to think nesquick whole grain cereal, fat free milk and no added sugar juice is relatively healthy for a fussy eater

[twistedsista]

Hi,

My 7 year old Ds is a very fussy eater, tried everything!

I would love it if he would eat kale with cottage cheese on rice cakes for breakfast but get real no child eats perfectly like that.

Today he had a normal sized bowl of whole grain nesquick cereal with skimmed milk.I know it has some sugar in it but its only about the same as a banana and to counter this he has a glass of sugar free orange squash. Both the cereal and juice have added vitamins. Does everyone else agree this is pretty healthy and realistic breakfast?

Thanks

Marie

its fine, but id change the milk to normal milk.

Nah Whois it's more of a 'WTF are you eating' face

Wow so much advice,need to sit down and read it all.

Just to add I use skimmed milk on medical advice as ds Is a little chunky.

orange juice topped up with soda would be a nightmare for teeth.

there is protein in the milk and the wholegrain cereal

there are fat soluable vitamins, A D E and a little of K in semi skimmed or full fat milk. and B vitamins.

the whole grain cereal may be fortified with other vitamins and minerals

why would processed meats (ham/salami/bacon) be healthier? or fatty cheese?

very dilute squash is ok as long it is the ordinary not the sugar free. milk or water is better but not everychild will drink those. diluted orange juice I think, will help absorption of any iron in the cereal.

There is more calcium in skimmed milk, that's true, but at the expense of other nutrients. Some vitamins iare fat soluble so we need a certain amount of fat. I'd stick to whole milk.

It looks like you mean squash rather than juice? In which case, that's pretty bad.

The cereal could be worse - would be better to have one with no added sugar but as you say he's a fussy eater it could be so much worse. The thing is though, that if he'd never tasted the added sugar one, he wouldn't know it existed, and if it wasn't in the house he'd have no choice.

Porridge, weetabix, shreddies, bran flakes, or cheerios might be a better option?

I agree he should be on full fat milk. DS likes a yogurt drink in the morning too.

Do you have time to scramble a quick egg on a wholemeal muffin or piece of toast in the morning? Takes a minute or two in the micro?

Give him a spinach omlette, tis the only acceptable breakfast.

Seriously, it's fine, not ideal, no, but he eats it.
far better that than creating some mad food war over some cereal and squash.

FWIW dd is 12, for breakfast she has sugary cereal or nothing, she loves fizzy juice and biscuits, she ate a tasting menu at a Michelin starred restaurant last week.
Food is food is food.
Yes, there for nutrition, but also enjoyment.

Boiled egg? So easy and not much washing up My eldest DD ate like a bird when she was young, and was fussy too. However she liked eggs. Scrambled, fried, boiled or omletted with a bit of cheese etc. And toast. Toast gave the opportunity for a smear of peanut butter.

She liked fruit. So i'd cut or mash up a bananna into yogurt. Or slice an apple and drizzle a tiny bit of honey on. Big glass of milk to wash it all down.

All the above is fairly cheap and quick to organise in the morning.

Younger 2 DDs would most of the above plus a big bowl of cornflakes! Amazing they were not over weight! Only as they got to mid teens did they stop having a whopping great breakfast.

Cereal is the work of the devil?

Haha, what utter tosh.

Can i ask why 'cereal' is so very bad? The non-sugary kind i mean.

(I get why chocolate-honey-frosted-rainbow sugar shapes, for eg., wouldn't be so good )

I didn't suggest bacon or salami - I'm actually veggie so I don't eat meat but I know plenty of people have meats at breakfast. Fat and protein are both natural appetite suppressants and keep you fuller than carbs, plus have many more nutrients. And you may not I've suggested loads of other options.

Love it when random sections of comments are selectively quoted and criticised

Cereal is not the work of the devil FFS, there are some awful cereals and plenty are great.

The nhs advises moving on from whole milk only when the diet is full and varied. From the website :

After the age of two, children can gradually move to semi-skimmed milk as a long drink, as long as they are eating a varied and balanced diet and growing well.
Don't give skimmed or 1% fat milk to children as a long drink until they're at least five years old. Skimmed or 1% fat milk doesn't contain enough vitamin A and skimmed milk doesn't contain enough calories.

Fuck, I've heard it all now! Cereal is the work of the devil? Ahahahahahaha!

Mumsnet at it's finest.

"What about some nice heavily smoked processed meat on a cheese cracker?"

Yeah...waaaay more healthy than some cereal and some milk.

Home made granola? ONLY IF IT'S HOME MADE!! and you've milked your own cow.

By hand.

Into a hemp bucket.

I do agree with the diluting juice though.

OP, is your main concern just breakfast or is it his diet in general. If he is slightly 'chunky' then perhaps you could get him to be a bit more active and maybe if he starts enjoying that more then you could present food to him more as a fuel and less of an enjoyment IYSWIM?

Yes mn is a different world. In my book a weetabix or shredded wheat and milk is a good breakfast

I bloody love Mumsnet.

He needs between 1600 and 2000 1800 calories a day depending on how active he is.That breakfast is less than 200.It's not enough to keep him going from bedtime through to lunchtime.
Only on MN is aspartame the work of the devil.IRL (unless you have a specific and rare medical condition) it is one of the mos thoroughly researched food additives ever and has been found to be totally fine and much safer than sugar.

This one definitely is....

Every single child I know and have ever known or had any contact with including myself and my own dc drink no added sugar squash and always have. MN is another planet at times.

upyourninja

I don't think anyone is saying that you did - another poster suggested all three, so I would assume that the comment by nilbyname was more likely to be the one referred to by BlackEyedSusan.

Can anyone who has commented on squash made with aspartame elaborate as to why they think it is so bad? If the OP's son is slightly overweight, then reducing his sugar intake whilst ensuring he is hydrated is surely a good thing?

If he's fussy and that is all he will eat for breakfast then it's better than nothing. If he wants some chunky I'd just check portion size, have they sent you the nhs booklet on portion sizes? It was an eye opener for me.

I'd change in the juice to something without sweetness ( if you can find one) and aspartame (sp)

My 3rd will eat crunchy nut, toast and marmite or crumpets and berries. For breakfast now but at one point it was toast or nothing.

I'm gob smacked at what some people apparently feed their children...

In our house it's cereal all the way, although "unhealthily" chocolate cereal is saved for a weekend...but I'm not judging....

Would he have a "mix" on cereal, so nesquick & something without chocolate?

My children have a wonderful balanced diet, which even my DS pediatrician what amazed by & they don't have full fat milk, they eat cereal, are allowed sugar free juice (although rashened) & well every thing in moderation.

If there are no concerns coming from any where re weight, tiredness, poor health I'd keep going with your fussy eater...