Britishgal Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Seems to have been posted without an actual post! In September, due to a government initiative, my 6 year old will get free school meals. I have been giving him lunch boxes but failing to make them whole30 as he just doesn't eat them why I've tried and school complained there was no bread I am a single mum and work for myself to support us and the savings that will come from this are substantial. But I worry about what he will be eating...though his lunch boxes weren't great either If he gets good paleo meals for breakfast and dinner with a non paleo meal at lunchtime will that still make his diet ok? I'm struggling with this! I have been struggling with his lunches for a while and would bring him home got them but socially that would not be fair. Any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 No idea what's happening with the forum for me today!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted July 16, 2014 Moderators Share Posted July 16, 2014 Don't let perfection become your enemy! Your son eating 5 school lunches per week won't hurt him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Carmosino Beougher Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I have to agree with Tom here. Don't sweat it. I can NOT get my daughter to eat anything but a bowl of oatmeal mixed with applesauce and raisins for breakfast. It was more stressful to try and make her change her breakfast. Her lunches and dinners are about 90% whole30. She does get whole milk, cheese, and I can get her to eat anything if it has sour cream or butter on it. She's only four, she sees how we eat, she makes good choices for a kid her age - she wants sweet potato over white potatoes and asks for almond butter because peanut butter is too "peanutty" (her word) as a few examples. Her favorite snacks are sliced tomato and baby carrots. I really wouldn't let it stress you out. If it stresses you, it will stress him and that doesn't help anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 He's 6, that's old enough for you to have a chat to him about the foods you'd prefer him to eat and why (although I realise that the options may be bad and bad!), and for him to have some power of choice. But if he's not eating the lunches you pack anyway, then he's already making a choice there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundial Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I think it was really inappropriate for the school to complain that you weren't sending bread to school for lunch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtracyb Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Our newspaper wrote about a mother who got charged for the school to provide her child with crackers because she did not send them. Personally, I can't stand what the schools here try to feed my kids. My kids have severe ADHD which has responded well to a paleo lifestyle. Any time I let them have a "special treat" to eat school lunches, they come back hyperactive for a week. My kids also make healthy choices and tend to choose paleo options without prompting. And I have them terrified of artificial food dyes, which absolutely make them hyper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thanks everyone he's already making some better choices, he hates mashed potatoes but love mashed cauliflower, has grown to love butternut squash and sweet potatoes, is eating loads of veg and enjoys chicken and steaks and gammon. He has always loved eggs. He doesn't really eat biscuits now I don't (there have been some in the biscuit tin for 6 weeks and he hasn't opened it) and there is no longer pop in the house so he now drinks pure fruit juice or "icy" water. He still has milk occasionally though only as a drink as I've stopped buying cereal and he hasn't really noticed He's doing well at home and his father & I now have 6 weeks to carry on before school starts again. His father and his family still give him rice and bread when he is there but they have started increasing his vegetable amounts (though they always were reasonable) and they never eat dairy. I'm never going to talk the son of two Hong Kong chefs into not giving his son rice so I think all in all I'm doing ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoJo09 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 I think it's great that you've got his father on board too - it would make it so hard if he was eating one way at your house and the complete opposite at theirs! Rice is considered a "safe starch" so don't even be concerned about that, but maybe ask them to cut out the bread just to be consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Thank you...I never thought about rice being safe We had huge problems with his food a while back, he was getting ridiculously picky and eating so so slow, every meal time was a battle. Bit since i started whole30, and now I am mainly whole30, he has slowly been getting better. His father and I have spoken a lot in the last few weeks so we are in the same page food wise. Meals now are so much easy and enjoyable! He now rings his father (or even his grandparents on both sides) to tell them what he has eaten after tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Tell the school he's allergic to wheat....so he can't eat bread. They aren't going to ask for proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semolina Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 We've got this issue too. My kids don't do W30 but they eat mostly unprocessed food, and far fewer grains and sugar than most children. My twins are going to get free school lunches come September. I do worry about the choices, though: we had the menu through the other day. (Cheesy pasta?!) Chances are, though, my kids won't eat any of it anyway. I have one who will eat the pudding (WHY OH WHY DO THEY THINK PEOPLE NEED PUDDING?) which I really would rather she didn't but I can't imagine that either of them will touch the main courses. (My third child has already told me he hates the food the school provides, so he's a packed lunch boy for ever.) For me, if they do, it might be a good thing: it might widen their repertoire which is why I am going to give it a go -- however, I do want to keep an eye on it. My school wouldn't be able to cope with needing to feed a GF child -- and it's a small enough school that I can't claim health issues as they already know the children. They think I'm weird enough for saying they can't drink milk. However, if your school is big enough to cope with it, that might be a good solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 They could well ask for proof, the government (and by extension, British schools) know what's best for you. It seems to be that the more lovely, healthy things you cook at home the less your children will enjoy what's given to them at school. My husband won't go anywhere near frozen breaded chicken any more. Every once in a while he decides to get food from the canteen at work and then comes home and moans and complains about the food and swears off it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 the irony is that they don't let children have cakes in their lunchboxes (except on fridays) but they have pudding and often custard every day with school meals! I am wary of claiming a gluten allergy as one of my closest friend's son is coeliac and gets horribly ill so lying about it seems iffy ;( He has already started asking me to make 'nice' versions of his previous favourites and he prefers fruit to biscuits and cake now except for rare occasions so i'm hopeful. Today he requested cucumber pieces instead of a mini roll i found in the biscuit tin but with choices such as fish finger sandwiches v meatballs and pasta I'm still a little cagey!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Thank you...I never thought about rice being safe We had huge problems with his food a while back, he was getting ridiculously picky and eating so so slow, every meal time was a battle. Bit since i started whole30, and now I am mainly whole30, he has slowly been getting better. His father and I have spoken a lot in the last few weeks so we are in the same page food wise. Meals now are so much easy and enjoyable! He now rings his father (or even his grandparents on both sides) to tell them what he has eaten after tea Would you be so kind to tell me the proper or correct time for afternoon tea in Britain? I've read so many conflicting times. If you have tea in the afternoon....what time do you eat your supper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 We were always told meal times usually are(ish) Breakfast Elevenses (11ish) Lunch Afternoon tea (early to mid afternoon, small sandwiches, scones, petit fours etc) High tea or simply called Tea nowadays (late afternoon...usually children's in modern times) Dinner (7 or 8) Supper (later in the evening before bed) Though you wouldn't ever have all those!! You'd rarely have elevenses and afternoon tea is for special occasions, afternoon parties or trips to somewhere special. As a family growing up our daily mealtimes were Breakfast Lunch Tea (us until teenage hood) Dinner (adults and is when old enough) Supper (something before bed if we were hungry) I tend to eat with my 6 year old unless I going out or have people coming over so things are more relaxed now I think x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I've always thought that "afternoon tea" was a posh thing or something you'd have in a shop, not something that normal people have in their own homes. As far as I can tell it's a regional thing as to what the meals are called. Here it's: breakfast dinner tea Hubby has a break at 11ish and everyone eats then (and a longer meal again at 1:00) but they just refer to it by any specific name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Wasn't that the list of Hobbit meals from Fellowship of the Ring? "BreakfastElevenses (11ish)LunchAfternoon tea (early to mid afternoon, small sandwiches, scones, petit fours etc)High tea or simply called Tea nowadays (late afternoon...usually children's in modern times)Dinner (7 or 8)Supper (later in the evening before bed)" Loved that movie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britishgal Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Yep...except second breakfast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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