Are homemade muffins bad for you

[Lily Grace]

I have two mindees S and R who are siblings they are before and after school. Mum is a fussy about what they eat and doesn't want them to eat sweet things or processed food. I only offer them fruit, toast, breadsticks etc for snacks after school.

We have been having a baking night on a Wednesday and we have been making homemade muffins, pizza and cheese twists. Last week we made chocolate muffins and the mum has asked me if we could make more savoury food as she doesn't like the children eating "stoge" (think that how you spell it!). All the cakes are made with butter, sugar and flour are they bad for you? I still want to make cakes as my little girl enjoys it, I am a bit cheesed off with being dictated to about what we bake. What do you think I should do???

[PixiePetal]

I think I would ask what sort of things she would like you to bake with them - nothing too complicated. Savoury food can be just as 'unhealthy' with salt and fats.

What about scotch pancakes or cheese scones?

Even my very healthy eating families don't mind the odd sweet treat - IMO if they are forbidden foods, kids want them more!

[Daftbat]

I would point out to her your own views and beliefs regarding foods and confirm to her that whislt you make every effort to accomodate everyones wishes you think that it is fair that children get the opportunity to bake sweet things as well as savoury things since you have other children to consider too. The children can always take things home rather than eat them with you and then the parent can have the responsibility of either letting them eat things or not. I wish parents would live in the real world sometimes and accept that all things are ok in moderation.

[merry]

All the parents here are disappointed when we make savoury things and ask where are the cakes and biscuits

[Lily Grace]

It has started to wind me up a bit. I will tell her tonight that I do have other children in my care who want to bake cakes. If she wants me to set up a different activity for her chidlren while we bake cakes I will.

I let the children take the things they have baked home and I tell them to ask their mum before they eat them. Never had this problem before!!

[karensmart4]

What about making 'Raisin Bran Muffins' or 'Apple and Oat' or 'Muesli Muffins' they are healthy and your children are still enjoying making cakes

Might shut her up (sorry) and it shows that you have taken her views into consideration

[FussyElmo]

What about making 'Raisin Bran Muffins' or 'Apple and Oat' or 'Muesli Muffins' they are healthy and your children are still enjoying making cakes

Might shut her up (sorry) and it shows that you have taken her views into consideration

Agree make healty muffins - banana ones.

Savoury scones etc

[sarah707]

We make banana muffins and blueberry ones are lovely!

We do a lot of individual pudding type cooking as well such as different fruits with crumble toppings.

Maybe you could use half white / half wholemeal flour or try Splenda or another sugar alternative for half the sugar content as a compromise?

Hth

[Kimmy050983]

We make banana muffins and blueberry ones are lovely!

We do a lot of individual pudding type cooking as well such as different fruits with crumble toppings.

Maybe you could use half white / half wholemeal flour or try Splenda or another sugar alternative for half the sugar content as a compromise?

Hth

i really wouldnt use an artificial sweetener for children thats even worse than sugar (which in moderation is fine for me (but my definition of moderation is probably different..))

[Alibali]

My los favourites are banana and choc chip muffins, i use wholemeal flour, I do use sugar as I don't like artificial sweeteners, they have banana in them and a few choc chips so not too unhealthy and they are so easy to make, yummy.

[sarah707]

i really wouldnt use an artificial sweetener for children thats even worse than sugar (which in moderation is fine for me (but my definition of moderation is probably different..))

Hmmm I know it's a tough one but if the parent is complaining about sugar then some artificial sweeteners are better than others!!

For example many contain aspartame and i wouldn't touch that or anything based on phenylalanine with a bargepole.

However many, many thousands of parents do choose 'low sugar' drinks for their children on a daily basis in the hope that they are improving their diet and will actively opt to buy 'low sugar' or sugar substitutes for their children.

Many health visitors also promote low sugar alternatives for children as being better for their health than the side effects of obesity.

So if the OP is looking for a compromise this might be one thing within a number that she could offer to look into.

I hope this clarifies

[Kimmy050983]

i do know what sweeteners are but certainly would not give them to children let alone myself. My son has water all day and a bit of pure apple juice diluted with water at lunchtime..he loves his water as he is used to drinking it. there is simly no need for low sugar drinks. have you ever read a label of "fruit shoots" and the like? artificial flavours, preservatives etc..

well, i know they say splenda is safe but they used to say that about aspartame a couple of years ago

[youarewhatyoueat]

I use sweet freedom instead of sugar in muffins, tescos sell it in the gluten free aisle its a natural fruit sugar, I can recommend it as being sweeter than sugar and you use less oz for oz. have a look on google.
I make a carrot and orange muffin with cocoa powder, its really yum.
http://www.sweetfreedom.co.uk/

[The Juggler]

personally I think mum is being OTT and if that's the activity you do, then just give them 1/2 or 1/4 muffin each to eat. However, I made brownies the other day and 9 oz of sugar - that is a lot!

I don't make sweet baking items very often for this reason - cos if you make 'em you've just gotta try 'em, you can't not have a tasting afterwards

[gegele]

i think people should stop, breathe and go back to basics!!!!

bake with real stuff, sorry Sarah but for once i will disagree with you, anything which has not grown on a tree or in the grown or didn't breathe and have name that can't be prononced is probably not that great!

our liver filters chemical stuff and deals with fat, the more chemicals he has to deal with the less fat he can control, hence the getting fat on procesed food, and low foodstuff is parked with chemistry set.

give the kids sugar, they do need it, not all the time, not everyday buy there is nothing wrong with a home made cake as long as the kid don't eat a pound of it!!!

As sarah said, banana cake are nice and sweet, fruit like pears, apple and peach....will make things sweeter.

on most recipe you can reduce the sugar content witout affecting the taste much.

i would tell the mum that kids are choosing the baking, that it's not every day and that you will avoid the really top sugary ones but will not stop the sweet baking.

[loocyloo]

we made carrot & courgette muffins the other day ( from ' i can cook ' on cbeebies ) they were yummy and a good mix of savoury & sweet !!!

[Lily Grace]

Thanks for all the ideas, we made cheese scones last night but I just didn't get the reaction you would get from the children if we were make muffins. Mindees said why are we not making cakes.

[Zoomie]

One of my parents is a bit like this. Frankly I just do a mixture of savory and sweet stuff. We also do quite a bit of cooking, pizza, spagheti bake.

Only thing I have really changed in the last year is to not eat the sweet stuff as snack, they can have it after a main meal, but not snack (all to do with cutting down sugar attacks on the teeth to 4 or less a day).