Do you pack unhealthy snack for your kids school everyday?

amother

Denim

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:13 pm

amother [ Fern ] wrote:

The point is that you are judging and condemning those who send cookies and chips, which are no more or less healthy than veggie straws or pretzels.

by the way, I agree. I send them with tortilla chips, I seriously don't see the diff between that and pretzels. if anything the tortilla chips are "whole grain" made with whole corn, while pretzels is really empty calories....potato chips aren't mightily worse than pretzels either...maybe more caloric because their fried, but nutrition wise- the pretzels aren't offering much either...

amother

Seashell

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:17 pm

This is something I'm struggling with.
I have had an eating disorder in the past and I cringe at giving my kids cookies and cake and chips and candy during the week.

My husband has the opposite attitude. His diet consists of everything junk.
Right now my kids are still little. I send my son with pretty healthy items and one or two snacky/sweet foods. I try to choose the healthier options but I do give the regular stuff as well also. I don't point out that some of it is "junkier" than others.
I realize that once he gets older I will not have any control over this and I just pray that it doesn't get out of hand. I guess we will see what happens.
When he comes home from school with requests for items that he sees the other kids eating (pringles, little bites muffins, etc) I will usually buy them even though I do NOT want to. It's something I am just making myself do because I don't want him to feel deprived. His pediatrician is very into non-processed healthy eating (so basically I'm going against what she says to do).

As someone who has had an eating disorder and who still has pretty black & white thinking when it comes to food I'm finding this all very hard and confusing.

jj1236

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:17 pm

So I'm confused. I'm sending them with too healthy food that will make them lie and steal and take from others, but I'm also sending them with too unhealthy food because I send them with pretzels and veggie straws. And additionally, because I like sending overall healthy foods, and am sad that others don't, I'm being judgmental. Got it. Love this site.

DVOM

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:25 pm

shmosmom wrote:

Cookies aren't considered a treat around here. Laffy taffies and Mike and Ike's, sure, but cookies, pretzels, chips are all regular school snacks.

Same, sadly.

Before my kids started primary they were delighted with the healthy snacks I packed: raisins, pom seeds, celery with peanut butter, cherry tomatoes feta and salad dressing, apples, nectarines, grapes.

Once my oldest started school though it was all over. The sticky, sugary junk we save for shabbos, but cookies, pretzels, popcorn and chips are regular school snacks.

Genius

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:32 pm

I love how so many of you are taking credit for the fact that your kids appreciate fruits and veggies.

I like fruits and vegetables but not because my mom served it, and on the same token my little one tried fruits and veggies manny times and he just doesn’t like it.

And op your kids definitely beg other kids for snacks. I hope the packaging on their lunch is appealing, bc that might play a role too. Good luck.

keym

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:41 pm

By the time my children are 6 or so, snacks are eaten "on the go" at recess between cops and robbers or jump rope, not at their desk.
So sending a container of cut-up melon or veggies and dip is just not practical. They won't eat it and then they'll be miserably hungry.
I insist on a solid breakfast and supper, lunch what they eat in school.
And snacks I go for most filling snacks.
Homemade cookies and muffins, even white flour, full sugar, imo are more filling than a bag of veggie straws.
I try to make muffins with fruit or vegetable in it- banana, carrot, zucchini. Not dietetic but substantial and they're happy with that.

amother

Fern

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 1:21 pm

jj1236 wrote:

That's not what people are saying.

(1) They (me) are pointing out that your claims of superiority, looking down at those awful people who give their kids "junk" are misplaced, because the snacks you provide are no less nutritionally vacant than the snacks you belittle. To be clear, there's nothing wrong, IMHO, to sending veggie straws and pretzels. There is something wrong with "how can those people send cookies; I send veggie straws" when cookies may actually be more nutritious. You're "sad" that people "don't like sending overall healthy food," but the foods you send are not "overall healthy."

(2) They are advocating balance. Fruit and veggies and healthy muffins or other more nutritionally dense snacks are wonderful and absolutely should have a place in our children's overall eating. But that can be tempered with some cookies or chips as well. You need to look at the overall situation, not an individual recess.

HonesttoGod

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 1:31 pm

I didn’t read all 5 pages but let me say this.

My kids are obsessed with fruits and veg. They’ll devour platefuls of it if I slice it. And it has nothing to do with the fact I served it because I rarely did until I saw how much they love it.

I generally don’t buy “super snacks” such as Bissli or onion rings or grossly flavored **** like that.
I do send them every day with one snack bag. It’s usually tortilla chips, corn chips, potato chips, pretzels, squeezy apple sauce, pop corn, things like that. Not necessarily fruit/veg healthy but not craZily “unhealthy”. According to me.

And I don’t care at all because I know at the end of teh day they get a balanced supper with fruit and veg and they are BH healthy and growing and take multivitamins.

They are kids. I don’t want to deprive them and be stringent so that they feel left out and end up sneaking/stealing.
I also want them to know that Bissli is not a filling food/snack item. They do occasionally get super snacks from school as a treat or something and again, I know I’m serving them a balanced healthy diet at home and my motto is moderation is key. My kids know that too.

amother

Turquoise

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:02 pm

jj1236 wrote:

Because that's my "less healthy" snack. I assumed pretzels and veggie straws would be enough of a fun snack but she still tells me everyone brings in cookies and chips everyday. I jut wanted to see if she was exaggerating but I see here that unfortunately she's not. Like I said before, I'll ask her morah abut it and if it becomes and issue, I'll have to change some things Sad

It's just a shame. If most people sent in healthy snacks, then kids wouldn't compare. But that's unrealistic I guess.

Seriously... your kid will eat like 8 pieces of potato chips that come in the bag... that’s all. Veggie straws are only “healthy “ because it’s called veggie.
Popcorn is a fun snack too and probably healthier than those veggie straws. You can stay away from snacks with msg and lots of sugar but you really can’t make a big deal about a few pieces of potato chips, a muffin or a cookie. Your child will eat and enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables at home. Don’t make such a big deal or you’ll have a messed up child.

amother

Milk

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:02 pm

I don't buy the snack bags as I prefer not to snack from them (which I do if they're there), so I don't like to have them in the house.

My children's school is very strict on them having fruit/veg for the morning snack, so they get that healthy. For the afternoon, I usually send some home-made cookies or similar. Perhaps it's not super healthy, but it could be worse.

I don't think deprivation is the right method to teach children healthy eating habits, nor do I think occasional treats do any harm. It's when you go to either extreme is when you get unhealthy habits forming. Most kids I know whose parents are extremists health wise, those are the kids that crave the sweets and go out their way to sneak and overindulge. The other extreme is also not great health wise. As with most things in life, moderation is the key.

lamplighter

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:14 pm

I'll answer the original question. My kids take prepackaged snacks. Cookies, pretzels, crackers, chips, applesauce. They cannot take more than 1 chips. They do not like to take fruits and veggies to school because it gets yucky by the time it's snack time no matter which way I PKG it. I serve fruits and veggies at every meal at home.
I'm assuming my kids are not going to be doing Kids' homework or using their allowance to buy off nosh snacks from their friends (like I did) because they have "normal" snacks and in our house there is zero drama around food.

amother

NeonGreen

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:18 pm

I wish more people would realize that the only reason kids feel deprived is because everybody else has it, and if we would all make a communal effort to limit it, kids wouldn’t feel deprived. It’s not like kids have an instinctive need for processed food. Kids eat Whole Foods very happily when there aren’t other options around.

amother

NeonGreen

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:21 pm

small bean wrote:

Bisli is much more filling than potato chips. It msy be full of additives but it is very filling. My kids don't even eat the whole snack bag because they get full vs popcorn, is air, you can eat without realizing how much you're eating

If filling is what we cared about when we packed snacks we would all be packing more Whole Foods. Processed Snacks fill cravings, not hunger, and in that case, healthier = less harmful.

imaima

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:21 pm

amother [ NeonGreen ] wrote:

Yeah
But will you come to everyone else's house every morning to cut up the veggies for them?

Because not all families have the same resources

amother

NeonGreen

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:34 pm

imaima wrote:

Yeah
But will you come to everyone else's house every morning to cut up the veggies for them?

Because not all families have the same resources

I find it hard to believe that none of them are able to. And not everything needs to be cut. Even if it would be 50/50 that would make it easier on the kids who bring healthier stuff. My daughter is the.only.kid in her entire class of 28 girls who brings fruit as 1 of her snacks. (No, I don’t force her, she’s happy to take it, and she takes other treats as well). And I make sure to send delicious fruit like blueberries, pomegranate, mango. But she tells me it’s hard for her to eat her fruit when everyone else is eating dipsy doodles and jalapeño chips. Why can’t parents stick and apple or 2 tangerines into their kids bags?? If it’s because their kids won’t eat it and it comes back squished, well, no kidding, if the other options are dipsy doodles.

keym

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:43 pm

amother [ NeonGreen ] wrote:

I find it hard to believe that none of them are able to. And not everything needs to be cut. Even if it would be 50/50 that would make it easier on the kids who bring healthier stuff. My daughter is the.only.kid in her entire class who brings fruit as 1 of her snacks. (No, I don’t force her, she’s happy to take it, and she takes other treats as well). And I make sure to send delicious fruit like blueberries, pomegranate, mango. But she tells me it’s hard for her to eat her fruit when everyone else is eating dipsy doodles and jalapeño chips. Why can’t parents stick and apple or 2 tangerines into their kids bags?? If it’s because their kids won’t eat it and it comes back squished, well, no kidding, if the other options are dipsy doodles.

I can stick an apple or 2 tangerines into the bag. Sure. For it to come back and forth, or squished into the looseleaf, or tossed in the trash.
You see, my kids don't like whole apples, don't like brown apples, and don't want to spend 5 minutes of their precious 12 minutes of recess peeling or cutting apples and oranges
And they're not eating snack at their desk. Eating cubed melon while running around during tag is not practical.
So yeah, they'll take dipsy doodles or whatever to school. And then eat apples and grapes and melon and peaches at home where it's easier.

But feel free to volunteer to bring cut mango for your daughters whole class for snack. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.