to think DH is over-reacting to the kids' breakfast?

[EmGee]

Kids generally have homemade banana bread (I do add some dark choc pieces...), or other homemade cakey/bread/muffiny thing sweetened with fruit puree, a bit of brown sugar or some maple syrup. I add ground almonds and things like chia seeds or oat bran as much as possible, and try to use alternatives to white flour to vary things. Always cut down the amount of actual sugar that is given in the recipe to the absolute minimum.

I also make flapjacks and have successfully reduced the sugar content dramatically by using mashed banana for example. Kids are less keen on the banana version though.

My reasoning is that these things are homemade and I know exactly what has gone into them. The kids like them. It's quick and easy in the mornings. Is it so wrong?

They normally have water, milk or I make hot chocolate using unsweetened dark cacao powder and add a bit of brown sugar to sweeten.

He thinks weetabix is 'better' and it's ridiculous that they eat 'cake'.

AIBU or is he????

I agree, ShowMeTheWonder that is a bit bonkers. Processed does not mean terrible but nor does homemade mean good.

I'm one of those parents who apparently doesn't give a shit about their child's diet - my daughter often has Cheerios. I'd rather she had a few Cheerios than try to force down some of the rancid shit frequently peddled on this sort of thread.

Imagine living in a household where a Weetabix is considered a treat. What do you do on birthdays? Pop a candle in a low salt rice cake?

That 'parents who give their kids Cheerios don't give two fucks about their health' (paraphrasing) comment nearly made my eyes roll out of their head.

I mean honestly, take a Cheerio and grip on to it.

Only got halfway through the thread but I just couldn't take it any more. I would love to know what all these sanctimonious 'my child has never seen maple syrup' types grew up eating for breakfast every day. Would you patronise your own mothers in the same way?

Pmsl at the Cheerios comment and raisins as 'dried fruit non grata'

Oh god, I just read about weetabix as a special treat breakfast. It's like a punishment breakfast for me

Personally I'd rather eat an empty shoe box then a wheatabix..

Totally agree armi, what a load of shite. No doubt my DS will have a large bowl of cheerios tomorrow, but clearly I don't give a shit about his health. How fucking insulating.

at weetabix being a special treat.

I have no idea why it's such a big deal. I should think most of my dds class have Weetabix or cheerios or, like her, porridge with maple or quelle horreur, GOLDEN syrup. Today she had a crumpet with jam and a hot chocolate. She's very slim, very bright and an extremely good athlete. Her teeth are strong and healthy too (all in the wrong place but you can't have everything ) . What are you hoping to achieve with chia seeds and no sugar?

Ha I'm laughing at these.

arni weetabix is a treat because it's carbyabd not particularly nutritious - I guess the sugar manes it quite inherently sweet too.

So my kids have savoury breakfasts most days. Eggs, proper bread is common. Cheese. Breakfast doesn't have to be sweet! I didn't grow up in the UK and do for me, breakfast cereals are simply processed shite with Weetabix being the best of a bad bunch.

This may surprise you but at birthdays and parties and Christmas, my kids eat entirely normally. They probably have a treat once or twice a week but it's not called a treat. It might be because we are having a coffee out.

My point is that firstly most meals do not have to have something inherently sweet about them. Secondly, the bulk of my kids' good I like to be nutritious and not produced in a factory.

parton I'm sure that's fine for your kid. My point is that a refined wheat crumpet with a sugary bit on top, every day for breakfast, isn't particularly nutritious. That probably doesn't matter if she isn't then having cheese dippers for lunch and pasta and rage sauce and strawberry yoghurt for dinner. Which I'm sure she isn't.

I think we should be looking at what is nutritious and worrying about a little sugar is secondary to that.

Weetabix? A special treat? Jesus lord almighty

Diet is madly overthought on this website.

No she will have roast chicken etc for lunch and probably a tuna sanswich for supper. Plenty of veg with both. Fruit and sugary yogurt during the day.

I agree maybebabybee . Madly overthought.

I see nothing wrong with the OP's breakfasts and think that a home-made, reduced sugar/natural sugar, added nutrient (almonds, chia seeds, flax seed) baked breakfasts are far better than serving a factory made, mass-marketed box breakfast. She is providing fat release carbs, slow release carbs, fibre, protein, and fats in one small unit. It's not like she is serving a slab of sickly sweet store bought iced cake for breakfast!

In terms of hot chocolate for breakfast - I am all for it, and see it as a healthy morning start. Cacao is full of antioxidants and flavonoids and has proven health benefits - including memory benefits. I mix one heaped teaspoons of it (the raw stuff) into warm milk and add one scant teaspoon of a sugar (agave, honey, or even cane sugar). Pure chocolate is very different from the chocolate flavoured beverages people think of as hot chocolate.

This breakfast combined with a balanced lunch and dinner is perfectly healthy and fine.

not really surprising that the majority of adults and a good many children have weight issues

Except the OP has told us she lives in a country where that's not true.

fast release, not fat release!

Why does it make a difference if it's mass marketed? Does that make it...not quite as trendy

No - just questionable in terms of date produced to put on table and also on production quality. I can't think of any food product which does not suffer in terms of nutrition and quality with an increase in production line.

Aren't chia seeds mass produced? And flour?

Chia seeds are just that - seeds!

Flour is ground up wheat. White flour is more processed than white, but in essence, nothing is really done but grind it up.

Wheetabix would take flour, add water to make a paste, extruded, formed, and dried - then stored and shipped. Probably some improvers and stabilisers are added to improve shelf life.

Hmm. I add water and extrude if I make home made pasta or...cake.

I applaude you for baking OP, you clearly have put alot of thought into what you feed your children.

In my opinion, trying to avoid sugar as far as possible is important for children. Where I am frm (sweden) sugar is nov being heavily reduced in schools and nursery. For health as well as behavioral reasons. Whilst id love to live in your house and learn all about that baking (i am useless) i do think that those breakfasts should be kept for weekends maybe? In our house, ds and dh go to the bakery every saturday morning to buy fresh crossaints and it is a once a week treat. Other days we have seedes low gi bread with phili cheese and cucumber or hummus and ham or porridge. My ds has alot of allergies so we rely on a diabetic fruit spread more often than i would like but his food is very restricted. Porridge with grated apple and cinnemon or banana shavings are common too for us.
I remember my dentist once said that posh home made sugar is still sugar and that rang very true with me. As much as we think homemade, organic, natural, after all it is still sugar.