Panorama tonight

[acad]

I couldn't be bothered to watch it, it's just something else to worry or make parents feel bad, (not that i would feel bad as i'm very confident that my girls have a good diet)

Everything in moderation !!!!

I would also like to say, although i could cook before having the girls but i never really done it from scratch and since coming on here and buying your books we always have lovely HM dinners and the whole family eats well

[motherclaire]

I watched the programme last night and I don't think it was over fair as it came across as quite biased. I on very rare occassions will give my kids convenience foods if I am in a hurry or if hubby and me are having a take away night!! I am really fed up with the way everyone goes on about food being so unhealthy. You need balnce in your life like all things. I have an 8 and a 5 year old I try to give them a relative healthy and tasty diet. I do not restrict foods but try and give a little of everything. I think AK does a real good job of delivering tasty and wholesome food. Her receipe books are great encouraging adults and children to cook from scratch and make it fun. If you are feeding your kids these meals all the time then maybe you will come across problems. But if you have any common sense then maybe you won't do this! My children are not overweight nor have teeth or other health problems. A little of everything in moderation. It is all about common sense. keep up the good work AK I know where you are coming from.

[acad]

Originally Posted by motherclaire

I watched the programme last night and I don't think it was over fair as it came across as quite biased. I on very rare occassions will give my kids convenience foods if I am in a hurry or if hubby and me are having a take away night!! I am really fed up with the way everyone goes on about food being so unhealthy. You need balnce in your life like all things. I have an 8 and a 5 year old I try to give them a relative healthy and tasty diet. I do not restrict foods but try and give a little of everything. I think AK does a real good job of delivering tasty and wholesome food. Her receipe books are great encouraging adults and children to cook from scratch and make it fun. If you are feeding your kids these meals all the time then maybe you will come across problems. But if you have any common sense then maybe you won't do this! My children are not overweight nor have teeth or other health problems. A little of everything in moderation. It is all about common sense. keep up the good work AK I know where you are coming from.

Hiya welcome to AK

Well said

[isabellasmum]

I remember when Annabel launched the ready meal line a few ladies on here questioned the sugar/salt content. I don't do ready meals but if I did I would buy ones that didn't have this added. Saying that everything in moderation, Isabella has baked beans which contain sugar/salt added and I don't have issues with that but if I was buying something regularly it would be sugar/salt free.

To be fair though everyone knows homemade is best for kids, people who feed their kids all ready meals are making a choice.

Anna, Little Dish sent us some of their food for Isabella to test, none of the meals they sent contained added sugar or salt - I wouldn't have let her try it if it did! I've looked at the M&S stuff and it does contain some salt but lower levels than their adult options.

[motherclaire]

Originally Posted by acad

Hiya welcome to AK

Well said

Hi I don't normally come on here but I was registered a long time ago. However I feel quite angered by last nights programme. Especially as AK does quite a lot in my view for healthy cooking. I think there is worst food out there that kids could be eating!!!

[Anna07]

Originally Posted by isabellasmum

Anna, Little Dish sent us some of their food for Isabella to test, none of the meals they sent contained added sugar or salt - I wouldn't have let her try it if it did! I've looked at the M&S stuff and it does contain some salt but lower levels than their adult options.

that's interesting I just assumed they would all be the same (haven't had any of them), weird then why hers contain so much more, unless it is to do with the thing that she said about making it tasty so the children will eat it which i understand but there are other ways to make things tastey than add salt and sugar.

[Claire76]

I think I must be the only parent in the world that just doesn't fret about salt/sugar. Don't get me wrong, I don't give Finlay loads of sweets/processed food/highly salted etc mainly because I just don't want him to have it, we don't so he doesn't need to but if he has something like that now and again I certainly don't lose sleep over it, like acad and motherclaire said, everything in moderation, he isn't eating fried crappy food day in day out, I do on the whoe cook fresh meals from scratch every day (thanks to this website and AK's books when I was weaning) and he's healthy and thriving and far from "obese" or having heart difficulties or rotting teeth! I didn't see the programme and will take a look on iplayer like I said but from what people are saying and I've read so far I'm feeling a bit sorry for AK, if people don't like it, don't buy it

[djmc1812]

I didnt watch the programme as think they try to scare parents and would have put me off eating anything shop bought!

Have to agree with others, thanks to both this site and AK's books 3/4 of the food my lo eats is homecooked. Because of that i dont worry when he has the odd "standby" meal of fishfingers/beans/spagetti hoops etc. As a working mum i try my best to give him homecooked food and will do the same when i wean Sam, however there are nights when i resport to my standby meals for quickness/easyness. I dont go for the readymeal options though - simply because i dont like them myself and i try not to give max anything that i wouldnt be happy to eat myself (exceptions tomato soup - i hate it Max loves it)

Everything in moderation i say if your kids are having a balanced diet, the ready meal wont harm.

Have tried the reduced salt/sugar baked beans and found them tasteless so maybe something in the adding sugar thing. But it could also be because i am used to the normal variety so can really tell the difference.

[jewel]

I missed the programme but without seeing it was obvious what the conclusion would be - ready meals for kids are bad news.

I'm one of the naughty mummies that has bought ready meals and probably will buy ready meals in the future. However, i'm not too concerned because they have them only occassionally and in my opinion are better then opting for a McDonalds, KFC or any other fast food establishment

Although I do think that children's food should be labelled with the traffic light system taking in to account their GDA

T x

[uspydaisy33]

I myself am 'educated' to post graduate level but am still confused by food labels!

The nutritionist made an interesting point about a child's taste buds forming very early on and if they get used to sweet and salty foods during their first years they not only will always crave those tastes but that they almost become 'desensitised' and therefore want more sugar and salt in their food.

So perhaps the kinds of ready meals and sweetened foods mentioned in the program which are marketed at 'fussy eaters' are actually causing the fussy eating in the first place. ???

I now also question Ms. Karmel's recipes for baby and toddler meals if they too have been created with the belief that children 'need' sweetened foods.

I think I will try Baby-Led Weaning with my next baby as it sounds like a very sensible way to introduce a child to solids and a natural way to prevent such 'fussy eating'.