School telling what to put in packed lunch?

[RachA]

Sugar has been shown not to be responsible for hyperactivity in children. It can lead to irritability though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/kids/hyperactivity.shtml

They didn't research my child then Daniel gets hyperactive on sugar and sweeteners. He can have something that is totally natural with no other additives in it but if it has sugar or sweeteners added to it he is bouncing off the walls.
Having read the short article i can definitely say that i never have expectations that Daniel will act in certain ways in certain circumstance. It is literally from having watched him. I have given him something loaded with sugar totally forgetting what it can do to him - within minutes the sugar rush hits in and he is buzzing. It's only afterwards that when taking to my OH that i'll realise what i've done.

 

[Snuffy]

I haven't read past the OP, but we are in the middle of the school application process at the moment and most of the schools we have looked at have a packed lunch policy. I thought it was to do with healthy eating, which is fair enough, but using the statement that other children might get upset over it is a bit daft. So what if I sent my LO to school with a cheese sarnie, what if another child gets upset because they've got tuna instead

 

[RachA]

I haven't read past the OP, but we are in the middle of the school application process at the moment and most of the schools we have looked at have a packed lunch policy. I thought it was to do with healthy eating, which is fair enough, but using the statement that other children might get upset over it is a bit daft. So what if I sent my LO to school with a cheese sarnie, what if another child gets upset because they've got tuna instead

the only reasons I've heard for restricting what they have is healthy eating and allergies.

 

[Snuffy]

I can understand the allergy thing to an extent, especially with common allergies, but where does it end? I know someone who's child has such extensive and severe allergies that it would be nigh on impossible to restrict an entire school's lunchboxes to protect her.

 

[RachA]

I guess it's just catering for the more common allergies. Children with more severe allergies have to be taken on a case by case basis.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I don't get it. They don't do this in the US. I think the UK is too pernickety about everything

 

[freckleonear]

Sugar has been shown not to be responsible for hyperactivity in children. It can lead to irritability though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/kids/hyperactivity.shtml

The article you linked isn't even close to being scientific or credible.

Sugar does cause a biological response which can be a negative thing in an educational setting. Junk food sugars are absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream, giving a quick burst of energy. However, it also triggers a sudden release of insulin which causes the child's blood-sugar level to slump. This may result in moodiness or impatience. The body then releases stress hormones and stored sugar is released from the liver, but this can cause anxiety, irritability and poor concentration.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I don't get it. They don't do this in the US. I think the UK is too pernickety about everything

I really can't understand how you can say its so pernickity when we have such a huge problem with obesity in this country. It might be a parents choice on what to feed their kids, but what about the kids themselves, should we not be helping to protect them from the overweight issues that some seem to face.

Like I said before it's not the parents that are giving the odd bit of junk here and there but there are parents that are giving a lunch box full of it, unfortunately yes this does 'ruin' it for those that are doing it in moderation but TBH if your that worried about giving them a treat each day then theres always after dinner. (Not directly you just in general)

 

[mum22ttc#3]

In Scotland it is the Educational Welfare Officer who deals with extended absencies. In all honesty though how do you think schools would cope if everyone just took holidays when they fancy it? Does that mean the teacher can take their holidays when it suits them/ is cheapest too?

Could you imagine the uproar then. 'Sorry your kid can't come into school today because the teacher decided last night that he fancied a holiday'. Real life just doesn't work like that.

 

[indy and lara]

Sugar has been shown not to be responsible for hyperactivity in children. It can lead to irritability though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/kids/hyperactivity.shtml

The article you linked isn't even close to being scientific or credible.

Sugar does cause a biological response which can be a negative thing in an educational setting. Junk food sugars are absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream, giving a quick burst of energy. However, it also triggers a sudden release of insulin which causes the child's blood-sugar level to slump. This may result in moodiness or impatience. The body then releases stress hormones and stored sugar is released from the liver, but this can cause anxiety, irritability and poor concentration.

Come and spend an afternoon with a class of 33, 8 year olds who have had a sugar based lunch and I can guarantee that you will think the quoted article is poppycock.

Banning foods due to allergies is a completely different thing and is common place in the UK where there are children with life threatening allergies. I always think of it like this- if it was my child who had a known, life theatening allergy then I would be anxious all the time. Anything that we can do as a school to reassure them that we will look after their child (within obvious reason), we should be doing.

I don't think that the UK starting to look at how we tackle the obesity crisis is pernickety, and at the end of the day this is what the healthy lunchbox policy is about. Heavy handed or not that is the origin of it all. A few years ago I taught a P7 class (11-12 year olds) and the majority of the girls in that class were a bigger dress size than I was. I find that frightening- I was in my early 30s at the time. We do need to do something, and really soon, or we are sitting on a ticking timebomb. I think that we are just a long way down the line ahead of the US in questioning what we eat, what is in our food and how we can even start to address the poor eating habits of many.

 

[Janidog]

I don't get it. They don't do this in the US. I think the UK is too pernickety about everything

Maybe the USA should be doing the same thing in their schools..............

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I don't get it. They don't do this in the US. I think the UK is too pernickety about everything

Maybe the USA should be doing the same thing in their schools..............

They are educating parents and schools, but there is no set "policy." I'm off. This is just too messed up for me

 

[kelzyboo]

For what its worth i agree with you Ozzie, this country is going about it all wrong IMO, poilcy or no policy, i won't be following it and i don't agree with it, you cannot force people to eat better, only educate them! x

 

[freckleonear]

Educating people is all well and good, but by the time it has any effect it is too late for many children. We can't control what they eat at home, but why not make sure they get the best possible nutrition at school? Besides, we have thousands of obese people in this country who have been educated about healthy eating, so something is obviously not working. 1 in 4 of our population are obese!

 

[kelzyboo]

But forcing poilcies on them will help?
I think the element of being dictated to will do more harm than good, well you 'tell' people what to do they have a habbit of rebelling against it. I just think its the wrong way to go plus as you said, if they eat junk at home, not having junk as part of that one meal (school lunch) will make very little if any difference to the overall obesity problem.

I just don't think it will help and it punishes the parents who are doing their best to moderate their childs diet, just because some other parents don't, that is unfair! I think address issues with specific families, if there are weight problems or junk being sent in on a regular basis for no good reason (like food aversions) but to punish everyone is just annoying people and in the long run won't work! The more you deprive people of something, the more they will do anything to get it.

I don't know what will work but i think our government need to have a rethink of their forced policies and find a better way x

 

[Jemma_x]

I can understand the allergy thing to an extent, especially with common allergies, but where does it end? I know someone who's child has such extensive and severe allergies that it would be nigh on impossible to restrict an entire school's lunchboxes to protect her.

My LO has various allergies including dairy, wheat and soya so like your friends child no amount of restricted lunch box policy would help my LO unless every child literally had a lunch box of just fruit or veg which isnt going to happen.

I can understand restricting things like nuts but i think a couple of chocolate coins or a chocolate biscuits or a bag of crisp isnt going to hurt but if a parent was just sending chocolate or crisps everyday thats when i think they should be restricting it

 

[Janidog]

But forcing poilcies on them will help?
I think the element of being dictated to will do more harm than good, well you 'tell' people what to do they have a habbit of rebelling against it. I just think its the wrong way to go plus as you said, if they eat junk at home, not having junk as part of that one meal (school lunch) will make very little if any difference to the overall obesity problem.

I just don't think it will help and it punishes the parents who are doing their best to moderate their childs diet, just because some other parents don't, that is unfair! I think address issues with specific families, if there are weight problems or junk being sent in on a regular basis for no good reason (like food aversions) but to punish everyone is just annoying people and in the long run won't work! The more you deprive people of something, the more they will do anything to get it.

I don't know what will work but i think our government need to have a rethink of their forced policies and find a better way x

Sorry but i had to laugh at this, how can you say its punishing the children? Because little Jonny didn't have his crisps and chocolate bar in his lunch box, get a life and worry about your childrens education and not whether they are allowed crisps in school


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[OnErth&InHvn]

this is why we homeschool and more and more parents are doing it!

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that parents are choosing to homeschool just on the basis of a Lunch box policy, really?

Maybe that they don't agree with the way schools are run or the way they 'dictate', but not just because of a Lunch box rule.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I do think 'punishes the parents' is a little extreme. Is it really punishing you that your child isn't allowed a few chocolate coins or a pack of crisps.

This is a genuine question but why are you not able to give your child the treat that you put into their lunch box after dinner instead? I just don't see where the problem is myself.

Also I find it hard to believe that people are unable to put together a filling lunch box without having to add crisps or chocolate.