To only let my children have fresh fruit/yoghurt for breakfast?

[Sunshinesunflower]

They have plenty of healthy food during the day but I don't really want them thinking the day has to start with them shoving lots of hot food or sugary cereals down themselves.

There is plenty of fruit for variety and just a small amount of plain yoghurt.

Aibu? I have always disliked the concept of breakfast so fruit seems a reasonable compromise.

I don't really understand why you posted OP. If you're perfectly happy with what you give them for breakfast, why ask?

I prefer my DCs to have a much more varied diet than just fruit and a little yoghurt every morning and I also try to make sure that they don't have too much sugar, even natural sugars.

Your kids aren't crying and begging for something different as they don't know any different!

Please speak to the nurse at the doctor's surgery, the doctor or a health visitor if you don't believe us. I'm sure they'll mention some of the foods we have and will say you're cramming too many calories in during a time when they don't need as much (dinner then supper). You sound quite fragile to me. Valiantly defending what you believe, almost robotic about it.

My eldest is in junior school; I have a large age gap between DCs 1 and 2.

Cheese and apple sounds nice - will give that a whirl tomorrow I think.

well you have probably 'not verbalised' that your own concept of breakfast is pretty screwed up already to them. Just give them some cornflakes and some toast - poor kids.

You don't need to verbalise it OP.

They will still know.

Your body language, your attitude, your beliefs, your 'strangeness': they will be absorbing it all, like little sponges.

They will know. You are setting them up for similarly disordered eating patterns.

Again, your last post is about you and what you like/want. Not your kids. Your posts are screaming out "issues with food". But like any person with issues around food you can't see it.

Sunshine AIBU always gets a bit bunfighty!

If I were you I would work out what is driving your own thoughts on food, address it is you need to and move on! My mum was definitely funny around food, hated the sight or too much and wanted to sit in the car to avoid watching children eat at DD's birthday party. I am sure you are not in that category! It's just worth thinking about it all and defo yog and fruit beats crisps and milky way. But I also think my all time favourite breakfast was in Singapore .....

Roti prata (a kind of bread with a kind of curry sauce). Totally yum.

masspictures.net/roti-prata-singapore/

Possibly but despite - or because of - these issues the children are fed a healthy and balanced diet even if they don't get absolutely every nutrient first thing in the morning.

address it if you need to

Personally the thought of fruit for breakfast makes me feel sick. The thought of that acid mixing with a milk product (yoghurt) curdling away all morning without something carby to neutralise it would give me stomach cramps and reflux.

You have taken a bit of a kicking, OP, but I have to agree with others that your attitudes to food sound very disordered. In fact, they remind me of my own mum - and I have had a lifetime eating disorder. Please watch that.

I don't think breakfast is essential for everyone, but it's a good habit for children to get into. You don't have to eat it, but you could at least read up a bit on what is considered healthy eating for children. At the moment you're basically sending them off for the day on a meal of sugary water - and then, over-feeding them just before bed. I really can't see why your kids need two meals in the evening - surely better to give them more in the morning, less at night?

You keep saying that you don't want to stuff more food into them at breakfast - it doesn't have to be more food, just different food. I understand you don't want to cook eggs etc, but couldn't you substitute some of the fruit for a slice of wholemeal bread and a bit of cheese? Or some quick cook porridge?

Your eldest is in junior school, bloody hell op offer him some wholemeal toast or porridge, or ask him if he wants toast or cereal for breakfast. Cereal can be Museli, Ready Brek, porridge, bran flakes. Gets some proper breakfast down him fgs!

I don't get why it's a good thing from a 'greed' and 'shoving food' perspective to be on starvation rations at breakfast time but have an enormous lunch, followed by a big dinner, and pudding, and then another dinner.

I know you will say they are not starvation rations, as there is a shit load of sugar in the big pile of fruit, but if they aren't then what is the point? If it's adequate, then why is it better to shove that down than porridge or beans on toast or a bit of bread and jam? If it's not adequate then wtf are you doing not giving them enough to eat?

How the hell can eating after approx 11 hrs sleep for your kids ever be gluttonous ? I think you really should consider that there is a lot more healthy options you could add to that. People need fuel that's what calories are!! Your children need to burn energy give them some porridge boiled eggs wholemeal toast and some fruit get the ready for the day!

OP, you've been posting a lot lately, under various names, and after reading this whole thread, I recognise you. I think you really need to examine what is going on and get some help. Things sound very scary and out of control in your life.

Yes it is about you. Have you actually given options to your chikd for breakfast, not what you think they should have.

Just two points - I would say that you utilise a LOT of fruit in their diets, which isn't good - yes, fruit is 'healthy' and natural but it's also very sugary, and if nothing else you're starting your kids off first thing with sweet-tasting food, every day. That isn't good. As everyone (!) has said, at least vary it with a plain tasting breakfast some days. Porridge with water and milk is perfect - slow release energy.

Secondly, we are vegetarian, and find that we don't need to use quorn in our diets at all - which is good, because healthy it ain't. For things like shepherd's pie, lentils are a brilliant option.

Sorry OP but I think all that fruit is just too much sugar in one go (even if it is natural sugars). What does your partner think about breakfast?

No, I'm absolutely not like that italian!

My issues such as they are revolve around excess which I think - and this has just occurred to me; this is why I like posting for those who asked - comes from having parents born in 1945 when rationing was still alive and well.

My dad in particular could and would eat copious amounts of food and i was given as a child what felt like enormous portions I couldn't cope with only to be told off when I couldn't manage them!

I also vomit easily - pregnancy triggers it as does car journeys and planes and trains and medication ... And so generally I've always found 'snacky' food less intimidating then large meals.

Breakfast was the only meal I had freedom over as a child so I chose snack type foods. Now, years later I
give my children food that's healthy but 'easy' and small.

I think I may have got it ...

Gosh I love quorn and hate lentils ... Sorry! Vegetarianism is a decision made on animal welfare rather than health per se :)

Sylvanians I completely agree about Quorn, its peddaled as a 'healthy' option and its just processed crap IMO.

So if you remember the night time fry ups you haven't always been unusual about morning food? Why don't you stop us all worrying about your children by agreeing that some toast or weetabix could be added to your children's breakfast? Please implement this. I see too many hungry children at morning break.

Wow. My slim 8 year old dD eats a banana, cereal and raisins and 2 to 4 slices of toast for breakfast which tides her over until 9.45am snack time at school. Fruit and yoghurt would not cut it.

What people don't see is that I don't verbalise this to the children and nor would I.

You don't need to use words for your behaviours to affect them.

OP, you honestly sound like you would really benefit from doing some reading from reliable sources around nutrition, and in particular child nutrition. There are several things you've said on this thread that have no basis in fact.

In your shoes, I'd look at the evidence that demonstrates that children do better with better breakfasts. Your breakfasts won't kill your kids but are not doing them many favours as they get older. I'd also look at evening out the food consumption over the course of the day - that looks like a huge lunch for a small kid in particular, though probably needed after no slow-release fuel for the best part of a day.

At the moment, they are getting most of their fuel in a very condensed timeframe - and a timeframe that is suboptimal in terms of when they need fuel to burn.

Ultimately, it's about what's best for your kids. If you're happy with what's ok for them because it's in your comfort zone, then that's your choice. I've overcome years of eating issues in large part because I want what's best for my kids, not just what's ok for them.

Oh dear - this is why I namechanged! I really don't want my past posts being brought up; they aren't remotely relevant to any situation here at present.