To think that I nursery should not really offer Coco Pops for breakfast.

[SuzysZoo]

That's it really. At first nursery they had to offer healthy and sugar free cereals. New nursery and they have coco pops I just found out today. I am a bit surprised as I thought it had to be all healthy eating etc. Does anyone know? The kids love their new nursery - no wonder! They are 3 if that is relevant....

Totally agree file

I have come to the conclusion that the best answer is to eat as little processed food as possible,as otherwise you drive yourself crazy checking sugar content,MSG content etc etc.

Now this is what I call

Have not read entire thread, apologies if someone has already said this -

Cocopops, per 100g is 85% carb, 30% "sugar"... this is what is listed on the box. This is a "weasel" phrase to make you think it's "only" 30% sugar. It's not, it's 85%! Carbs ARE sugar and while some of them take a little longer for the body to breakdown, it just means they spike the blood sugar for longer before it crashes. There is no protein or good fat in them.

"Breakfast cereal" didn't exist until a few decades ago and the are all rubbish IMVHO.

I know people are pushed for time in the mornings but a mushroom omelette (or similar) is almost as fast as pouring a bowl of cereal and about 100 times better in terms of nutrition.

though I'm still trying to convince my 15year old to give up his Cocopops altogether

PickledFanjo - Dear lord!

Yes, filetheflightoffancy, I totally agree. Unfortunately I'm only too aware of the hidden crap that's in processed food now. Coco pops are shit - so are many other cereals aoimed at children. But I'm not mistakenly thinking they are the only food that's crap.

filetheflightoffancy at 11:16 said exactly what I was thinking

That jedward song, however is a fucking disgrace.

pickled you have ruined coco pops for me now

It is isn't it! Good reason to avoid coco pops. That's what it will turn your kids into!

It could be played as aversion therapy for those addicted to coco pops.

Waaaa haaaa haaaa

YADNBU!

Refined sugar is bad for anyone, like a drug (seriously!) and should be avoided where possible, as part of an every day diet. Obviously, treats on special occasions and the odd sugary thing won't kill you. Coco pops, maybe like a special treat but not to be touted as a healthy, regular brekkie.

I would be way angry if it were my child.

Saying that, I seem to remember in the 80s, a big bowl of coco pops with a desert spoon of sugar on top was fairly normal in our house. In fact, all cereal had an extra spoon of sugar on it and snacks were biscuits or cakes with radioactive squash. Tut tut DM. Tut tut!

Mushroom Omelette? Are you having a giraffe? And crack is a drug as is heroin, sugar is not

Yanbu. I wouldn't be happy with our nursery either if they gave out coco pops for breakfast. They give rice crispies/corn flakes or toast with marg (not entirely thrilled with those options either) and sometimes yoghurt with raisins. I always send them in having had omelette and wholemeal toast with nut butter. Our nursery doesn't start till 8.30 though as its a work creche so they don't actually call it breakfast it is a"welcome snack".

Sugar can be compared to a drug though. Too much of it causes physical changes in your body and is what has caused the very real surge in diabetes in recent years. It messes your insulin production up entirely and it causes physiological addiction.

Sugar if fine in small doses, it is not going to poison anyone. However things like breakfast are not a 'treat', they are a normal everyday meal and if you introduce that amount of refined sugar to your kids as normal then that is where the problems start. In the 70s yes there were shit foods but everyone knew they were rubbish and full of crap. Nowadays things that you think are healthyeg cereals, low fat yoghurts are actually crammed with stuff that is messing with your body without you even realising.

The cereal manufacturers want you to think that something like coco pops is a good start to the day because it contains wholegrains or some such bollocks and lots of parents believe

Childhood obesity is a very real and very worrying Problem. Saying 'sugar ain't crack you know' is fine, but it doesn't change the fact that there are children who will likely die before their parents of obesity/diabetes related illnesses. It's not being dramatic, it's how it is.

YANBU. This would annoy me too for all the reasons given up thread.

I make cheese omelette for them in the morning. Very quick, quicker than porridge.

I think it's really really dangerous to label food as treats. Thats how eating disorders can start. I do not want my children ending up binging because they've never had anything sweet in their lives.

Coco Pops are not a drug. Coco pops as part of a healthy diet is fine, porridge once you've added sugar, honey, maple syrup, fruit, cream, is not that healthy.

I do not do proper cooking in the morning so omlettes can fuck right off I don't have the time to make them and do the dishes and frying pan after. I'd prefer the extra 15mins in bed

You cannot put childhood obesity on hidden sugar, there is so many different factors then just one!!!

Did you know it's thought that due to us all having warm homes. warm work places and having heating upstairs ect means we don't burn off so much fat as we would of 30/40 years ago.

We don't walk miles as we used to. The dc don't run free all day, we give them snacks to shut them up, control their behaviour (just because its rice cakes don't think it doesn't re enforce eating all the time) we allow them to graze and help themselves. We have so much different food nowadays and so much more of it then we ever did. Coco Pops is the least of it.

I don't think I could face an omelette in the morning. Cooking or eating. When my dds were young we were advised that they shouldn't eat more than 3 eggs a week. An omelette a day would have had the HV tsk tsking

Ds is 18mo. I'm fairly relaxed about food usually but will not be feeding him coco pops, frosties, golden balls, sugar puffs if I can help it.

I was unimpressed with nursery offering golden balls. If Ds was there more than once a week I would have complained.

Again, I am wondering if everyone who is yelling that coco pops are poison actually think about the recommended serving sizes?

If a 30g bowl is the recommended serving size for a full grown adult, it stands to reason that a serving size for a toddler or child is far smaller. More like 10g for a toddler, as PART of a breakfast, not the only part of their breakfast.

In moderation, with careful thought as to CORRECT serving sizes for toddlers, 10g of coco pops will not make them obese.

The issue with childhood obesity is the fact that a lot of people have no idea what a serving size for a toddler or a child should be.

If you are giving your toddler a 30g bowl of coco pops, then yes, that may lead to obesity, because you are giving them the serving size for a full grown adult.

Most people don't realise how much cereal they are putting into a bowl - a toddler size serving of 10g is approximately the size of THEIR fist. It's not much at all. It should just be a tasty PART of their breakfast.

It takes the same length of time to stick some toast in the toaster and some eggs in water as it does to make a bowl of cereal.

Boiled eggs and soldiers. A SMALL bowl of coco pops. And a piece of fruit. Equals decent breakfast.