Malnutrition in England

DH lost 3 stone during an 8 week stay in hospital
The same thing happened with my MIL, she never really regained much weight, and DH lost 1.5 stones in hospital because he said the food was dreadful. He has regained most of it now.

"School dinners" at senior school can consist of just half a baguette with some kind of filling.
A nutritious packed lunch with more variety can be made for half the price if the parents have the time and money.

If school dinners are to be provided (and I think they should) they should be nutritionally balanced and contain sufficient calories for the ages of the children.

Callistemon21

"School dinners" at senior school can consist of just half a baguette with some kind of filling.
A nutritious packed lunch with more variety can be made for half the price if the parents have the time and money.

If school dinners are to be provided (and I think they should) they should be nutritionally balanced and contain sufficient calories for the ages of the children.

It really has to start at nursery and certainly go through to senior school.

Our children are a precious resource for all our futures and good nutrition is a vital part of bringing healthy adults into the workplace.

Everything will benefit including the NHS.

Malnutrition is estimated at between 10 and 30 % of the population in Australia which is very alarming. Food is now very expensive, particularly ‘good’ food as opposed to junk food which remains cheap and I am sure that is why people buy it- maccas is very cheap, for example. Even potatoes cost a fortune now.

Malnutrition is bad whatever the cause and the government should get to grips with it though I doubt the Tories will bother. People are easily diverted into gossip about TV personalities, celebrities, BoJo's yet another baby, etc., rather than paying attention to real problems affecting large numbers of people.

Whitewavemark2

Callistemon21

"School dinners" at senior school can consist of just half a baguette with some kind of filling.
A nutritious packed lunch with more variety can be made for half the price if the parents have the time and money.

If school dinners are to be provided (and I think they should) they should be nutritionally balanced and contain sufficient calories for the ages of the children.

It really has to start at nursery and certainly go through to senior school.

Our children are a precious resource for all our futures and good nutrition is a vital part of bringing healthy adults into the workplace.

Everything will benefit including the NHS.

Agreed 100% 👍

nanna8

Malnutrition is estimated at between 10 and 30 % of the population in Australia which is very alarming. Food is now very expensive, particularly ‘good’ food as opposed to junk food which remains cheap and I am sure that is why people buy it- maccas is very cheap, for example. Even potatoes cost a fortune now.

Yet good food is being wasted, farmers have to dump it
because supermarkets say there is a glut or won't pay even the cost of production and getting it to market.

Calender girls memories of school dinners are exactly mine. However we only had school dinners when my mum got dinner vouchers. In the late 1960s when the factory where my dad worked was on strike rather a lot.
My children never wanted to stay to school dinners it was total junk food. I wouldn't give them myself everything was processed and deep fried. I did well balanced lunch boxes for them at school.
I have seen documentaries on TV about poverty it's struck me a lot of parents don't cook from scratch. The parents seem to rely on ready meals which can be expensive and lack nutrition.

Callistemon21

^DH lost 3 stone during an 8 week stay in hospital^
The same thing happened with my MIL, she never really regained much weight, and DH lost 1.5 stones in hospital because he said the food was dreadful. He has regained most of it now.

My nearly 92 year old neighbour has been in hospital for 4 weeks after a fall.

He is used to good food at home, but is full of praise for the meals provided by the hospital.

Good choice, variety of options and portion sizes, the menus look balanced and appetising.

Heartening to hear of someone actually enjoying hospital food.

No one is discrediting these figures Maizie but equally we do not want to mount our high horses of outrage and complaint until we know the detail of the figures and their source so that we do not make fools of ourselves by prtotesting agaianst an outrage that is not quite what it says it is.

Why doesn`t it come as a surprise,a lot of young parents cannot cook.
Some of my neighbours have take- a-ways 4/5 times a week.
And hand on heart,i have never smelt anything cooking from 8 neighbours homes.

timetogo2016

Why doesn`t it come as a surprise,a lot of young parents cannot cook.
Some of my neighbours have take- a-ways 4/5 times a week.
And hand on heart,i have never smelt anything cooking from 8 neighbours homes.

So we judge the level,of malnutrition by the smells coming from a house😄😄😄😄

nanna8

Malnutrition is estimated at between 10 and 30 % of the population in Australia which is very alarming. Food is now very expensive, particularly ‘good’ food as opposed to junk food which remains cheap and I am sure that is why people buy it- maccas is very cheap, for example. Even potatoes cost a fortune now.

Don't look to the farmer.

I believe the last I saw, potatoes were £210/t to the farmer. Do the math - how does that become "The retail price range in British pound sterling for potatoes is between GBP 2.41 and GBP 4.82 per kilogram"?

I think the whole issue of child health needs to be revisited and some of the measures which were brought in to improve things in the '40s and'50s need to be reinstated. So regular health checks for children up until their teens, including height, weight, dental and progress checks, probably once a year for all children up to age 5, with the provision of more regular checks if the child exhibits signs of problems, then every 3 years until 14 or 15.
The assumption was made that we had overcome these problems and children no longer needed close supervision. It seems obvious that this assumption was totally unfounded.

Glorianny

I think the whole issue of child health needs to be revisited and some of the measures which were brought in to improve things in the '40s and'50s need to be reinstated. So regular health checks for children up until their teens, including height, weight, dental and progress checks, probably once a year for all children up to age 5, with the provision of more regular checks if the child exhibits signs of problems, then every 3 years until 14 or 15.
The assumption was made that we had overcome these problems and children no longer needed close supervision. It seems obvious that this assumption was totally unfounded.

Yes absolutely.

Whitewavemark2

Glorianny

I think the whole issue of child health needs to be revisited and some of the measures which were brought in to improve things in the '40s and'50s need to be reinstated. So regular health checks for children up until their teens, including height, weight, dental and progress checks, probably once a year for all children up to age 5, with the provision of more regular checks if the child exhibits signs of problems, then every 3 years until 14 or 15.
The assumption was made that we had overcome these problems and children no longer needed close supervision. It seems obvious that this assumption was totally unfounded.

Yes absolutely.

Yes.

And more cases of child abuse, deliberate starvation might be picked up and acted upon too.

Of course the elephant in the room is the re- introduction of austerity which the government is hinting very heavily at.

I can remember going to the clinic with my mother way before I started school, coming home with that strong orange juice and cod liver oil and malt. That would have been in the late 1940s.

It would also bring back the limitation of TB, which is apparently becoming more active and has links to Covid infection. Routine chest examination for children should become normal again.

Yes and checkups by the doctor with nurse in attendance and mum. Stripped to our knickers weighed, chest listened to, teeth checked, feet and hands checked.

Perhaps a compromise would be checks in areas of deprivation, of which there is quite a lot in all areas of the country.

M0nica

No one is discrediting these figures Maizie but equally we do not want to mount our high horses of outrage and complaint until we know the detail of the figures and their source so that we do not make fools of ourselves by prtotesting agaianst an outrage that is not quite what it says it is.

Sorry, but you all leapt in with excuses without any context even asked for.

Do you, or anyone reading this thread, think that a doubling of admissions for malnutrition over 15 years, which, what a coincidence, covers tory austerity cuts, is anything to worry about?

Whitewavemark2

Of course the elephant in the room is the re- introduction of austerity which the government is hinting very heavily at.

It hasn't actually gone away, Wwmk2.

And Labour seem to be promising even more of it...

M0nica

No one is discrediting these figures Maizie but equally we do not want to mount our high horses of outrage and complaint until we know the detail of the figures and their source so that we do not make fools of ourselves by prtotesting agaianst an outrage that is not quite what it says it is.

Agree 👍🏻

So many factors to take into account and junk food is def one of them.Parents who can’t cook so don’t try to, give their kids too many carbs and sugar and little or no veg or fruit.Drug addicts are on the up and they don’t bother much about food.
Mental health can be a reason as well.

Whitewavemark2

Yes and checkups by the doctor with nurse in attendance and mum. Stripped to our knickers weighed, chest listened to, teeth checked, feet and hands checked.

Perhaps a compromise would be checks in areas of deprivation, of which there is quite a lot in all areas of the country.

I wouldn't be so quick to consider that it is deprived children who are the only ones suffering. Cases of rickets were first reported by dentists who recognised the unusual (and littled seen by medics) symptoms in the middle class and cared for children who had been carefully screened from the sun, since birth, by their protective parents. All children should be routinely checked.

Yeah, I would def support all kids being checked regularly Glorianny