School lunches

Yes. I agree Ana but parents and grandparents, more so these days should and do take responsibility for child care. An evening meal with your parents or grandparents is priceless. It provides security and ultimately happy kids. I think. Am sure good childcare is available but I have no experience of long hours.

laidback, I agree that it shouldn't be expected that schools provide the main meal of the day - I'm just saying that some parents do expect that.

We were having lunch in Venice one day and a family party was sitting on the next table. The waiter brought them a vast platter of assorted seafood - all claws and tentacles. One little girl of about 7 turned her nose up at this offering and I thought gosh! an italian child who's fussy about food! The waiter came back with a big plate of proscuitto, salami and pancetta and she spent the rest of the meal working her way through it. I couldn't imagine an english child sitting there shovelling down a plate of raw meat!

But it is different these days. Ours was quite a Janet and John life.

We've always eaten together at the table. It's the time for talking for one thing.

Still do it now it's just me and 'im.

I don't agree that school should provide the main meal of the day. If you have kids....I really think/hope its a responsibility to sit down with yer off spring at a meal at least once a day.(However busy you are) Evening meal is good and chew the cud of the day. How can u not do that as a parent.

Exactly Ana my son and daughter in law both work shifts. It is very hard for them to sit down and have a family meal all together (perhaps every third Sunday or whatever). The children do eat at my house regularly and I make a point of always setting the table (complete with table cloth that they take it in turn to choose) and we thoroughly enjoy the experience of having dinner or tea together all talking together about our day. I find the children eat better when I put everything into serving dishes and they can help themselves.

It's difficult, because I know some parents rely on school lunches as being their children's main meal of the day, so they think they can just give them a snack for tea when they get home. Judging by some of the school menus I've seen, that probably isn't a good decision.

I'm sure there have been surveys. But it's difficult for most families to eat together at the table for even one meal a day, never mind three!

A lot of parents work, children often have to eat their evening meal before their parents as one or other is late coming back from work - we no longer live in an ideal 'Janet and John' family world.

It would be interesting to know what proportion of UK families to eat together at the table on a daily basis.

In my area at least, which is rural, and where kids eat with their parents for all 3 main meals. An interesting article, and the chapter about the consequences of obesity and poor diet is particularly interesting, and explain why governments have to become involved.

Minute compared to UK, and I did say it was on the increase, and the reason why local school boards, with the support of local government, employ school doctors and nurses to try and help and support families.

This seems to suggest there is a growing childhood obesity problem in Switzerland.

Send to school on a good breakfast, boiled eggs or whatever. I survived on chips n beans n bread rolls as a kid. Skool dinners were lacklustre. From about the age 14 I packed my own Lunch. Mum was far too busy. I did loads of sports at lunchtime and after school.. Was never fat n always well fed, a hot nutritious meal at dinner time.(After school) How much food do you need these days?!.....

Forgot, kids who are obese or show signs of becoming so, are seen by the school doctor with parents, and kept an eye on by said school doctor. With food diaries, etc. So 'government' concerns exist here too, even though we do not have a problem overall, just a few individual cases, and 2 families in particular, where both parents are obsese too.

Mamie, I agree totally that the issues are very complex.
But there semm to be regional differences, even in Britain, and certainly food disorders to seem to be more frequent in the UK - for whatever reasons. As part of the school board, we discuss health issues and individual cases often, and I've not yet come across of any case yet in our region.

Kids here always eat as a family, and I do not know of any family who has telly on during meals, although they may exist.

No easy answer Granjura. I think the French children I meet are less fussy, but I would also say that the French people I know eat a very limited range of foods in general. Not sure how favourably they (adults or children) would respond to curry etc. I do think French families here seem to be stricter with their children, people do sit down together to eat a three course lunch (always with the television on) and children seem to sit still for ages at the big family parties. I think the contents of shopping trollies are generally healthier, although you do see overweight children and adults, especially in the supermarket in the poorest bit of town. I don't think there is as much junk food available in the shops. I was amused the other day when we were in Lidl early in the morning and there were the group of men who are there most days, with their trolleys full of cheap alcohol, but accompanied by radishes and lettuces.
People say the French diet is getting worse, but nothing seems to change very fast here, for better or worse.

I was fussy too, still am. I didn't like strong fish or shellfish, and liver or kidneys make me gag. But that is normal, to have some strong dislikes. Never was given any alternatives, just ate the veg and rice, pasta or whatever. Normal kids do have strong likes and dislikes, and they do, or do not, change with age. What I am saying, is that 'extreme' restriction of foods consumed, as described here, and as witnessed in my very long time living in UK - does not seem to exist here where I live (and lived to age 19) nor in nearby France. It would be interesting to hear comments from others from abroad or who live abroad.

Yes, but that's more a physical thing is n't it? Eating disorders are more in the head. Well, most often. Physical causes have to be ruled out, of course.

Well obesity certainly go with some nationalities. I only know of two obese children in our whole region. Obesity in Swiss children is on the increase, but it is tiny compared to UK and of course US. I work with the school board and we discussed this recently. Obesity is also very low in most other European countries.

I can't believe it's down to nationality. I think parents keep things hushed up. They see it as a failure on their part. Extreme eating disorders are probably rare. In our case it was familial. (although, of course, I put it down to very slight aspergers (as you do )

Now I know that making comments saying that the situation in the UK is somehow different from other parts of the world. But I cannot avoid the question, why is this 'extreme fussiness' re food come from, I genuinely wonder. I live on the French/Swiss border, and I know 100s of children of all ages. And neither in nearby France, nor here in Switzerland, and never in my childhood - did I ever hear of children being so picky as to only eat a tiny number of foods. Of course there are kids who won't eat liver, or tripe, or maybe Brussel sprouts, or whatever. That is normal - but I know of not ONE child who eats just a few foods here - but so many in UK.

A genuine question.

gillybob my son reached uni age on not much more than Ready Brek - three meals a day of it. He took crisps and Nesquick milkshakes to school for lunch. He has always been strong and healthy. He got his vit C from Ribena.

My sister was a terrible eater when she was a child and survived up until around the ago of 13-14 on Ready Brek, thinly sliced cooked ham and white chips nothing else. She had the same Ready Brek for breakfast and tea and had ham and chips for lunch everyday without fail. She was very thin (probably anorexic) . My mum was passed herself with worry and was never away from the doctors. She was given some medicine (I don't know what it was) that badly discoloured her teeth and she was forced to have veneers fitted when she was an adult because of it.
Mind you she just seemed to grown out of it as she eats everything and anything now. I am not sure who was to blame for her eating habits. Was it my parents for making a fuss about it? Or was it my sisters way of being in control?

A bit of fat and stodge is perfectly fine for children, and puddings too, as part of a balanced diet. Nothing wrong with a fruit crumble and custard, or even a jam roll-polly- as part of a balanced diet. Our grandchildren have full fat milk and love it, and butter on sandwiches too. I think some people here read 'a health varied diet' as 'fancy nut roast macrobiotic tofu' which it is of course not.