do you (and how often) let your los eat takeaways?

[*Ali*]

I think once a week would be the max I would want my kids to eat fast food but we do have food out after swimming lessons on a Saturday most weeks. Sometimes it is mcdonalds but sometimes it is pub grub, pizza, Chinese noodles, a sandwich in the leisure centre cafe.
My kids have something unhealthy almost every day probably but one day it will be crisps, another chocolate or sweets, another a cake another a biscuit and so on. They don't have them all on the same day. They eat healthily the rest of the time. We don't have frozen/processed foods for dinners and make most meals from scratch. They eat fruit and veg and have a varied diet. The dietician we saw for Cadan said he eats really well for his age and I was completely honest. Maybe I am fooling myself but I tend to think of us as middle of the road when it comes to eating. We don't deprive them of the sometimes foods but we don't overindulge and we have healthy food most of the time. I don't know a single child IRL who doesn't eat some sweets or cakes etc. I see that as the extreme end of a spectrum with kids who eat chicken nuggets and chips every night with sweets and crisps every day being the other end of the spectrum. DH's friend was brought up not really knowing what sweets and fizzy drinks were and then went mad on them when he had his own buying power as a teenager. I wouldn't want to end up in that situation either.

[creations]

DH's friend was brought up not really knowing what sweets and fizzy drinks were and then went mad on them when he had his own buying power as a teenager.

Same happened with my niece, total denial of all biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolate, everything and no leeway ever, she was an outcast at school and at parties Then when the ban was lifted she went crazy.  She was much younger maybe 7yo or 8yo when the ban was lifted though and by high school (age 11/12 ish) there was problem getting a school shirt to fit her, she was bigger than a UK size 16 women's and could barely walk to the corner shop without becoming out of breath. So sad
Totally agree that total bans are not the way to go.

[**Clare**]

I'd do it! I think you have to weigh up the pros and cons. I desperately need my Y time to recharge and I find it benefits the children greatly. To me it is more important than the worry of them having a not so healthy lunch once a week. Equally important is the bonding time for your children and their Daddy!

Just my opinion! X

[Aishi]

Thanks Ali, creations for a different perspective. I come from the other side and was brought up on junk food (better to eat something than nothing attitude) and i guess im stricter than i would have been otherwise. I do feel i need to relax more so on it and i guess once a week with dh is a way to start...

Im really looking fwd to my me time now

Posted with you Clare! and i think you may be right

[Roseii]

Not quite as extreme as Ali's DH's mate but I was brought up on virtually no sweets, never a mac Donald's or Pizza Hut or anything like that, tbh mostly I think cos my parents had 4 kids and it was too expensive compared to home cooked grub! And once I had my own pocket money, and then later when I went to Uni I ate absolute cr*p at every opportunity But got it out my system and mostly healthy now. Oh and my kids have already had Mac Donald's than I'd had before I was 18 But, same as Ali, they are healthy kids, always have their 5 a day, drink plenty of water etc. X

[Khalam's Mama]

I agree once a week is the Max I would want. I would prefer once a month but am pretty sure they get it more often with dh when I am away at work. Generally they get a burger and fruit and milk drink so it is a balanced meal even if high in salt and fat. Again we don't eat out of the freezer at home so I don't feel too bad.