Are you feeding your kids the worst breakfast possible?
An article on kid cereals just came out. Its something I personaly believe that parents should be very aware of. I think that kid's health has been unfortunately neglected a bit, and its something to take into account, specially if you have kids who adore the typical processed cereals that are just packed with sugar (the same amount or more than a glazed donut a day for breakfast!).
check this link out
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/ar chive/2008/10/23/the-worst-cereals-in-the-wor ld.aspx
make sure to read Dr. Mercola's comments.
Im not normally a fan of Mercola and their ideas but this ones on the money.
My daughters school actually sends out a notice before they do there state testing. Because the testing lasts through the day, they mention breakfast saying to include protein and avoid the 'carb' breakfast which doesnt sustain. Im sure the sugared cereals make it worse.
I think back to my own childhood 30-odd years ago and we all went out in the morning having eaten either breakfast cereals or some white sliced toast and jam and, at the weekends, a boiled egg and soldiers. There wasn't a fat kid in the whole school and we never heard of diabetes. Our mothers sensibly didn't let us have the more luridly coloured, sugary-looking cereals on the basis that they would 'rot our teeth' and 'if you think I'm paying that much you can think again!'. But if you'd offered us vegetable juice for breakfast and limited us to 6 grammes of sugar a day we'd have mutinied.
The 'worst breakfast possible' is no breakfast at all...
Seems to me that the main goal of this site is to sell the guy's books...
I'm not buying this "protien type" BS, and I really just wanted to see a list of the cereals. Kinda disappointing...
And, BTW, I would never only feed my child veggie juice for breakfast. Sorry.
cereal isn't "good" for you. full stop. in most cases you'd be better eating a fried egg and bacon. and yeahyeah i know people are fed up of hearing the "protein BS" but that's what us humans are supposed to be eating to nourish ourselves. protein is what we've evolved eating. it's what comes naturally to us.
cereal bars are my real pet peeve. how they can market those things as healthy. low calorie = healthy? NO! apart from the fact that they weigh like 20g and keep you full for all of ten minutes.
when i have kids, ima try so hard to feed them well. no "special k challenges" or "weetabix weeks"
how can someone think that feeding your kids sugary cereals is any better than feeding them a healthy balanced diet? they may not get obese now, but they can when they grow up. I would never feed my children when i have mine, any sugary breakfast everyday...ID make sure to balance taht out. Sure they can have sweets, they're young, but in moderation. Thats what its all about.
The thing with saying "no" constantly to the sugary cereal is, every kid I grew up with who wasn't allowed that stuff has ballooned up to nearly 300 pounds. Once they were on there own and couldn't be told no anymore the eating went out of control. Thats the thing, its all about balance...I wasn't allowed the sugary cereal eather, but I was allowed to dump spoonfuls of sugar on my cheerios....I'll never figure out how that was better.....
Original Post by gi-jane:
The 'worst breakfast possible' is no breakfast at all...
I completely agree. Growing up, my mom NEVER made me breakfast while I was school-aged because she didn't want breakfast. My sr. year, I would leave the house with no breakfast and MAYBE go to the gas station to get a 32 oz. Mountain Dew and then go to my first class which was weight lifting. Ah, if only I'd known back then what I know now.
Original Post by kayaa:
cereal isn't "good" for you. full stop. in most cases you'd be better eating a fried egg and bacon. and yeahyeah i know people are fed up of hearing the "protein BS" but that's what us humans are supposed to be eating to nourish ourselves. protein is what we've evolved eating. it's what comes naturally to us.
No, I'm totally into protien. In the article he called himself a "protein type" like somehow he was especially affected by it? That's what I was calling BS. I think a fried egg and bacon is a lot better for you than Cocoa Puffs.
My girlfriend is from Japan. Whenever she comes to the US she is shocked by the things we eat (or don't eat) for breakfast.
I tried to explain to her that salad is just not a breakfast side dish here. But the more I thought about it, I couldn't explain why the idea of vegetables on the breakfast plate seems so alien.
She insists on preparing a salad with breakfast. And if not a salad, then some other form of vegetable or vegetable soup.
Now I've gotten quite used to a breakfast of fried egg, rice and salad.
My children are going to grow up thinking that vegetables are fair game at any meal.
Not to defend anything in that article or getting in the mix too much here...but alot of you are talking a big talk...but I wonder if things won't change when those hypothetical kids you have yet to birth are actually here. Everything has to be a balance...a balance of time (have you ever tried to get a 6 year old moving in the morning?), a balance of choices (would you rather have them starve or eat a toaster strudel...they will wait you out on this one...).
That said, I try my very best to give my child a healthy, well rounded breakfast. But, I am also not above calling it a day and shoving a pop tart down his throat some mornings. Honestly...I'll give myself a 4/5 stars for this one...sometimes you do what is necessary to get them, you and everything else out the door in the morning!
of course, its about balance.
Its ok for kids to have sweets and treats. Just not EVERYDAY for breakfast, like many people do. Id actually take a bit of my tiime and prepare something healthy and balanced...somedays I might not, but on most days Ill definitely try.
If I worry so much about what I eat, and eating healthy, how can I neglect that on my kids?
Original Post by saintlymama:
Not to defend anything in that article or getting in the mix too much here...but alot of you are talking a big talk...but I wonder if things won't change when those hypothetical kids you have yet to birth are actually here. Everything has to be a balance...a balance of time (have you ever tried to get a 6 year old moving in the morning?), a balance of choices (would you rather have them starve or eat a toaster strudel...they will wait you out on this one...).
That said, I try my very best to give my child a healthy, well rounded breakfast. But, I am also not above calling it a day and shoving a pop tart down his throat some mornings. Honestly...I'll give myself a 4/5 stars for this one...sometimes you do what is necessary to get them, you and everything else out the door in the morning!
I so agree! My kids have fairly healthy lunches every day (PB or ham sandwiches, apple juice, cheestrings, granola bar, yogurt, banana or grapes, etc) but when it's breakfast time and there are multiple kids making multiple demands (someone forgot one homework thing or is slow to get out of bed), sometimes you're relieved that they made the bus fully clothed! (ok, so that's an exaggeration)
How many has stood in front of the pantry with their kids offering item after item to hear "nah..what else" after each suggestion? If they'll eat Cocoa Puffs, hey! I'm alright with that. (their school also has a "healthy breakfast" program, where every child who wants can go to the cafeteria and have free juice, milk, fruit or muffins)
I grew up eating Captain Crunch and Apple Jacks, but have never been overweight or hyperactive due to it.
I grew up having poptarts and a glass of milk or instant oatmeal...I do much better now.
Hear, hear saintlymama and qmwillcand!!! 
I know exactly what you mean. My own son's diet sometimes wouldn't pass muster either but we do our best! I have friends who decided prior to the arrival of child #1 that they were going to feed their precious bundle nothing but organic, wholesome food, sugar-free, additive free.... totally holy game plan. By child #3 the same friends told me ruefully that they were so knackered one morning that they just threw each kid a cereal bar and told them to get on with it. LOL!!
