Can't afford to eat healthy food...

It's demeaning for children whose parents can't or won't provide ingredients for cookery lessons. School budgets don't run to providing them for all. Also, if 'food technology' is still masquerading in school as cookery lessons then children can get A* and still know very little about cooking a healthy meal. My daughter learned more about the commercial aspects of large scale food production, marketing and packaging than about feeding herself or a family. She got an A* because she turned in a grade busting course work file.

I learned how to shop, cook and clean, sew and knit from my mother and how to tie laces, clean my shoes, knock a nail, change a plug, paint and decorate, garden and check oil and water etc. from my dad. We had cookery lessons at school (all girls) but I would have loved to learn woodwork.

Nowadays school is all about academic targets and league tables.

SpanielNanny I grew up in London I also know what it's like to watch people who have gone without and still see it now not all mothers or fathers do it but there are a certain amount that do! Whether it was the way they were bought up and to them it's the norm or the lack of education your guess is as good as mine like I said I don't sit in judgement of them because there are mothers and fathers that go without for their children but there are some that don't

Anniebach when it's taking the food out of a child's mouth because mums got to have a cigarette then it's got everything to do with it or don't you agree.

I usually recommend frozen fruit and veg to people who say they cant afford the fresh ones - they have almost as much nutritional value.
Apparently they often have more because they are frozen very quickly whereas some fruit and veg can be left for a while on the shelf in the shop and lose nutritional value.

When I was teaching there was a “free fruit in schools scheme”. It applied to all primary age children but was later cut back to just 4-7 year olds.
At first many children said they didn’t eat fruit and refused it. The school banned snacks brought in from home at break time.
Gradually the children started to try the fruit offered. After a few months, it was the most deprived kids who had said they had never eaten fruit, who were the keenest, coming back for as much extra as was available!
Eventually every child was eating fruit and the deprived group was particularly keen.

It was fantastic to see these “fruit haters” become so interested in fruit.

Sadly the funding was taken away for the over sevens. Some schools decided to pay for it themselves as it was so beneficial. I’m not sure what has happened to the scheme now, but haven’t heard of my grandchildren receiving it.

As others have said, the obesity crisis isn't specific to poor people. Many of us, across the income spectrum, do choose to eat the wrong things but, more significantly imho, we choose to eat them in the wrong quantities. Overeating, coupled with inactivity, is the root of the problem. Food's cheaper than it ever was and we have plenty of choice, so many just overindulge, be that in junk food, treats or drinks, sugary or alcoholic.

There's a lot of food snobbery about, but we don't have to feed our children on home-cooked cassoulets and quinoa. Chicken nuggets - looked down on many times on this thread - aren't always the devil's food. Many of them are made from 100% chicken. Fishfingers aren't bad for children either as a source of protein. Baked beans, tinned and frozen veg, potatoes, bread, are all acceptable ways of feeding children surely? Not everyone is interested in or capable of cooking from scratch, and a lot of children who will grow up to appreciate good food as adults start off as fussy eaters.

I don't think it's so much about a divide between generations, more between families. I think it tends to be a cycle you see repeating over the generations.

I'm in my mid 20s, I was raised on frozen chicken nuggets etc and the only meal cooked 'from scratch' in my house was a roast on a Sunday. Most stuff came from the freezer or jars. My nan never cooked as she hated it, my grandad did cooking in their house and it was quite basic as he was disabled, so my mom never learnt and then later had to feed a family of 5 on a budget. I learnt to cook as I love to, but I still use jars/frozen foods occasionally as a time saver or if I want a quick meal. In my family, and the families I grew up with (one of the most deprived areas of the UK) this was the norm, and nans when babysitting would feed their kids the same things. It's very uncommon in my family and social circles to cook from scratch, or to eat 'healthier' foods regardless of generation. That's why I think it is so important for schools food education to be revamped, it's a cycle that needs to be broken in some families.

Maggiemaybe, I completely agree with that, not all of the convenience foods are bad. Fishfingers are a great way of getting fussier kids to eat fish. And pizzas can be healthy. I think it's more that there needs to be an inclusion of fruit and veg, and again frozen is fine! Frozen fruit with some yogurt can be a really quick and healthy pudding for kids.

I do my main shop at Tesco on a Sunday afternoon and they often reduce lots of stuff. I bought a tray of ready prepared veg reduced to 26p and cooked them with a few bits I had left at home, whizzed them in a liquidiser and made enough soup for a week for under 50p! A banana a day is cheaper than a packet of crisps. People, especially the overweight ones, are usually just too lazy to eat well and would rather spend their money on fags, wine and chips.

There has to be something seriously wrong with a parents lifestyle if they cannot afford to feed themselves and a couple of kids. They are a small minority which will always be on the margins, they are not the wide spread poor nutrition that children have.
All we can do as individuals is make sure that our kids have the skills to cook properly, if the schools don't teach it parents need do it. No excuses, my wife taught our 3 daughters, they in turn are teaching their kids, boys as well as girls.
I had a surprise last week I was invited to breakfast by my 15 yr old grandson Guy, he did it all himself, which is more than I could ( or would) have done at that age, more parents should teach the next generation.

GabriellaG

"MamaCaz

I don't think you're talking about normal rented housing, more, emergency accommodation which has shared facilities, often on a landing between floors, or illegals living 10 to a room.

Yes I was. I live in what was a council house, and is now housing association, and can assure you that all such housing in this region, and in many others, does not come fitted with white goods.

Anyone on benefits without a cooker would be provided with the means to buy one.
If they are 'lucky', they would be given a loan - paying that back would mean even less money left over for food.

As for those you cite as having been 'put on' high standard tariffs...lol.
There is more info about changing energy tariffs and options than you could possibly shake a stick at, so there is no excuse.

Really? I think you will find that the poorest frequently are given no option other than the over-priced pre-paid tariffs.

People over 60 (depending on their DOB) receiving the guarantee element of pension credit, also receive a winter fuel payment each November of £200 for a single person and £350 for a couple which rises when over 75 or 80 (can't remember which)
They also receive £145 off their electricity bill each year.

Lucky them. That is of little comfort to those struggling to feed a family, as those over 65 (I might be wrong, but I think that retirement age is now about 65 for both men and women) are highly unlikely to still be feeding children!

No-one is poor in this country unless they squander money on Sky, Netflix, iPads and iPhones, takeaways, cigarettes and booze.

Well, I can't think of a polite answer to that so I will bite my tongue and say nothing!

My son is the cook in my DGC’s life . Their mother is not very domesticated ( her words ) . The girls are only 12 and 10 and can already make several dishes ( copied from daddy ) . They can both also bake beautifully .

Jaycee5
MamaCaz No people are not given the means to buy a cooker. Councils can give emergency loans but they aren't automatically given and they don't have much money now.
And by 'illegals' I presume you mean people.

jaycee5, it was GabriellaG, not me, who made those comments, as a response to my own post which is on page 2, made at 08.30.

I was talking to a young mum the other day, who was telling me that she and her husband took holidays at different times to cover school holidays and save on childcare.....an actual family holiday was completely out of the question.
I was comparing this with my experiences, and she asked how I could afford not to work.
I don't remember childcare being around when I had my children in the 70s.
While completely backing women who want careers, I wonder how this complete change in child rearing has come about with so little debate?

MamaCaz
You are dead right us 60 plus oldies are very lucky today, because most of us were lucky enough to be kicked out of school at 16 and told to get a job and earn a living. We all did just that, the clever ones got jobs in banks or accountants right down to the class hooligan who got a job mending roads with the council.
We didn't have gap years, or go to "Uni" or foreign holidays we trained on the job and got promoted if we were good enough. It was hard graft from day one, we didn't have time to be depressed you turned up for work and did as you were asked. We have earned our retirement.
Today we need to import several million overseas workers to fill vacancies, they travel thousands of miles to do the work that our own school leavers will not cross the road to do.
You may disagree but tell me this, why do so many nurses, doctors, care workers, and all the other jobs have to be filled by migrants

.... because the government will not train enough of them in this country. Much easier to let poorer countries bear the strain of training all medical staff then we can poach them and get them to work in the UK rather than their home countries.

Why should i tell you that? What does it have to do with the OP?

(My last post in response to Davidhs)

Whilst I don’t agree with mamacaz’s comments, a big part of the reason for increased numbers of workers from overseas is because of increased migration in general Davidhs. It stands to reason that the more people who come here from overseas = more people from overseas having jobs.

With regards to jobs, I to turned up, trained on the job and got promoted. I advised my son to do the same, however there are not as many of those kind of jobs available nowadays. Work carried out by my local council is now usually outsourced to private companies, there aren’t just jobs fixing roads anymore.

I do agree that some of today’s young lack the same work ethic that I was raised to have, but I am well aware that the opportunities I had for employment when leaving school were far greater than they are now. I absolutely detest this ‘old vs young’ attitude. We all need to share this planet, perhaps we should all try to support each other instead of pulling each other down.

allule that is how my DH and I worked out childcare when our children were young. Because I had a very generous leave allowance, we did have one week away together in the summer, but that was all.

I had my first child in 1971 and returned to work in 1978, when the youngest reached school age. I worked with other women managing the same way. Childcare was not available but, even then, many women were working and managing to get their children cared for, one way and another.

SpanielNanny Please would you say which comments you mean, because a few people on this thread have accidently attributed me with comments that I didn't make. Things have become a bit confusing!

mamacaz

Lucky them. That is of little comfort to those struggling to feed a family, as those over 65

Whilst I appreciate the point that you were trying to make, I know plenty of pensioners, who despite that payment, still struggle to keep their homes warm. They don’t feel ‘lucky’ I believe these kind of comments create an ‘us vs them’ attitude, which isn’t where I feel the answer is.

But surely the comment that I was responding to when I said (a rather tongue-in-cheek) "lucky them" was the one that made the point that you are really objecting to??? It was not me who brought age into the discussion by listing the benefit payments available to poorer pensioners or following it with the comment: "No-one is poor in this country unless they squander money on Sky, Netflix, iPads and iPhones, takeaways, cigarettes and booze." I was angered by it and responded accordingly!

Gabrielle, many low income families are on expensive tariffs because the energy companies have put them on metres rather than monthly tariffs. If you are low income and possibly have a poor credit rating you have no choice.

And where do you get your info re refunds for the over 60's? I am 62 and do not get the cold weather payment or reduction on my electricity, I think you will find things have changed.

I have been getting more and more annoyed reading this thread full of patronising, sanctimonious and snobby comments about young people. A working family does not have the time to go shopping to hunt low prices or bargains and after a day at work, collecting children from childcare and then going home, who has the energy to cook pearl barley and lentils! I would rather see mum sit down with a cup of tea and give some time to her children.

It is a much deeper problem than just the lack of ability to cook from scratch, constant poverty is debilitating and depressing and a child brought up in such households will not have learnt much about cooking so the cycle perpetuates.

The answer might lie in education but please don't ask schools to cover yet another subject! Maybe some people here who are such experts at cooking cheap dishes could volunteer to help at projects which help educate young people into trying to cook and eat fresh food - they do exist in youth clubs and food banks.

Yes, there are people who choose to eat badly but do not label all those on low income as pathetic or ignorant without ever meeting someone in those circumstances. And I'm sorry, but some unhealthy foods are cheaper than vegetables when you buy frozen foods from discount stores, look at the cost of giant packs of frozen nuggets or chips that will feed your kids for a week!

I was shocked to read a few months ago a local food bank was asking for food that doesn't need cooking as those receiving it had to make a choice between heating or cooking. Many can't afford to go into the popular supermarkets, prices have soared in the last two years and they rely on donations and food banks. More pensioners are needing food banks now esp if they are on basic pension. I never thought I would live to see times like this and it will get worse as more jobs are disappearing to other places.