Teacher says Pop Tarts are not a healthy snack
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »JennGardner1 wrote: »comptonelizabeth wrote: »
Where does she state that she regularly sends her child to school with a whole packet?
This thread is like a game of Chinese Whispers.
Typically for a teacher to contact the parent it is a recurring issue. Even if it's only once in awhile, only a moron would claim healthy food is some sort of a myth. I get there is woo stuff and BroScience, but you can disbelieve that acai' berries are magical and still see that Pop Tarts are garbage food.
Apparently you've read neither the OP or her follow-ups in the thread, b/c it happened twice, and the teacher did not contact the parent, but instead confiscated the child's food, left him with nothing to eat while other children ate, and gave an erroneous lecture that equated fat- and sugar-laden granola and sugar-laden yogurt (I've never seen a child eating plain yogurt for a snack) with "healthy food" and Pop Tarts as unhealthy foods, with apparently no knowledge or regard for the nutritional values of any of these foods.
Really? An erroneous lecture?? I admit I haven't read several pages of posts, but this varies greatly from what was said on day 1 by the OP.1 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »I wonder if the OP read the rules/policies and attended parent"s mertings/open houses at the school.
I'm sure this would have been addressed and any questions on healthy sbacks could have been asked.
You've been in the thread for long enough to know that it was not.
May not have seen it but never saw where the OP had read the school policy on the subject
Oh, so you maintain that a parent should consult school policy for an issue that she did not even know was an issue? But what she did say was that the handout at the beginning of the school year did not specify anything.
But yet again you are veering into the not relavent soapbox tangent. The point wasn't the nutritional profile of the snack but the lack of intervention between teacher and parent.
What I'm saying is I question if she knew the policy. Unfortunately many people don't read the stuff sent home0 -
I happen to have a box of the raspberry Pop Tarts at my desk (I got a craving). It says there's 200 calories per pastry and 17 grams of sugar. Please keep in mind that there are two pastries per package, so that's 400 calories and 34 grams of sugar per package.
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I am a health fitness teacher at a middle school and I do not teach the Good food VS Bad food way. I teach the students in terms of a traffic light (Red-Occasionally Foods or WHOA Foods, Yellow- Sometimes Food or Slow Foods, Green- Anytime or go foods). I explain to them that no food is good or bad like superheros, rather they do different things to your body. A whoa food is something like cake, ice cream, and other super sugar junk foods or high in fat foods. I explain that they are okay to eat every once in a while like 1-2 a month or on special occasions. Then SLow foods means you can have them sometimes like 1-2 times a week (this is a poptart for me or maybe a dessert after dinner) and then a Go food is anytime like cheese, veggies, fruits, nuts. I try to teach them that food is feul and you should eat to fuel your body. I tell them you wouldnt put cola in you gas tank, so you need to put more water than junk. It tends to help them make healthy connection to food rather then feeling guilty or bad for liking different things... NOW i just have to lay of the WHOA foods myself lol.4
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soooo when your child is in college and a professor bans computers or gum from their classrooms - are you going to have a fit? i agree with whoever mentioned you will forever be known as the "Pop Tart Mom" going forward and just don't see how its worth it in the long run. when they fit my macros, i ate Pop Tarts. i agree with your mentality of not labeling foods, but you can't control every environment your child is going to be in. the teacher/school may have their own rules... if its THAT big of an issue for you - pull your kid out. simple as that.0
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soooo when your child is in college and a professor bans computers or gum from their classrooms - are you going to have a fit? i agree with whoever mentioned you will forever be known as the "Pop Tart Mom" going forward and just don't see how its worth it in the long run. when they fit my macros, i ate Pop Tarts. i agree with your mentality of not labeling foods, but you can't control every environment your child is going to be in. the teacher/school may have their own rules... if its THAT big of an issue for you - pull your kid out. simple as that.
College age =/= 5 year old.6 -
ummijaaz560 wrote: »I went to my kids school this morning, to speak with his first grade teacher.
He came home yesterday saying he couldn"t bring his Pop tart for their morning snack, because they can only have "healthy snacks".
I was upset. I still am even after speaking with the teacher this morning.
I teach my child that there are no good or bad foods, unless you have a allergy or ethically cant eat it.
He has been sitting there afraid to pull out his "unhealthy snack" because its not "fruit, or granola bar, or yogurt"(healthy snacks").
I often send those as well.
I told her not to teach my child about foods being good or bad, because I dont subscribe to that.
Teacher: "So you're ok with him having a sugary Pop Tart in the morning"?
Me: Yes, I if send it its good enough for him to have. Just so you know there are granola bars with just as much or more sugar in them as Pop Tarts.
Teacher: blank stare.
Do teachers have the right to teach children sugary snacks are unhealthy?
Are Pop tarts the devil?
Yes, I would have gone with a toaster strudel.
Many of the schools in my area dictate what children can and cannot have. Often, it's based off poor perceptions. And often, you have to play their game.
O. M. G... Don't get me started on Toaster strudels...
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »I went to my kids school this morning, to speak with his first grade teacher.
He came home yesterday saying he couldn"t bring his Pop tart for their morning snack, because they can only have "healthy snacks".
I was upset. I still am even after speaking with the teacher this morning.
I teach my child that there are no good or bad foods, unless you have a allergy or ethically cant eat it.
He has been sitting there afraid to pull out his "unhealthy snack" because its not "fruit, or granola bar, or yogurt"(healthy snacks").
I often send those as well.
I told her not to teach my child about foods being good or bad, because I dont subscribe to that.
Teacher: "So you're ok with him having a sugary Pop Tart in the morning"?
Me: Yes, I if send it its good enough for him to have. Just so you know there are granola bars with just as much or more sugar in them as Pop Tarts.
Teacher: blank stare.
Do teachers have the right to teach children sugary snacks are unhealthy?
Are Pop tarts the devil?
Seriously? Might as well send doughnuts with your child since you decide whats good for them anyway, right?
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »The level of unadulterated woo and holier than thou judgement of a parent based on snack choice in this thread makes me sad.
This is why the "mean people" on MFP keep speaking up. Because there are so many people who honestly believe an occasional "processed" snack will kill you. Because there are so many people who believe it's healthy to be scared of food. Because there are so many who believe they are better, more virtuous people because they eat "clean". To the point that they would consider teaching a child that an occasional sweet treat is fine in the context of a healthy diet is child abuse. SMH. Scary stuff.
You don't have to teach a child that anything is fine or not fine to teach them to follow directions. And that seems to be the biggest point IMO. The teacher said don't bring pop-tarts as a snack. So ... don't bring them. Period. End of story.
Teachers deal with enough crap without every parent with a dieting beef choosing school as a place to get up on a soapbox.
The whole issue stems from the way the teacher handled it. She took the snack away from the child, threw it out, leaving him without a snack, and told him it was because it was unhealthy. This embarrassed this child to the point he now no longer wants his mother to even buy Pop Tarts to be eaten at home. This is the exact opposite of the kind of relationship with food she wants her son to have, so she feels like the teacher undermined her. OP specifically said that they were given no healthy/unhealthy snack guidelines, and that she usually sends him with fruit.
I am re-quoting this in bold because it is exactly the point OP tried to make and so many people are missing it.
And saying that OP is lazy or borderline abusive for giving her kid a Pop Tart on occasion? I don't think I can roll my eyes far enough into my skull to convey how stupid that sounds.
If a kid eats a diet mostly made up of fruits, veggies, protein and healthy fats and gets homemade lunch/dinner most days of every week, but gets a Pop Tart once every couple of weeks as part of his diet, that does not make the parent "lazy."
Many of us parents work hard to make sure our kids grow up with a healthy relationship with food and that they are properly nourished. Judging someone as a "lazy parent" for one small point in time that involves one Pop Tart is just pompous, and you should be ashamed. Though I would like to know what the view is like from your ivory tower.16 -
kwantlen2051 wrote: »ummijaaz560 wrote: »I went to my kids school this morning, to speak with his first grade teacher.
He came home yesterday saying he couldn"t bring his Pop tart for their morning snack, because they can only have "healthy snacks".
I was upset. I still am even after speaking with the teacher this morning.
I teach my child that there are no good or bad foods, unless you have a allergy or ethically cant eat it.
He has been sitting there afraid to pull out his "unhealthy snack" because its not "fruit, or granola bar, or yogurt"(healthy snacks").
I often send those as well.
I told her not to teach my child about foods being good or bad, because I dont subscribe to that.
Teacher: "So you're ok with him having a sugary Pop Tart in the morning"?
Me: Yes, I if send it its good enough for him to have. Just so you know there are granola bars with just as much or more sugar in them as Pop Tarts.
Teacher: blank stare.
Do teachers have the right to teach children sugary snacks are unhealthy?
Are Pop tarts the devil?
Seriously? Might as well send doughnuts with your child since you decide whats good for them anyway, right?
Nothing wrong with donuts either-we had them yesterday for breakfast and shockingly none of us keeled over
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One of my kids had a teacher (an excellent teacher) that sent a note home stating it was her job to teach our kids the best she could. In order to do this she had to have the kids attention, free from outside distractions. If kids were jacked on sugar it tended to add unwanted distractions and interfered with her teaching. She explained that sugar was Ok in moderation. Her note was very well written and backed up with reference. But she would check the labels on packaged food and if sugar was in the top 3 on list of ingredients she would label it and send it back home with the kids (no note, no judging, no hand slapping). She would replace the item with something she purchased herself (with lots of alternatives based on kids preference). I was impressed and tried to follow her guidelines. It made me read labels more and check the sugar content of food.
She almost got fired. A bunch of parents demanded their kids get switched to another class. I asked for my other kids to be in her class in subsequent years.6 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Motorsheen wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »This irritates me too. My son for 5 years every day took only 3 plain bread rolls for his lunch. No butter no filling no fruit. Nothing else. That's what he wanted and that's what he had. I made sure it was all balanced with a big healthy sustaining breakfast and after school tea / dinner etc . This teacher has no idea of what else your kid eats in a day. I bet some of those tucking into An apple and hummus dip are eating KFC for dinner!
What's wrong with KFC? Chicken is an excellent source of lean protein.
It's the F of KFC.
Shhhh... Don't tell but they sell it grilled too.
And for the record, hummus isn't exactly low cal or low fat, either. It's just trendy and pretentious.
Like quinoa and chia seeds.
Which are now apparently passe, too.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/88093154/forget-kale-and-chia-seeds-these-are-the-new-superfoods-for-2017
<Sigh> Who can keep up?
Hummus is a very popular food in the middle east and has been for quite some time. I would be really fascinated to understand what is pretentious about it.
I do agree that it is not low calorie or low fat.
Quinoa, acai berries and chia seeds are other examples of many foods that have been eaten for a long time in their countries/cultures of origin, but have only recently come to the world's attention (and their plates) by being touted as a "Superfood" - whatever the heck that means.
So I didn't mean to imply that the people from the originating culture or country that the food is from are pretentious for eating these items that have been a part of their regional cuisine from the start. Not what I meant by a long shot, and I apologise if that was the inference derived.
What *is* pretentious to me, however, is that people who'd never even heard of these foods before they were touted as the newest, greatest and healthiest things in the history of food, (Thanks, Doctor Oz!) then jump on the bandwagon, if only because they want to be seen as cutting edge, trendy, or somehow more knowledgeable (and therefore superior) to anyone who hasn't "seen the light" and included them in their repertoire as well. And that, for me, is where the pretentiousness comes into play.
Again, apologies for that not having been made clearer originally.
I eat a lot of foods I didn't grow up eating. I love to try new and different foods. I eat kale, quinoa and chia seeds. I only grew up eating one of them.
I eat a lot of foods I didn't grow up with, either.
But I eat them solely because I like them, and not because some quack on TV has decided that it's some sort of magical mystical cure that all of mankind would be incredibly wise to incorporate into their diet, stat.
So when you eat foods you didn't grow up with, you do it because you like them, but somehow you know other people are doing it because of what they heard from a quack on TV?
I didn't grow up eating hummus, but I've been making it and eating it for about 30 years, since I found a recipe while leafing through cookbooks for foods that made more sense for me as a single grad student on a budget than did the meals I grew up eating. (I was sharing the freezer compartment of a standard refrigerator with two roommates, so batch cooking and freezing of the stews, casseroles, spaghetti & meat sauce, meat loaf, Swiss steak, etc., that I grew up eating wouldn't work.)
People have lots of different reasons for the food choices they make.0 -
When my brother was in elementary school, one of his teachers didn't allow strawberries as a snack because the seeds get caught in your teeth (supposedly causing a cavity?). Some people are so weird. My child's preschool teacher requested "healthy" snacks and supplied a list of items that were encouraged, (fresh fruit, cheese, whole grains etc). Then for the first few weeks she gave the children a small note and sticker thanking them for complying. It said something like "Thank you --name-- for bringing a healthy snack. You are helping your body to grow so strong." My son loved it and always asked me to send apples and oranges. I never heard that there were any issues with a snack being taken away. I haven't sent a poptart to school but I have sent packaged mini muffins that were pretty lacking in nutrition and would have been outraged if my son were lectured or not allowed to eat it.3
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snickerscharlie wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Motorsheen wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »This irritates me too. My son for 5 years every day took only 3 plain bread rolls for his lunch. No butter no filling no fruit. Nothing else. That's what he wanted and that's what he had. I made sure it was all balanced with a big healthy sustaining breakfast and after school tea / dinner etc . This teacher has no idea of what else your kid eats in a day. I bet some of those tucking into An apple and hummus dip are eating KFC for dinner!
What's wrong with KFC? Chicken is an excellent source of lean protein.
It's the F of KFC.
Shhhh... Don't tell but they sell it grilled too.
And for the record, hummus isn't exactly low cal or low fat, either. It's just trendy and pretentious.
Like quinoa and chia seeds.
Which are now apparently passe, too.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/88093154/forget-kale-and-chia-seeds-these-are-the-new-superfoods-for-2017
<Sigh> Who can keep up?
Hummus is a very popular food in the middle east and has been for quite some time. I would be really fascinated to understand what is pretentious about it.
I do agree that it is not low calorie or low fat.
Quinoa, acai berries and chia seeds are other examples of many foods that have been eaten for a long time in their countries/cultures of origin, but have only recently come to the world's attention (and their plates) by being touted as a "Superfood" - whatever the heck that means.
So I didn't mean to imply that the people from the originating culture or country that the food is from are pretentious for eating these items that have been a part of their regional cuisine from the start. Not what I meant by a long shot, and I apologise if that was the inference derived.
What *is* pretentious to me, however, is that people who'd never even heard of these foods before they were touted as the newest, greatest and healthiest things in the history of food, (Thanks, Doctor Oz!) then jump on the bandwagon, if only because they want to be seen as cutting edge, trendy, or somehow more knowledgeable (and therefore superior) to anyone who hasn't "seen the light" and included them in their repertoire as well. And that, for me, is where the pretentiousness comes into play.
Again, apologies for that not having been made clearer originally.
I eat a lot of foods I didn't grow up eating. I love to try new and different foods. I eat kale, quinoa and chia seeds. I only grew up eating one of them.
I eat a lot of foods I didn't grow up with, either.
But I eat them solely because I like them, and not because some quack on TV has decided that it's some sort of magical mystical cure that all of mankind would be incredibly wise to incorporate into their diet, stat.
I'm so confused.
: I eat chia seeds for the fiber not the taste (I honestly have no idea what they taste like). But a quack on TV did not tell me to do eat them. Not sure now whether I'm pretentious or not. Oh wait, I don't care.
Then you don't watch a lot of TV, which is cool, too.
That's true I do not. And other than news, I watch for entertainment only.0 -
Pop tarts are not food. My opinion.
I disagree with teachers/schools butting in concerning things like this though. They are there to teach the "Three R's" but they along with the Department of Education keep sticking their noses where they don't belong. They should focus on what they are supposed to be doing and maybe someday get it right. Let parents do the parenting.0 -
I vote that it's up to the parents what to send for lunch. I can understand that, if some kids get sweets, the other kids will want them, too, which could be disruptive.
Anyhoo: I have always had a soft spot for pop tarts, but I can't recall the last time I ate one and we've never had them in the house. They are kinda high in sugar, low in fiber, and contain the preservative TBHQ, so I would put them in the category of "junk food." They are likely perfectly fine depending on what else you eat or feed your children.
I advocate making treat foods as high quality as possible, which, if you eat them sparingly, is affordable as well. I'd be interested to know if you would be allowed to send in home-baked chocolate chip cookies, which could have a similar nutrition breakdown.0 -
Schools need to have a food policy because sadly the entire nation (US or U.K.) is insanely obese. Teachers see kids everyday and therefore it's a good opportunity to instill habits like healthy eating. They see and talk to their teachers for a larger portion of the day than their parents and every kid goes to school. It's a good opportunity for a lot of things e.g measuring/weighing kids for epidemiological reports etc etc
No kid should be shamed for eating anything however in an environment where a kid needs to concentrate for hours and hours, something with less sugar and more fibre/slow release carbs would be my choice of snack3 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »soooo when your child is in college and a professor bans computers or gum from their classrooms - are you going to have a fit? i agree with whoever mentioned you will forever be known as the "Pop Tart Mom" going forward and just don't see how its worth it in the long run. when they fit my macros, i ate Pop Tarts. i agree with your mentality of not labeling foods, but you can't control every environment your child is going to be in. the teacher/school may have their own rules... if its THAT big of an issue for you - pull your kid out. simple as that.
College age =/= 5 year old.
and i never stated that they were equivalent ages. the OP needs to decide which battles are worth fighting.3 -
When I was in summer school (the year 2000), the provided breakfast option every morning at the cafeteria was a pack (2) of strawberry pop tarts and an orange. Maybe because the regular cafeteria staff did not work summer and they had to find a quick and easy thing to hand out to the kids?
How are you even posting this? Clearly you should be dead from the carcinogens. I sure hope all of your abusers are rotting in prison right now.
(For those that take everything literally, this is sarcasm.)
haha oh I ate one almost every morning because free food! Yup, still alive! I just think its interesting how much the schools have changed over the years. I remember having coca cola and Gatorade vending machines in high school. We also were allowed to leave campus to get fast food if we wanted. The line in the cafeteria for the baked goods booth was always way longer than the line for the actual school lunch. They sold very overpriced rice crispy treats, cookies, brownies, and candy every single day. We were given full size candy bars by our choir teacher to sell to other students to make $ to pay for school trips..
I'm sure things have changed a lot since I graduated 17 years ago!
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crzycatlady1 wrote: »kwantlen2051 wrote: »ummijaaz560 wrote: »I went to my kids school this morning, to speak with his first grade teacher.
He came home yesterday saying he couldn"t bring his Pop tart for their morning snack, because they can only have "healthy snacks".
I was upset. I still am even after speaking with the teacher this morning.
I teach my child that there are no good or bad foods, unless you have a allergy or ethically cant eat it.
He has been sitting there afraid to pull out his "unhealthy snack" because its not "fruit, or granola bar, or yogurt"(healthy snacks").
I often send those as well.
I told her not to teach my child about foods being good or bad, because I dont subscribe to that.
Teacher: "So you're ok with him having a sugary Pop Tart in the morning"?
Me: Yes, I if send it its good enough for him to have. Just so you know there are granola bars with just as much or more sugar in them as Pop Tarts.
Teacher: blank stare.
Do teachers have the right to teach children sugary snacks are unhealthy?
Are Pop tarts the devil?
Seriously? Might as well send doughnuts with your child since you decide whats good for them anyway, right?
Nothing wrong with donuts either-we had them yesterday for breakfast and shockingly none of us keeled over
Might as well send the kids of to school with Snickers in their bellies.4
This discussion has been closed.
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