed the odd bit of 'junk' but not every meal, some parents just dont care about what they give their children, if more people cooked balanced meals there wouldent be an obesity problem.

everybody was made different. for the junk i ate when younger i should be obese. just look at old photo`s. i was chubby,but now i`m a muscalar man of your dreams. ha only joking beanpole more like. some children grow at different rates. some are tall,some are short. i have one of each.the youngest yes chubby and yes i keep an eye on this. i`m no scientist,but i`d rather wait to see when he finishes growing. exercise may be blame not what they eat. in my days i used to be out all the time not sporty,but walking climbing trees. today it`s indoors sky,playstation etc etc. if you wanted everyone to look the same perhaps we should have let someone else win the war. if certain foods are bad,why are`nt they banned or taxed. same for smoking. drinking. driving yuk those fumes nobody who should care cares at all. its about finances and how much can be made and then complaing how much is being lost or the cost to goverment. derek

Hello again I think that the children whos parents dont let have them any sweets, chocolate, crisps, chips, and other food which is classed as bad for you, they are the ones who will most likely either end up a proper health freak, or as soon as they get old enough, they will rebel and think right im going to have all the stuff my parents wouldnt let me have, start binging and end up overweight! thats just my opinion though! x karen

again, from a slightly different perspective... I now provide shop for and provide tea for approx 15-20 children daily at an after school club. the balence between what is good and what is bad is difficult and peer influence does appear to have a role. Variety does appear to be the key, and also offering a little of what is supposedly 'bad' doesnt hurt. we provide: a variety (thru the week) of bread products.french/pitta/soft rolls/crumpets/ sliced white/sliced brown. I decide the filling each day, Egg mayo, tuna mayo, cream cheese, ham, etc and leave a few plain we also have cue, cherry toms carrot peices everyday. a few crisps/hula hoops- 3 indiviual packets in a dish , to have a FEW each (they are quite satisfied with that) Then fresh fruit, either apples, pears, satsumas, Grapes or bananas, or a combination of them all in peices threaded onto cocktail sticks - and that is a favourite THEN we'll have a penguin/caramel wafer/jam mini roll/slice of cake . if you really dont like the sandwich filling there is always marmite BUT we ecourage the children to go for the main 'whatever' and at least it. Their favourite day is pitta bread and whatever filling i choose, usually Tuna. Great fun wiggling your finger in to open a warm pitta , then dollop your tuna in, shove in some cue and munch away! its about making food fun, well, it is for me! Jess

Len I hold my hands up! But, its wrong to say charge me with child abuse. My youngest is now 13 and used to have packed lunch for school until the age of 11. We have NEVER been able to get him to eat ANY fruit or vegetables and he barely touches meat. He dislikes chips intensely and only started eating cheese 6 months ago. My friends and health visitor etc all said, he will eat them things when he sees his other friends eating them - he hasnt. It isnt through lack of trying either. We have tried everything we can/could think of. He lives off eggs, pasta, peanut butter, beans, cereals and the odd tuna spread sandwich. I would love you to have stayed one week at our house and for you to 'get him to eat properly'. Honestly? You would have no chance. Im not the type of mother who is soft and gives in for an easy life - we tried hard. The 'soft' approach didnt work, the hard approach didnt work (more tears and upset than you would let any child go thru). The experts couldnt do anything either. His packed lunch usually had: Peanut butter sandwich on white bread, crusts off (or he left them anyway), chocolate bar or peanut bar, crisps, yoghurt, sugar free drink. So, yes I must hold my hands up and plead guilty. Then again, he is healthy and loving and happy - and thats what counts. RC

KS1 Lunchtime assistants view.... Healthy eating is promoted in school, sweets are banned from school during teaching hours and playtime, and discouraged but not enforced at lunchtime. Free fruit is given mid morning to reception, years one and two. My two kids (6 & 10) both have a cheese sarnie (2 slices of bread) a packet of crisps and a drink of low sugar diluted squash....oh and a small box of raisins .every day (they only like cheese sarnies) To me this is a fair mix of foods which can be eaten in the time they have for lunch. Some children in my care have very healthy lunches, fruit, cubes of cheese, seeds and yogurt etc Others have a mix of healthy foods and a treat (such as a cake, small choc bar, biscuit, crisps, even a couple of small sweets) on occasion. A minority bring JUST small choc bars and several packets of sweets...every day ! In two of the lunchboxes (brother and sister) one day all it contained was a carton of drink, and several fun sized packets of starburst, haribo and some other chewy sweets I cant remember what they were now. I reported it to the class teacher of one of the children, and she said the parents had been asked on numerous occasions that it wasn't a suitable lunch and sweets were not encouraged, and was totally ignored. The two children are from travellers families (im not saying all travellers are so irresponsible) but hence the reason the subject was not taken any further. Both kids have serious dental problems and one has a weight issue. Its so sad for them. Elaine x

Len, I appreciate your point, but my son used to take snacks that he liked to school in his lunchbox, including crisps and chocolate biscuits. I used to give him apples or satsumas as well, but 9 out of 10 times those would come back half-eaten or untouched but bruised and not worth eating. He had fruit juice to drink. I gave him things I knew he would eat for lunch, just to see him through the day, but that was after a good breakfast - scrambled egg, bacon roll, porridge, toast with peanut butter or home-made jam and half-a-pint of milk. He'd have some sweets bought on the way home from school, then a two course dinner in the evening when his Dad came home. Dinner would always be meat or fish and vegetables, with (usually) a fruit pudding and fruit juice or water to drink. He only drank fizzy drinks occasionally. I would be livid if some busybody at his school had started telling me how to feed my son, based on what was in his lunchbox. He's always had a balanced diet and eaten well. At 27, he still does. He's never been fat - in fact, quite the reverse. He didn't like sports at school and has never been physically active, but that's his choice. Only a few days ago, he visited his dentist for his 6-monthly check and was told not to come back for a year, as his teeth are in such good condition. He's only ever had problems with wisdom teeth giving pain, never any decay. If children are taught to eat sensibly, and don't have underlying medical problems, there's no reason for them to become fat. If they're stuffed full of sweets, pizzas, burgers and fizzy drinks and little else from the start and don't get enough exercise, they stand a good chance of becomng fat. I've always wondered what part growth hormones fed to poultry and farm animals play in this supposed 'obesity epidemic'. That's something the government would be better advised to look into - as well as school playing fields and time for activities in the curriculum. CB >|<

Glad to hear it Sue! When we were children we didnt even know what foods were 'Good' Or 'Bad' for us! Good thing too! And PLEASE no more education on this subject! That is what causes most of the eating disorders! Exercise is the answer - and feeding our kids a balanced diet (INCLUDING small amounts of salt and sugar! I would rather give my child sugar - which is 'natural' than give them sucron or nutra sweet (sugar substitutes) which are a man made chemical) ;o))

Hi Len I've had a bit to drink I'm afraid! But as a mother of 2 lovely girls.........who are both totally different........I must say, treat each child as the individual that they are. You know in your own mind, as a good parent, what is good for the individual Jeanette x

Sorry Len... but Alex is 10... he has packed lunches.... i put in it whatever he wants.... BUT... he gets a 'proper' meal at t time . He is certainly not overweight..... has far too much energy.... and loves most food !! Sue xxx

Yes Maggie! (marmite is a very good source of vitamin b - and tasty too!) I get really annoyed when 4 year olds are 'aware' of calories and what is fattening and what is not! They are kids for goodness sakes! Kids eat when they are hungry! They do nor need to be aware of what foods make you FAT! A bit too much information for my liking! ;o)))

Oh Kim. I had school dinners too - and a 'proper' dinner at home - still underweight! My children had marmite sandwiches ( no choice of filling - I was soooo mean). When eldest was 12 she rebelled - wanted something else - okay says I- you do it - have whatever you want. This lasted 3 days - then she was back to mums marmite sandwiches. lol Youngest is back with me after Uni. If I make sandwiches for her for work, what does she get?? Marmite of course :0) maggie

My 2 children took the same lunchboxes to school, and had the same meals at home - yet one was 'overweight' the other 'underweight' - what was to be done, I recognised the younger ('underweight') had problems of 'night starvation' , which I had suffered from as a child - leading to 'bile attacks' in the morning, so she was allowed supper, whilst her elder sister wasn't. This was a hard line to follow - implying favouritism rather than a different metabolism. In their 20's now, neither are particularly underweight nor overweight, and grand daughter at 3 is 'perfect' weight, but once they reach 12, parental control is out of the window! maggie

Oh and I nearly forgot to say - mainly the kids with the 'healthy foods' which in my opinion would not fill a hamster - the parents (being PC here I really mean the Mum -usually looks anorexic) and what did you all have in YOUR packed lunches when you were children? Im passing on this as I had school dinners! Gave my own kids 2 slices bread (various fillings - whatever they liked the taste of mainly) pkt crisps, piece of fruit, and chocolate bar! They were both of 'normal' build! (ie neither fat nor thin!) ;o)))

I work in a Nursery where 4 year olds bring their own packed lunch and have found that::----- Overweight children may bring in healthy foods like vegetable sticks and dips, rice cakes and fruit. Also thin children may bring in cheese sandwiches, crisps and chocolate. AND 'Medium Sized children' bring in choices of the above ingredients! So I have come to the conclusion that the size and weight of your child is mainly is to do with their Genes! BTW I have also seen skinny undernourished children bring rice cakes and sultannas, and chubby children bring in crisps (2 Packets) plus chocolate bars and a nice beef roll with lots of mayonnaise added! It saddens me and my workmates more to see a pale thin child with their rice cakes, fruit and low fat yoghurt, than it does to see a chubbier child with their crisps, chocolate bars and chocolate mousse (the latter relish every mouthful!) ;o)))

How about some sort of sanction for school meals services that don't provide well-balanced meals?