children and veg

[rary]

I know that there is a big problem with convenience food, which leads to health problems, and the forecast for the future cost to the country, so why does the government not impose higher taxes on the unhealthy food, it has been done with sugary drinks, and here in Scotland also on alcohol, could it be there is too much profit made from them?

[1Bee]

The thing I object to is well-off celebrity chefs for whom growing, buying and eating veg is easy, looking down on and preaching to those whose choices are harder.

But then I'm also influenced by the fact that my son has sensory and control issues (yes, I know there was never any of that nonsense when you were a nipper ) which not only means he only eats about 6 things, but also that the usual approaches of 'nothing else till you finish that', or 'keep putting it on his plate and he'll eat it' only make things worse.

Some children WILL actually starve themselves.

I also can't forget that the only veg I ate was petit pois for most of my childhood, and now I can't get enough veg of all types.

But I grow with him, he loves to sow things and pick things and pod things, I cook with him and encourage him - without pressure or judgement - to taste new things. I have hope.

But I truly do not think high - faulting initiatives work.

[Guest]

Potty, we grew up in different times - sweets were still on ration when we were young 'uns.. Chocolate was for Easter and Christmas. We weren't bombarded with the fast food ads because there was no TV. Supermarkets didn't exist - we didn't even have a fridge. So everything was bought fresh or grown.
I know the "youngsters" will be thinking "here she goes again" but its true, what you don't know, you don't miss. When life was simpler and not commercialised you didn't need "celebrities" to tell you how to eat (and write books or be on TV earning mega fees to promote it).
Sorry if I sound jaded but I'm with Potty - just waiting for the Jamie All liver book to appear at some astronomical price.

I would love a rationing scheme to come back for sweets, choc and crisps. It would stop people giving it so freely. I find that if the food is there it just causes tantrums till its eaten and if it is not it is not missed. I was just as bad when I was younger.

You are safe VC I don't think 'there you go again' although I don't think I am a youngster more of a mid'lin

[veggiechicken]

BBC ON THIS DAY | 5 | 1953: Sweet rationing ends in Britain

[Potstubsdustbins]

VC, whilst I fully agree with you about sweets they were other things we ate that now a days would have the health gurus in fits of rage.

Bread and dripping sandwiches more calories than you could shake a stick at, I still luv em when I can get good beef dripping all ways tasted better well salted too. A sweet treat when toffees weren't available was bread and butter well sprinkled with sugar.

A threepenny mix of chips, mushy peas and batter bits all fried in beef dripping again the list goes on.

The result of all this bad, horrible food on my wedding day was a 6ft 2" bloke who weighed just over 11 stone. Its was said at the time if you laid me down you could play my ribs like a xylophone.

It is also a matter of fact that during rationing we ate more calories than we do now.

So what was the difference, no computers, TVs or smart phones so we played outdoors with our friends games like dobby, and chase, the girls were forever skipping, at school games and PT were compulsory, men and women both worked hard, they did not sit in front of a screen looking like a tub of lard.

And we did as we were told purely because if we didn't we knew it would hurt!!!!

[bikermike]

Jamie O did a fair bit for school meals (and got roundly reviled for his troubles), so I think he's probably spent more of his money on the problem than most of us (proportionately).

I'll have a look at the Hugh Fitted-Wardrobe thing, anything credible has got to be worth a go.

Different times indeed - you don't see anyone dying of Polio or (many) from TB do you?

[4Shoes]

I've just donated to Hugh Furry-Whistlebum's VegPower crowdfunder to get kids to eat more veg. Anyone else done this or plan to?

I watched the programme / series and he does make some very good points.

WHSmith's wall of sweets on was to counter, just to buy a news paper, and then the wall of sweets display to show how many sweets they sold per minute. #WHSugar

Then conservative conference sponsored by Tate and Lyle

The mono traffic lights on cereal packets. I was looking at a packet of biscuits yesterday, and they fudged the weights of the biscuits to get them into RDA... 2 packets side by side except on packet weighed half the other.

VegPower was a good idea. Child Holding up 2 carrots (looking like a wee devil) but in the shadow was "Bat Man" - super hero.

Today Scottish Government announced they were going to cut obesity in Schools by 50% by 2030....

Yes all the kids will have left by then.. why not in 5 years... Target P1 - 7 and by time they have left secondary education, they would meet target.

[Guest]

Hopefully one last rant and I am sure I am not alone but my idea of obese is struggling to walk or get out of a car not NHS and the pretty colour coded charts and if you ain't in the green then you are a blight on society . Last time I was in the green I was a very poorly young lady never again. As for the start of the calls and letters about my children I just hope no one ever tries to push that issue to hard with me.

[rary]

when I read VCs and Potty`s comments it makes you realise how different things were for a lot of folk, and possibly that's where we went wrong, as we didnt want our children to want for anything, if we could help it, though i still think greed has caused a lot of the problems, and not greed for food but greed for money as high profit is the driving force

[Lumpy]

As a salute to your hopefulness there is an old saying - 'bad things happen when good men do nothing'.

Thank you for trying......................

X

[mothhawk]

What are family dynamics like when it comes to kids and food—and specifically breakfast consumption?

Nickelodeon Kids and Family GPS conducted an online survey to understand the food attitudes of kids and their parents in Europe and Australia. The study targeted children 6 to 12 and their parents in 6 countries (UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Australia).

Here are key findings from that project:

Most kids feel their parents take their opinions about food seriously. Parents really listen to what they have to say when it comes to food, according to 80% of kids. Food ranked behind toys (90%) and clothes/footwear (88%). Parents take kids’ opinions less seriously for larger purchases like cars, mobile phones, and electronics.

Most parents feel that kids influence their food purchases. Nearly 90% of parents (87%) say they’re open to influence from their kids when it comes to food—comparable to toys (89%) and clothes/footwear (85%). Parents are also receptive, but to a slightly lesser degree, to their kids’ influence regarding restaurants (74%) and computer games (71%).

Kids have the most autonomy at breakfast. For 85% of kids, breakfast is the meal that kids choose always or most of the time—much higher than lunch (48%) and dinner (45%).

Cereal is the most popular breakfast food among European kids. Nearly 6 in 10 kids surveyed eat cereal for breakfast—more than fruit juice (46%), toast (44%), yogurt (35%) and fruit (33%). At the individual country level, cereal was the top choice in the UK, France, Spain and Italy. However, in Germany, fruit ranked highest and in Australia toast was #1.

Kids choose their favorite cereal based on taste. By a long shot, being tasty is what drives kids’ cereal preferences—far more than being healthy (28%), fun to eat (28%), cool (20%) or having gifts in the box (13%). Across countries, chocolate cereals are kids’ top choice.

Parents want to buy healthy foods—but they’d appreciate some guidance. Virtually all parents (95%) feel it’s very important that their family eat healthily. But making the right choices isn’t easy. Over 8 in 10 feel there should be more guidance on the nutritional value of children’s food, and 6 in 10 believe that food labels are complicated. Because 80% of parents think it’s important that food products be fun for kids to consume, there is an opportunity to combine fun and clearly-marked nutritional qualities.

The supermarket is where kids most often ask for purchases—and receive them. Nearly all parents (96%) say their kids ask for things at the grocery store—more than at clothing stores (85%), electronics stores (82%), convenience stores (82%), and shoe stores (79%). The supermarket is also where kids’ requests are most often granted, with 21% of parents saying they always buy what their kids ask for when shopping there—significantly more than other types of stores, where 12% or less of parents always fulfill their kids’ requests.

More than half of parents say TV ads guide their food purchases. Overall, 54% of parents find TV ads helpful in deciding which food products to buy. In the countries surveyed, parents are most receptive to food advertising in Spain (63%) and the UK (59%), and least receptive in Germany (42%).

[muck lover]

I work in childrens’ Healthcare and I am sure there is a huge problem brewing.
I am also certain the causes are multifactorial and so the battles are also going to have to be fought on multiple fronts.
Cost, poor education, convenient but unhealthy availability of takeout or ready meals, decrease in physical activity of all ages, advertising, time shortage. Cooking has become a spectator sport.
I don’t have the solutions but make no mistake, we are sitting on a time bomb for our childrens’ Future health.
Some time ago I sent on a basket of garden grown produce to my daughter’s class of five and six year olds. Not one child recognised what a courgette or runner bean was.
I think we have lost our connection with food particularly seasonality and we are losing our ability to cook a basic meal.
Wow! What a rant.

[muck lover]

Last year I found some volunteer potatoes having never having successfully grown them before.
I was able to pick home grown leeks, garlic and onions and along with some home made stock made leek and potato soup.
It lasted less than two hours before the Young Muck Lovers scoffed the lot. Now, of course I wanted them to eat it. But I wished they had LOOKED at it for a while first. I wanted to TALK about it.
You could never feel that way about a bowl of soup from a tin...