It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

OrkneyStar

In addition to the nutritional content of meals, there is also the 'punctuating the day with set events' aspect of it, which I think folk can forget about.  Even if it isn't a large meal, or even much more than a banana or a yoghurt, it's still a nice routine to keep. My mum cannot eat a lot of foods, it was really bad at one point where she was surviving really on the special nutrition drinks, but she still either had something really small or one of the drinks at what would be breakfast, lunch or dinner time. Appetites do decrease as we age, that's accepted, but that doesn't necessarily mean a shift to missing out meals, more just eating less at each meal. I hate that some people are forced to survive on one meal a day because they cannot afford anything more, this should always been seen as something we need to fix, not something we need to adapt to! Of course, if someone chooses that then that's different.

Spendless

I'd also think expecting to eat 3 times a day is 'standard'. If you can't face that amount of times eating, neither my Mum or daughter are keen on breakfast that's another matter.

I understand why parents do it, but I wish they wouldn't skip meals. I've mentioned this before maybe not on this thread, but a few years back I watched a doc where a Mum polar bear and her cub had become seperated from the mainland and it would take months before the ice caps reformed. One day Mum finds food, she eats first, only when she has had her fill does she give the remainder to the cub to eat. The reason being the cub's survival depends on her staying alive and healthy. Another analogy used is when you're on a plane and parents are told to 'put their own seat belt on first' in case of an emergency.

I'd rather parents were looking for cheaper options such as porridge for breakfast and HM soup for lunch for all of them  if these sort of things haven't been explored before the decision to skip meals was taken. 

-taff

Humans are not polar bears though. An adult has a greater expectation of living without food for a bit than a child, and if adults did have t go without food for a period so extended that they were fedding themselves before their child, their child woulnd't have particularly good future prospects.

As for porridge and hm soup...I'm sure a lot fo people who can't afford food will read that and think, what planet are you on? I can't afford veg let alone gas and electric to cook it. Hence food banks now asking for food that doesn't need to be cooked.

poppy811

Porridge two to three minutes in the microwave. 

OrkneyStar

poppy811 said:

Porridge two to three minutes in the microwave. 

For most of us that's fairly straightforward, unfortunately less so for those who cannot afford to use electricity.

Doom_and_Gloom

Porridge is as cheap as 75p for 1kg which for a 40g portion means you get 25 portions in a bag which equates to just 3p a portion. Even if you do 50g portions that is 20 portions in a bag at not quite 4p a portion. You don't need to heat up porridge. You can do over night oats in the fridge or in a food flask. If no fridge and no flask as long as they are covered and in a cool place you should be fine; you could put the covered bowl/container in a larger container with water to keep it cool if needed. I think most people understand what I'm getting at here. 
While porridge is rather bland to do with just water it is possible and when it comes to it better to be fed even if it is bland if the alternative is going without.
If someone needs to eat gluten free oats (no cross contamination of gluten ones) they are still a rather cheap item even if they are more expensive.

Spendless

-taff said:

Humans are not polar bears though. An adult has a greater expectation of living without food for a bit than a child, and if adults did have t go without food for a period so extended that they were fedding themselves before their child, their child woulnd't have particularly good future prospects.

As for porridge and hm soup...I'm sure a lot fo people who can't afford food will read that and think, what planet are you on? I can't afford veg let alone gas and electric to cook it. Hence food banks now asking for food that doesn't need to be cooked.

The principle is the same though. Go without food to the point the parent becomes ill then the knock on effect is to the detriment of the child.

Not all parents going without food won't have some form of heating they're using for their kids meals. Cheaper options that feed the whole household are better than some going without. 

OrkneyStar

Isn't it so sad that we are evening having to discuss these options, how the wealth divide is as big as it ever was. On that note I am off on a walk to enjoy the free sunshine and maybe see if the Coop has any decent reductions. Stay safe all. 

QueenJess

OrkneyStar said:

Isn't it so sad that we are evening having to discuss these options, how the wealth divide is as big as it ever was. On that note I am off on a walk to enjoy the free sunshine and maybe see if the Coop has any decent reductions. Stay safe all. 

Although actually I think inequality has been getting worse for some time in the UK. I can’t find the exact article, but there’s loads of stats around.

Inequality makes us less happy: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2022/apr/17/rich-countries-that-let-inequality-run-rampant-make-citizens-unhappy?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

bupster

Today I have heard stories about people eating one meal a day so their kids can eat. Whilst the sacrifice is understandable, I was a bit surprised that adults expect to eat 3 times a day. Do they?

I eat five times a day at least, meals and snacks - I'm bloody starving otherwise. Yes, most adults expect to eat three times a day!