For Fats Sake- Bring Back Meat and 2 Veg.

Why Our Kids Need Real Food, Not a Daily Buffet of Party Crap

Somewhere along the way, Western culture quietly slipped into a bizarre reality where every day is party food day.It’s like we’ve collectively decided that beige food belongs in every lunchbox, every tea time, every “quick snack to keep them going,” every car journey, every swimming lesson, every bloody minute.

Chicken nuggets masquerading as protein. Yoghurts with more sugar than a can of Coke. Smoothies that could strip paint.And don’t get me started on the after-school “treats”… every. single. day.

We’ve normalised it. We’ve glamorised it .And our kids are wearing the consequences — literally — on their bodies, in their behaviour, and in their future health.

This isn’t about judgement. This is about truth. And the truth is: our kids are getting overweight, under-nourished and over-stimulated because they’re eating like it’s the weekend… seven days a week.

Our DNA Hasn’t Evolved for ‘Constant Treat Mode’

Children’s bodies — like ours — were designed for rhythm. Feast and famine. Nutrient-dense meals.Simple ingredients. Food you can pronounce without doing phonics.

But modern life? Oh no, we’ve gone full Willy Wonka.

We’re pumping them with ultra-processed, hyper-palatable, sugar-salt-fat combos the food industry literally engineered to hijack their brains. Then we’re wondering why they’re climbing the walls, gaining weight, melting down, or constantly hungry. Spoiler: it’s not the child — it’s the chemistry. Their little bodies are overwhelmed.

Meat and Two Veg: The Comeback Tour

Let’s talk about something beautifully unsexy: Meat and two veg.

Yes. Proper dinners. The kind your nan would nod at approvingly.

Protein that builds muscles and stabilises moods. Veg that feeds gut bacteria (and the brain). Healthy fats that make hormones behave. Slow carbs that don’t spike them into orbit.

It’s simple.It’s cheap.It works. And no, it’s not “boring” — unless we’ve trained our kids’ taste buds to only respond to fireworks.

We Don’t Need Perfect. We Need Consistent.

No one’s asking you to transform into a 1950s housewife or grow your own carrots (unless you want to — in which case call me because I’m obsessed).

But we do need to bring some sanity back to the dinner table.

A few nights a week of real, whole foods.Swapping the constant snacks for actual meals.Remembering that treats are treats — not dietary staples.

Our kids don’t need more entertainment in their food.They need nourishment, predictability, and meals that love them back.

We’re Raising the Next Generation of Bodies — And Brains

And this is where I get a bit functional-medicine-geeky on you…Childhood diets shape:

• their gut microbiome

• their inflammation levels

• their metabolic health

• their hormones

• their mood

• their future risk of chronic disease

Ultra-processed, beige, sugary food is not neutral.It’s shaping a trajectory — one that’s getting harder to reverse the longer it goes on.

Real food saves futures. It really is that simple.

The Revolt Starts at the Kitchen Table

So here’s the invitation (not the guilt trip): Strip it back.Bring back the basics.Meat, fish, eggs. Two veg.Real butter.Colour on the plate. Meals, not snacks. Boundaries, not bribery. Love, not labels.

Because our kids deserve more than constant “treat mode.”They deserve nourishment so deep and grounding that their bodies feel safe, balanced, energised, and capable.

And honestly? So do we.