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AIBU?

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Original poster

Avoiding UPFs at breakfast

395 replies

Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:17

After breakfast we eat virtually no UPFs but the kids breakfast is a huge issue.

They wake early and are hungry. They're 9&6 so can be trusted to go downstairs, get themselves some cereal and occupy themselves in the morning until we get up.

They eat cereal and pastries mainly until we get up and make a more substantial breakfast if they want it) 90mins - 2 hours later.

AIBU to want quick and easy breakfast that the DC can get themselves? So I don't have to get up at 5.30!

OP posts:
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Original poster
Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:42

hazelnutvanillalatte · 05/01/2025 20:41

Egg or avocado on toast

They can't do those themselves.

They go to school at 8.45.

OP posts:
GallopingGuineaPigs · 05/01/2025 20:42

Biroclicker · 05/01/2025 20:40

Shredded wheat, ready brek, Weetabix is okay I think? We struggle with breakfasts as we can't eat oats, dairy or eggs.

There's no law that breakfast has to be breakfast foods. I personally hate cereal, eggs, and milk! So I usually eat leftover dinner for breakfast. Or bread/cheese/tomatoes.

hazelnutvanillalatte · 05/01/2025 20:41

Egg or avocado on toast

Biroclicker · 05/01/2025 20:40

Shredded wheat, ready brek, Weetabix is okay I think? We struggle with breakfasts as we can't eat oats, dairy or eggs.

Ginflinger · 05/01/2025 20:40

Home-made granola?

BigDahliaFan · 05/01/2025 20:40

If you aren't worried about their weight or teeth then a bit of cereal or a pastry isn't going to do much harm in the context of a mostly healthy diet.

If they are main lining coco pops with a side of sugar puffs followed by a choc chip muffin....there's probably some better choices to be made.

Tealpins · 05/01/2025 20:38

How shredded wheat is worse for your kids than pancakes or toast, or ham (which has a decent evidence base for being linked to cancer) apart from on the evidence-less UPF middle class insane scale is completely beyond

soupfiend · 05/01/2025 20:38

Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:36

Because they need a breakfast they can get themselves, and cereal or pastries was a good option for them. I'm looking for alternatives. Then I'll stop buying them.

Show quote history

Millions of spanish, italian and french people survive on pastries and bread for breakfast, you dont see them frothing about UPFs (and yes before anyone states the obvious, they have lower levels of UPFs generally, but a pastry from the supermarket is a pastry from the supermarket)

BlueMum16 · 05/01/2025 20:38

Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:36

Because they need a breakfast they can get themselves, and cereal or pastries was a good option for them. I'm looking for alternatives. Then I'll stop buying them.

Show quote history

Maybe get up and feed them a breakfast?

Not sure why you would spend an extra 2 hours in bed and leave a 6 year old to sort their own breakfast out tbh.

soupfiend · 05/01/2025 20:36

Tealpins · 05/01/2025 20:31

Oh my god. UPF is pure bullshit.

There's some evidence about food cooked at very high temperatures- but you can get muesli if this worries you.

UPF is wellness grifting bullshit tweaked to hit all the middle class prejudice hot buttons. Sliced bread from Aldi: Poison. Baguette from your local artisan sourdough place with a queue of bearded blokes: totally fine.

Come on people.

I answered OP but I agree with this totally.

Never heard so much obsession over perfectly ok food.

Onlyvisiting · 05/01/2025 20:36

Look up breakfast casseroles or frittatas or egg muffins.
All different names for eggs mixed with stuff (vegetables, meat, cheese) and baked in a tray until set. Like a pastry free quiche. Can be left cut into squares and eaten from the fridge or warmed in the oven.
Fresh fruit salad.
And if they eat both the above you shouldn't need to be cooking a second breakfast when they get up!

Original poster
Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:36

FrowntonAbbey · 05/01/2025 20:33

Why do you buy them if you don’t want them to eat them? At that age they are not doing their own shopping.

Because they need a breakfast they can get themselves, and cereal or pastries was a good option for them. I'm looking for alternatives. Then I'll stop buying them.

OP posts:
GRCP · 05/01/2025 20:36

Rice Crispies, weetabix and Bear cereal (alpha bites as previously mentioned) are all UPF free

AQuickDeathInTexas · 05/01/2025 20:35

Egg muffins - chop some ham, mushrooms, peppers, bit of grated cheese, add to whisked eggs and pour into muffin tin then bake.

soupfiend · 05/01/2025 20:35

What time do they go to school?

I would cook up egg muffins, cheese, eggs, bacon, or whatever and have those in the fridge, can they warm things in the microwave, nothing worse than cold food first thing

Get a toaster, is there a problem with this?

Overnight oats are basically porridge, can you put them in a lunch bag with a frozen pack so that its next to the bed, then they can eat it in bed if thats preferable, although it would be cold (personally I would want it warmed up)

Sunhatweather · 05/01/2025 20:35

Prepared pots of fruit salad? Boiled eggs and spinach leaves? Chia seed pudding and fruit?

Lavender14 · 05/01/2025 20:34

Ds really loves overnight oats with berries etc in them. I also make egg muffins which are easy done in a batch and keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. You can make them up with whatever meat or veggies your little ones like.

FrowntonAbbey · 05/01/2025 20:33

Why do you buy them if you don’t want them to eat them? At that age they are not doing their own shopping.

CarefulN0w · 05/01/2025 20:32

Some Greek yoghurts are UPF free. There is a UPF free instagram account that is a handy guide for some ideas.

Tealpins · 05/01/2025 20:31

Oh my god. UPF is pure bullshit.

There's some evidence about food cooked at very high temperatures- but you can get muesli if this worries you.

UPF is wellness grifting bullshit tweaked to hit all the middle class prejudice hot buttons. Sliced bread from Aldi: Poison. Baguette from your local artisan sourdough place with a queue of bearded blokes: totally fine.

Come on people.

Original poster
Ayechinnyreckon · 05/01/2025 20:30

I should have said, we don't have a toaster! I don't want them using the grill.

They have a substantial evening meal.

I don't think it's wrong for kids to want to eat between 5.30 and 1pm!

OP posts:
Wavescrashingonthebeach · 05/01/2025 20:29

Muesli or one of the healthier cereals

StiffyByngsDogBartholomewsChristmasBone · 05/01/2025 20:29

Cold hard boiled eggs, boil some at the beginning of the week
cheese like Gouda or edam
greek yoghurt with frozen berry compote & honey
melon slices
pancakes again made in a batch at beginning of week

28Fluctuations · 05/01/2025 20:27

They may well be getting up so early for the all-you-can-eat sugar buffet on offer. I would have done!

Offer fruit and wholewheat toast, with peanut butter/cream cheese/jam, let them sort themselves. Still sweet, but much healthier and less likely to tempt them from bed at 5.30am.

Moonshine5 · 05/01/2025 20:27

Maybe give them a more substantial evening meal to stop the double breakfast.