Teacher says Pop Tarts are not a healthy snack

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Replies

  • theVintageWhorde
    theVintageWhorde Posts: 43 Member
    psuLemon 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... >:)
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    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?
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    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 :p
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,072 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    rosnz 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? B)

    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.
  • mpat81
    mpat81 Posts: 351 Member
    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.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    rosnz 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? B)

    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. :cry:: 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.
  • wanzik
    wanzik Posts: 326 Member
    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.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    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.
  • BiomedDent
    BiomedDent Posts: 107 Member
    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 snack
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
    bellaa_x0 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.
  • ElvenToad
    ElvenToad Posts: 644 Member
    edited January 2017
    brower47 wrote: »
    ElvenToad wrote: »
    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!

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    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 :p

    Might as well send the kids of to school with Snickers in their bellies.
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    rosnz 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? B)

    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 agree with this. Kale is another example. All dark leafy greens are full of vitamins; there is no reason to give some kind of special super-food status to kale.

    The funny thing is that I have been cooking with kale since the nineties-after seeing Emeril Legasse make portugese kale-sausage soup on the Food Network. People didn't use to roll their eyes when I bought it in those days.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    RobD520 wrote: »
    RobD520 wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    rosnz 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? B)

    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 agree with this. Kale is another example. All dark leafy greens are full of vitamins; there is no reason to give some kind of special super-food status to kale.

    The funny thing is that I have been cooking with kale since the nineties-after seeing Emeril Legasse make portugese kale-sausage soup on the Food Network. People didn't use to roll their eyes when I bought it in those days.

    Oh, I love that soup!

    I grew up eating kale regularly. Along with collard greens, turnip greens, beet greens, etc. Collard greens are definitely more popular in my area but I grow and eat all them regularly.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    Packerjohn 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 :p

    Might as well send the kids of to school with Snickers in their bellies.

    Well yesterday was a Sunday so no school, but since we do a schooling at home program my kids eat most of their meals and snacks at home. There's always things like poptarts and donuts available to them in the house and sometimes they want to eat them and sometimes they don't.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    I'm happy with my good food/bad food labels. Better, worse, super, red, go, slow, whoa and all the rest muddy the waters and make it so people feel like they need "nutritional professionals" to tell them what, when and how much is ok to eat.

    Good-food-bad-food is as straightforward and unambiguous as it gets. It means a diet of nutritious foods in general with a huge variety of foods to pick from, not just from the healthy/superfood list of the moment. And when I do indulge in "bad foods" I'm not fooling myself into a diet chock full of subpar food that's "not that bad". Aka The Snackwell Effect.

    I know it's tantamount to an eating disorder on MFP but of course that's not true. I always know what to eat, I'm not susceptible to food marketing/health washing and to bring this topic back to pop tarts even though it's perfectly fine to eat them and everything else on occasion it would never occur to me to send them to school as a snack - as they're not a good food.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    edited January 2017
    Packerjohn 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 :p

    Might as well send the kids of to school with Snickers in their bellies.

    ....

    Donuts for breakfast every once in a while will hurt no one. Breakfast pastries are a pretty common thing around the world.

    Nutrient dense? Maybe not so much. But if the rest of the day is full of nutrient-dense foods, so what?

    Though if judging my family for having donuts for breakfast maybe one Sunday per month makes someone feel better about themselves, then that's fine by me. I like doing my part to make others feel better.

    Once in a while sure, if you want to eat that stuff. However, doughnuts top this list of worst breakfast foods

    https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/07/sluggish-start-the-5-worst-breakfast-foods/

    Author is a Registered Dietitian and manager of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

    Also really like this quote from an earlier poster :

    "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."
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