How bad are the oatsosimple golden syrup porridge sachets?

[Fedupofplaystation]

People always congratulate me because, fussy eating DD (2.5yrs) eats porridge for supper every night.

Apparently porridge is a great food to feed one's young.

I fail to mention that I use the golden syrup, microwave in 2 minutes, sachets.

Are they really bad? DD started having them at her Granny's house and loves them.

[sixlive]

Never have understood the need to give kids supper. You need to look at the percentage sugar content, above 15% not good.

[PeterParkerSays]

Awful. I worked with a woman who had these for breakfast in the staff room before work. You could always tell when she'd had one, the room smelled like candy floss when you walked in. Dreadful for your DD's teeth, particularly if you're brushing them shortly afterwards.

Could she not have weetabix with sugar, then you can slowly reduce the amount of sugar you sprinkle on them over time?

[ouryve]

21.5g sugar per 100g of the mixture. Quite sugary, but hardly up there with cocoa pops. If her diet is very limited, then it's best made up with full fat milk.
www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/quaker-oat-so-simple-golden-syrup-flavour-porridge-x10-36g

[Frontier]

I'd give normal porridge (or plain instant if she doesn't like the change in texture) and add golden syrup, reducing the amount very gradually until she's eating it almost plain because yes, it is very bad, almost 22% sugar.

Once you've weaned her off the ridiculously high sugar content, I'd then gradually start switching to regular porridge oats, because the instant ones are so processed. (can still make it in the microwave in 2 mins)

Does she like dried fruit? I weaned myself off sugar in porridge by adding dried fruit and gradually reducing the amount until now I only have around 6/8 raisins in a bowl full.

[Fedupofplaystation]

Oh dear. Bad mother guilt again.

She has Weetabix without sugar for breakfast, she always wants porridge for supper.

We've always had supper. I did as a child, my mum did as a child etc. Thought everyone did .

Today's intake was:

-1 Weetabix at 7am (no sugar)
-Small box of raisins at 10am
-Homemade savoury mince with hidden veg, served with sweet potato mash and peas at 12pm (she had a v. small portion). 2 small chocolate coins, left over from Easter for pudding.
-Small banana sandwich (1/2 slice wholemeal bread + 1/2 banana) at 3.45pm.

• One sachet of the terrible porridge at 6.30pm.
  

Perhaps I should try to find some recipes to make plain porridge appealing?

[Fedupofplaystation]

Thank you for all of the replies.

[HabitualLurker]

Can't see what's wrong with having supper per se, don't pay the supper haters any mind!

How about chopped/grated apple or pear in the porridge? With a bit of cinnamon and/or nutmeg?

[Frontier]

Supper is perfectly OK in my book too.

[Fedupofplaystation]

Might get away with it. It depends whether she notices.

Unfortunately, the only fruits I can normally get her to eat (she will eat most veg) are bananas and raisins.

She will eat most cooked veg. Won't eat salad.

She has had the 'winter pudding' sachet porridge before and loved that, which had cinnamon in it so cinnamon may well be the way to go.

Do you think cinnamon & banana in porridge would taste nice?

[Fedupofplaystation]

Oh, very occasionally, she will eat blueberries.

[RhondaJean]

Grated apple and cinnamon is lovely.

Or a handful of frozen berries (cools it down quick too)

Or there is nothing wrong with putting a little bit of honey into the plain one tbh, honey is very good for you. If you can get local honey rather than from the supermarket it's even better.

[TheKitchenWitch]

Hang on - isn't supper basically just another name for the evening meal?

[onedev]

I must be a bad mother too as that sounds fine to me

I've no choice but to give my boys supper - they're demanding food again shortly before bed (usually cereal or toast) as they say they're starving!

[PeterParkerSays]

If she'll have it, cinnamon and banana sound lovely - you could puree the banana and stir it in maybe, if that's not too much of a faff.

[Frontier]

Oh yes, my Dc's often had banana in porridge when they were your DD's age. I'd forgotten I wouldn't want to eat it myself and they wouldn't now but they loved it then.

Depends how posh you are Witch, or maybe where you come from, but for us supper is a snack just before bed.

[ouryve]

Cinnamon and banana in porridge are absolutely delicious. Strawberries and blueberries work nicely, too - you can chop the strawberries very small if she doesn't like big bits. At this time of year, when I'm feeling decadent, I might have all 3 (then grumble that my porridge is cold!)

In fact - using up the packet of syrupy porridge sachets might be a good way of introducing new fruit, while there is so much in season, before you go for less sweet options.

Until last year, part of extremely fussy (to the point of rejecting most fruit and veg) DS2's staple breakfast repertoire was ready brek sweetened with half a pot of organix fruit puree. DH occasionally got away with mashing banana into it, instead.

[Fedupofplaystation]

For us, supper is a snack food as our evening meal as kids (we call it tea) was always had on arriving home from primary school, so 3.30-4pm.

Supper always consisted of either toast, cereal, porridge or, if we were at our grandparents, biscuits and hot chocolate when I was a child.

DD usually has porridge or Weetabix.

Will be trying banana and cinnamon tomorrow evening. Wish me luck .

[DoingItForMyself]

I have these and tbh they are so much less sweet than when I make my own 'proper' porridge and put syrup or sugar on. They definitely smell sweeter than they taste. Don't feel bad, oats with milk is a good combination and like any cereal, it's always going to be a bit bland without the addition of something sweet.

[DoingItForMyself]

Ooh yes and mashed banana in it with cinnamon sounds lovely. If you mash the banana in before you cook it, it's sweeter as the banana gets cooked too.

[bluestrawhat]

Don't understand why you would do this when you can put about half a cup of oats into a bowl, cover with milk and zap in the microwave for 2 minutes for about 1/10 of the cost. Squirt with syrup if you need to.

I had a chopped nectarine on mine this morning. It was delicious.

[bluestrawhat]

75p for 1 kg of oats in Tesco.

[FourForksAche]

My son loves the golden syrup one too! I've been trying to get them into shredded wheat & all bran but they're rebelling.

[Christwaddle]

It's fine op, just make sure she brushes her teeth after!
Slice some bananas into it, or add some blueberries or other berries for vits.
When dc don't eat much having supper is great way to up their calorie intake, although ds1 (11) has rice cakes so I'm failing there! :)

[mousmous]

in what you describe her diet sounds fune. if you can wean her off ghe syrup, great, but don't stress about it.

[tobiasfunke]

Just make up a plain one and add a little maple syrup or normal syrup. If you're careful you will add less sugar than they have in the readymade sachet but it will still taste sweet.

I love Ready Brek it always tastes a bit sweeter than porridge but doesn't have any sugar in it.