Parents - your kids are bringing garbage snacks to school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why there is an obesity epidemic in the Western world. Parents are going to die defending their family's poor food choices. If that's what you want to feed your children, sure, but some of y'all here pretend chocolate milk and pretzels are Mediterranean diet.

It's hard to cultivate good food habits in a country like America, but it is possible with effort. You have to push against what the corporations are selling you as "easy and healthy" snack and lunches because they don't give a shit about your family's health. And, yes, this includes junky school lunches. Yes, kids will keep on craving greasy and sugary foods because these "foods" are made to be highly palatable, very often in a lab. It doesn't mean you should pack this stuff for their school lunch or snack. Try educating them on how good real food is for their bodies. It might be a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

I'm sorry, I still don't understand the issue with providing a portion of pretzels (70ish calories) and a cheese stick or hummus for a snack. That's a carb, a protein, and some fat.

My kids eat whole wheat bread and pasta but that's not easy to send for the snack portion of the day. Why are pretzels being lumped in with Doritos (with all the additives/salt/saturated fat) and cookies (sugar)? That seems nuts.

The pretzels are being lumped in with the Doritos because they are ALSO just empty calories - they just don’t taste as good. Pretzel defenders have fallen victim to the health halo effect.

That being said, let your kids eat pretzels if you want. My kid would prefer cheese puffs. They’re both getting calories out of it and little else.

your kid like food dyes. grrrreeeaat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

Good. It's none of your business. If you can't handle letting parents do the parenting without running off to tattle to DCUM about it, you should quit. I'd rather my kid have no teacher at all than one like you.

I will be here until my full pension vests. But if you prefer no teacher feel free to homeschool/unschool/free range whatever. Bet you wouldn’t last a month! Keep in my that your child’s current teacher gets to pick their teacher for next year. When I have problematic parents or students, I make sure they get the most militant teacher the following year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why there is an obesity epidemic in the Western world. Parents are going to die defending their family's poor food choices. If that's what you want to feed your children, sure, but some of y'all here pretend chocolate milk and pretzels are Mediterranean diet.

It's hard to cultivate good food habits in a country like America, but it is possible with effort. You have to push against what the corporations are selling you as "easy and healthy" snack and lunches because they don't give a shit about your family's health. And, yes, this includes junky school lunches. Yes, kids will keep on craving greasy and sugary foods because these "foods" are made to be highly palatable, very often in a lab. It doesn't mean you should pack this stuff for their school lunch or snack. Try educating them on how good real food is for their bodies. It might be a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

I'm sorry, I still don't understand the issue with providing a portion of pretzels (70ish calories) and a cheese stick or hummus for a snack. That's a carb, a protein, and some fat.

My kids eat whole wheat bread and pasta but that's not easy to send for the snack portion of the day. Why are pretzels being lumped in with Doritos (with all the additives/salt/saturated fat) and cookies (sugar)? That seems nuts.

The pretzels are being lumped in with the Doritos because they are ALSO just empty calories - they just don’t taste as good. Pretzel defenders have fallen victim to the health halo effect.

That being said, let your kids eat pretzels if you want. My kid would prefer cheese puffs. They’re both getting calories out of it and little else.

I don't think pretzels are health food- to me they are neutral. My kid has fruit/and or veggies as half their plate for all 3 meals. I need to send something for snack that can be eaten quickly and that's probably not a fruit or veg if I want them to hit something like 150 calories for a snack. I'm open to nut-free suggestions but pretzels and cheese or hummus has checked the boxes I need to check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

The uproar should be over the fact that not only can you not do your job, but that you don’t even understand what your job actually is.

What snacks did you grow up on, btw?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

The uproar should be over the fact that not only can you not do your job, but that you don’t even understand what your job actually is.

What snacks did you grow up on, btw?

Not OP, but with all the extras teachers are asked to do these days, it's probably hard for them to figure out where their job ends and the parents' job begins...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

Good. It's none of your business. If you can't handle letting parents do the parenting without running off to tattle to DCUM about it, you should quit. I'd rather my kid have no teacher at all than one like you.

I will be here until my full pension vests. But if you prefer no teacher feel free to homeschool/unschool/free range whatever. Bet you wouldn’t last a month! Keep in my that your child’s current teacher gets to pick their teacher for next year. When I have problematic parents or students, I make sure they get the most militant teacher the following year.

You vastly overestimate how much anyone cares about you or what teachers you pick. You can rage on DCUM all you want, but it doesn't make you matter. If you step out of line, I go to the principal and you're back in line, you admit that yourself.

You don't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why there is an obesity epidemic in the Western world. Parents are going to die defending their family's poor food choices. If that's what you want to feed your children, sure, but some of y'all here pretend chocolate milk and pretzels are Mediterranean diet.

It's hard to cultivate good food habits in a country like America, but it is possible with effort. You have to push against what the corporations are selling you as "easy and healthy" snack and lunches because they don't give a shit about your family's health. And, yes, this includes junky school lunches. Yes, kids will keep on craving greasy and sugary foods because these "foods" are made to be highly palatable, very often in a lab. It doesn't mean you should pack this stuff for their school lunch or snack. Try educating them on how good real food is for their bodies. It might be a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

I'm sorry, I still don't understand the issue with providing a portion of pretzels (70ish calories) and a cheese stick or hummus for a snack. That's a carb, a protein, and some fat.

My kids eat whole wheat bread and pasta but that's not easy to send for the snack portion of the day. Why are pretzels being lumped in with Doritos (with all the additives/salt/saturated fat) and cookies (sugar)? That seems nuts.

The pretzels are being lumped in with the Doritos because they are ALSO just empty calories - they just don’t taste as good. Pretzel defenders have fallen victim to the health halo effect.

That being said, let your kids eat pretzels if you want. My kid would prefer cheese puffs. They’re both getting calories out of it and little else.

I don't think pretzels are health food- to me they are neutral. My kid has fruit/and or veggies as half their plate for all 3 meals. I need to send something for snack that can be eaten quickly and that's probably not a fruit or veg if I want them to hit something like 150 calories for a snack. I'm open to nut-free suggestions but pretzels and cheese or hummus has checked the boxes I need to check.

Again, I’m not actually vilifying pretzels. I just think the moms sending their kids off to school with mass-produced crap like pretzels, babybels, and gogo squeeze and acting like they’re some arbiters of health are adorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why there is an obesity epidemic in the Western world. Parents are going to die defending their family's poor food choices. If that's what you want to feed your children, sure, but some of y'all here pretend chocolate milk and pretzels are Mediterranean diet.

It's hard to cultivate good food habits in a country like America, but it is possible with effort. You have to push against what the corporations are selling you as "easy and healthy" snack and lunches because they don't give a shit about your family's health. And, yes, this includes junky school lunches. Yes, kids will keep on craving greasy and sugary foods because these "foods" are made to be highly palatable, very often in a lab. It doesn't mean you should pack this stuff for their school lunch or snack. Try educating them on how good real food is for their bodies. It might be a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

I'm sorry, I still don't understand the issue with providing a portion of pretzels (70ish calories) and a cheese stick or hummus for a snack. That's a carb, a protein, and some fat.

My kids eat whole wheat bread and pasta but that's not easy to send for the snack portion of the day. Why are pretzels being lumped in with Doritos (with all the additives/salt/saturated fat) and cookies (sugar)? That seems nuts.

The pretzels are being lumped in with the Doritos because they are ALSO just empty calories - they just don’t taste as good. Pretzel defenders have fallen victim to the health halo effect.

That being said, let your kids eat pretzels if you want. My kid would prefer cheese puffs. They’re both getting calories out of it and little else.

I don't think pretzels are health food- to me they are neutral. My kid has fruit/and or veggies as half their plate for all 3 meals. I need to send something for snack that can be eaten quickly and that's probably not a fruit or veg if I want them to hit something like 150 calories for a snack. I'm open to nut-free suggestions but pretzels and cheese or hummus has checked the boxes I need to check.

Again, I’m not actually vilifying pretzels. I just think the moms sending their kids off to school with mass-produced crap like pretzels, babybels, and gogo squeeze and acting like they’re some arbiters of health are adorable.

Thanks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

Good. It's none of your business. If you can't handle letting parents do the parenting without running off to tattle to DCUM about it, you should quit. I'd rather my kid have no teacher at all than one like you.

I will be here until my full pension vests. But if you prefer no teacher feel free to homeschool/unschool/free range whatever. Bet you wouldn’t last a month! Keep in my that your child’s current teacher gets to pick their teacher for next year. When I have problematic parents or students, I make sure they get the most militant teacher the following year.

You vastly overestimate how much anyone cares about you or what teachers you pick. You can rage on DCUM all you want, but it doesn't make you matter. If you step out of line, I go to the principal and you're back in line, you admit that yourself.

You don't matter.

It’s sad how little you care about your child’s health or education. They never had a chance with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. You see the parent reaction to the suggestion that snack should be healthy. Now imagine the uproar if I tried to tell parents no snack at all! Someone would definitely complain to admin and I’d be told I have to allow snack.

Good. It's none of your business. If you can't handle letting parents do the parenting without running off to tattle to DCUM about it, you should quit. I'd rather my kid have no teacher at all than one like you.

I will be here until my full pension vests. But if you prefer no teacher feel free to homeschool/unschool/free range whatever. Bet you wouldn’t last a month! Keep in my that your child’s current teacher gets to pick their teacher for next year. When I have problematic parents or students, I make sure they get the most militant teacher the following year.

You vastly overestimate how much anyone cares about you or what teachers you pick. You can rage on DCUM all you want, but it doesn't make you matter. If you step out of line, I go to the principal and you're back in line, you admit that yourself.

You don't matter.

It’s sad how little you care about your child’s health or education. They never had a chance with you.

youre a low life anyway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why there is an obesity epidemic in the Western world. Parents are going to die defending their family's poor food choices. If that's what you want to feed your children, sure, but some of y'all here pretend chocolate milk and pretzels are Mediterranean diet.

It's hard to cultivate good food habits in a country like America, but it is possible with effort. You have to push against what the corporations are selling you as "easy and healthy" snack and lunches because they don't give a shit about your family's health. And, yes, this includes junky school lunches. Yes, kids will keep on craving greasy and sugary foods because these "foods" are made to be highly palatable, very often in a lab. It doesn't mean you should pack this stuff for their school lunch or snack. Try educating them on how good real food is for their bodies. It might be a tough sell, but it's worth a try.

I'm sorry, I still don't understand the issue with providing a portion of pretzels (70ish calories) and a cheese stick or hummus for a snack. That's a carb, a protein, and some fat.

My kids eat whole wheat bread and pasta but that's not easy to send for the snack portion of the day. Why are pretzels being lumped in with Doritos (with all the additives/salt/saturated fat) and cookies (sugar)? That seems nuts.

As the OP, I can affirm this snack would be a huge health upgrade for many of my students. I glanced around today (thinking of this thread) - multiple students had Little Bites muffins, one had a large pre-packed rice krispy treat, one had fritos or something like it and of course my oreo friend.

You affirm? 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are not watching out for this you should be.

On a daily basis I have kids bringing for snack (not dessert):

Packaged muffins, cookies, brownies, Doritos, cheetos. And the quantities they are bringing are astounding too.

This is terrible brain food. It makes them sleepy, unfocused and it’s terrible for their health too!

At our school they hand these out for breakfast- well not "cookies" but sweet muffins and pastries. Plus juice or chocolate milk. I agree it's terrible for the reasons you state but this is far from just a problem of poor parenting.

Chocolate milk is one of the top nutritious recommendations for pretty much every serious athlete in the world. But some influencer or random journalist told you it’s uNhEaLtHy so you get your panties in a twist at the thought of a kid drinking it once or twice a day.

It’s very obvious that most of you do not have older kids (or kids you’ve actually managed to raise to adulthood). The sanctimommy is strong in this thread.

We are not talking about serious athletes recovering from a long run. We are talking about kindergarteners we expect to sit still after giving them a sugar heavy "breakfast." Just give out plain milk FFS.

Valid, but of all the things to complain about, chocolate milk should be low on your list. I see so much worse from my kids' friends - Cheetos, Twinkies, Takis, Doritos, muffins, high sugar fruit roll-ups or fruit snacks with no nutritious content (unlike chocolate milk), etc. None of those kids are fat (yet) - probably because they lead an active lifestyle and have healthy food mixed in. We save chocolate milk for after practices or games, or we make mixers at home, but I don't lose stress over my kid drinking too much chocolate milk/.

It's chocolate milk served with a sugary breakfast item, and then teachers give out candy and chips (including Cheetos and Doritos) as "rewards". The point is you're freaking out about what other parents are sending in with their kids while excusing what the schools are handing out.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP, thanks for your concern. Its astonishing to me that people can be so nasty instead of grateful that you care enough about their kids.
I struggle with snacks and food too, so thanks for being the voice that reminds us not to the take the easy, more dangerous route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, thanks for your concern. Its astonishing to me that people can be so nasty instead of grateful that you care enough about their kids.
I struggle with snacks and food too, so thanks for being the voice that reminds us not to the take the easy, more dangerous route.

Oh you sweet summer child. OP doesn’t give a single $hit about anyone’s kids. OP is feeling insecure about being a (crappy) kindergarten teacher and is seeking external validation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you propose that parents force their kids to eat healthier food while at school?

Parents can pack healthy snacks (I did for years) but if the kids don't eat them (which also happened for years), you are left with hungry kids. So parents pack food that they know their kids will eat, so the kids eat.

Don’t buy garbage and they can’t eat garbage. This is not rocket science.

There is a direct correlation between the students that are focused and engaged and the students bringing healthy snacks. Yes I am a teacher (OP.)

only in as far as the kids with the more "healthy" lunches might come from a more wealthy family. I worked at a school and didn't see much of the correlation you are trying to sell us.