Food choices for children

See school kids being taken to the local fish and chip shop for battered frankfurters all the time and it's sad to watch parents be so lazy/ignorant but if that's how she was raised herself what hope is there? We need to break the cycle!

Ice cream vans should be banned from school gates.

I've tried to cook from scratch every day. The loss of high-street shops – greengrocers, butchers, bakers – has sometimes made sourcing fresh ingredients harder. Costs have gone up as has the amount of unnecessary packaging. As long as their main meals are balanced and healthy, I've never been too hung up on snacks and treats. As they've got older, my children's tastes have changed and they have become more adventurous in their eating. I've ensured my children are able to cook for themselves.

I would like schools to drop dessert for lunch. It is one of the worst diet mistakes. Children first eat lunch which gives them fat, complex carbs and protein and then immediately you stuff them with simple sugar. What happens is insulin spike - which is not healthy plus their body uses the simple sugars as energy and stores the fat instead of using fat and complex carbs for energy. That is how you create obesity. That must be stopped. What adult eats dessert with their lunch anyway ?

There is policy of free fruit a day at schools. These fruits should be organic. There is scientific evidence that pesticides are harmful to brain development and there has been research commissioned by EU that was checking effect of non-organic fruits and vegs on unborn babies and small children. The results are that it does lower IQ even at the amounts that were earlier considered to be safe:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2016/581922/EPRS_STU(…

"The total number of IQ points lost due to these pesticides was estimated to be 13 million per year, representing a value of about € 125 billion [202], i.e. about 1 % of the EU’s gross domestic product."

In general I buy only organic milk, fruits, veg and eggs. I also always check for sugar content and buy foods that have less simple sugars.

Put some more double-red lines, enforced by TfL cameras, outside junk food shops. This will ensure they go out of business as seen across high streets all over London. 

Cheap food is normally cheap because it's produced industrially, with little regard for the welfare of the animals or the planet, not to mention the use of  prophylactic antibiotics which drive the evolution of drug resistant pathogens faster.

I think that we should educate children about how bodies function, the requirement of nutrients for proper growth, and also the effects of what we eat on our mood and ability to learn and sleep etc.  I wish that I'd learned these things in school.

Banning fast food sales near to schools might help, but it does seem rather draconian.   Maybe try to educate the parents instead.

“Generally children should be used to eating the same meals as you.

It's when they are allowed a choice that things get more difficult.”

Can't be said too often ... except that too many 'grown ups' eat badly through lack of money and not being aware themselves.

My children are early and late teens. Late teen is now cooking and buying for herself but due to Autism sticks to very predictable food groups and either loves or hates things- hard to get out of comfort zone. I am worried about when at Uni later in the year and even malnutrition now due to own restrictive choices. 

2nd child also on spectrum but much earlier diagnosis is turning into a chef, has huge passion for food, provenance, locality & seasonality. Is taking BTEC cookery. However cooking lessons focus a lot on cakes and sweet things - hoping that will change. Attends specialist school so has the option to do cooking. First child attended an academy school where academic subjects are paramount and had a total of 2 cooking classes .... see the difference!

I teach both of them at home, allow them free reign of the kitchen yet this still needs to be supported by outside.

best thing I’ve found this year is Root Camp - we need more initiatives like this.

It depends on the purpose. My child is a performance athlete and depending what the energy need is I choose either products which are high in Carbs and protein.

Otherwise I reduce sugar intake to a minimum. I ensure lots of calcium with fresh milk and plenty of vitamins. 

I prefer freshly pressed orange juice, and I rather purchase oranges for that purpose rather than already pressed juice. 

Normally the drink is water or energy milk drinks, which I also prepare myself.

I purchase as little ready made food as possible. I make everything myself, including bagels, pizza bases, pizza toppings.

I give lots of salads, fruits, vegges.

I prefer to purchase from supermarkets as they have a high turnover on products and its often the fresher.

Children need to be given taste experiences to broaden their palate. In primary school time should be given within the curiculum to encourage children to eat new and different fresh ingredients. In secondary school the home economics teaching is dreadful and does nothing to give teenagers the life skills of how to cook good quality fresh food. For example my children were asked to bring in gravy granules "because that is how you make gravy". NO!!!!. They refused to allow my son to add herbs and spices to one of his dishes like he would see happen at home, just a crumbled up stock cube. Little things like adding a bit of parsnip when boiling potaotes for mash to give them a bit more flavour. Stir frying cabbage with onion and herbs instead of plain boiled. But it also needs to start in the home. Many years ago parents/adults could go to night classes in cooking using school home economics labs - indeed my sister who was a home economics teacher taught some of these night classes. That encouraged parents to try new foods and make greater use of fresh healthy ingredients to create inexpensive tasty food. That was scrapped years ago. This problem has to be tackled from both ends, children and parents.

The survey mentions fast food outlets close to schools.

I think the strategy should also look at playgrounds-I walk past a central London primary school and its attenant park/playground every day. In summer there is an ice cream van parked (motor running to make things worse) right by the playground gate where so many kids go to play after a long day.

And I see many of the kids succumb.

If at least these vans had refined sugar/artificial sugar free offers...

I am appalled at the number of children going to fried chicken and cheap pizza takeaways on their way home from school, and they seem to do this every day.  I would like to see such outlets far away from bus stops and underground stations.

I am aware of many parents buying snacks for kids just to shut them up, not for nutrition, or hunger. It is more of a pastime. This develops snacking habits that will potentially have adverse health effects.

Maybe schools already do, but all schools, especially those in more deprived areas should have classes in the upper years on nutrition, cooking and the real life impact of food choices (weight, diabetes but also IBS, ability to cope with stress etc)

Schools should not be allowed to offer pastry type desserts on a daily basis.

Children grow up with the habit/expectation of eating like this throughout adulthood, with daily sugary treat a normal thing.

instead they should learn and experience at school that the daily dessert is a yogurt or a fruit. Maybe a fruit juice.

Pastries are for special occasions.

If anything should be offered daily in schools it should be:apple, banana and FERMENTED FOOD!!!  Getting kids used to a daily helping of Kimchi, sauerkraut or other pickle would do wonders for taste buds and health!

I talk with my child about food, ingredients and their impact.

He is three but has understood that sugar isn't good for his 'probiotic helpers' while green beans are, which means that of course he'll have sweet treats but he's rather reasonable about it and make great efforts to have a balanced food intake over time.

it is only if the children understand what is in their food and how it impacts them that they will be willing and able to manage their diet.

But once given the info they are really really good with it.