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????

Twist just because you're in France it doesn't mean that French people have brioche every day. I simply meant that as a holiday treat I would have something that I wouldn't normally have, expecting that it would taste a lot nicer than it does from Tesco [other large supermarkets are available].

I don't believe for a minute that all French people have cake/brioche for breakfast every day!

hermione the way I see it is that if I have some cake during the day as a treat, say at 3pm. I'd feel massively guilty if I'd already had some for breakfast. So not having it for breakfast leaves the day open to have 1 slice rather than 2

Yes, but my point is, if you have cake for breakfast, you just have something else later - fruit, toast, cheese and crackers, whatever. I don't see why so many people have such rigid ideas with regards to food.

Lots of countries eat sweet foods for breakfast, or soups or rice dishes or curries. But in the UK, it's odd if we do the same everyday (even though people think it's okay on holiday? I don't really understand that train of thought, really.

I do think there is a lot of food sanctimony on MN. People who love to say their child is 32 and has never had a glass of Coca Cola. Or freak out at the idea of their child being given a Fruit Shoot at a birthday party.

Where are you finding the time to be baking cakes for breakfast?!

Homemade /= healthy

Are you not British because that would explain what seems to be a cultural difference.

You're training them to crave really sweet things and treats for breakfast as the norm, and there is a fair amount of sugar in those things even with some substitutions.

Sounds nice and my kids would be very pleased to have cake for breakfast!

I'd maybe alternate with some less sweet breakfasts though - mine usually have porridge, toast/muffins with cheese or hummus, fruit and greek yoghurt for breakfast, sometimes weetabix or rice crispies.

French people don't eat brioche everyday

You've clearly not met my son ;-)
TBF I was thinking more of the hot choc. We had this exact debate with DH who is French. I disapprove of chocolate for breakfast, he pointed out he had it every day growing up and it did him no harm. Fair point.

I alternated between Ready Brek and boiled egg with soldiers for the first of my 12 years on solid food.. I survived it quite healthily. :)

Hermione, no one is saying that it is wrong to give cake because it's non-traditional, they're saying it might be non-ideal because it's not healthy. I'm sure that if the OP had asked if she was U to give a traditional Chinese baozi or some other breakfast food that is unknown in the UK but basically healthy then people would have told her to crack on.

See hermione that wouldn't work with my will power. If I'm meeting a friend at a cafe at 3pm for coffee & cake I'm not going to refuse even though I had cake for breakfast. Easiest thing to do is not have cake for breakfast when there is no temptation.
Also, my ds has cooked school dinners, which always come with pudding. Therefore he will have had 2 cakey type things before 1pm

I agree that the hot choc is fine for breakfast.

I think.it also depends on what they eat the rest of the day

all very well doing say toast and peanut butter (no added sugar) in the morning bit if the lunch box is full of frubes and processed cheese or jam sandwiches or they are eating the masses of stodgy puddings schools dish out then the cake for breakfast people are still probably faring better over all.

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 also make flapjacks and have successfully reduced the sugar content dramatically by using mashed banana for example ... hot chocolate using unsweetened dark cacao powder and add a bit of brown sugar to sweeten.

Sorry i agree with pp's that that reads as sugar sugar sugar OP.

If you enjoy cooking for them at breakfast time, how about a nice cheese tom. omelette, or egg on toast or similar? And the occasional weetabix or p.oats.

My Ds had cake and fruit for breakfast everyday on holiday last year...He came home and was vile moody... I still put some of this down to the amount of sugar he consumed... so no I would never give my child cake every morning...

The thing is when your kids grown up unlikely to be baking cake for themselves everyday so will just grab shop bought cake.

I've been trying to reduce the amount of sugar my DDs eat so we have boiled egg & wholemeal toast or porridge with blueberries. Shredded wheat minis are a good alternative too

My French friends have a chocolate cereal with hot milk.
Into this they dip their very thickly buttered and very very heavily jammed toast.

Is the rest of the French/Continental diet the same as the UK though? Otherwise it's a pointless comparison cherry picking elements of their eating habits if those habits are counterbalanced by other things.

I wouldn't feed that too my kids every day, never mind every breakfast. Its full of sugar which will give them a sugar slump and affect their concentration on their work.

yabu, I agree with your husband. What's wrong with eggs and wholemeal toast with a piece of fruit.

French people would rather die than snack (may be slight exaggeration) so I'm sure they consume less food overall than Brits.

Hermione, no one is saying that it is wrong to give cake because it's non-traditional, they're saying it might be non-ideal because it's not healthy.

Sure, but most traditional UK breakfasts are unhealthy as well. I'm not talking about people who have all-bran or scrambled egg on brown toast, but people who are happy to give children chocolate spread or jam on toast, or coco pops, but say cake is too sugary?

I eat nutella on toast a lot, but I don't think it's a particularly healthy option. I guess I just don't see how homemade cake is any worse than shop-bought sugar-filled cereals and spreads. I wouldn't eat it everyday, but I don't quite understand how it's much worse than what most people eat every morning without giving it a second thought.

You sound like a lovely cook and go to great efforts and lengths to make lovely things. I would ignore you DH. He is going over the top. Just use a bit less sugar and syrup.
If you do lovely breakfasts like that im sure your lunches and dinners are great too. Can I come round

I was thinking the same as you Balloon.

Although OP uses sugars in her recipes (and I don't think fruit sugar is the same as white sugar...) it's probably loads less than store bought equivalent foods and probably also store bought 'healthy' food.

Most breakfast cereals have ridiculous amounts of sugar, and don't forget about white bread! Unless you're buying 100% nut butters they're full of added sugar too. OP has also added a lot of nutrition in to her 'cakes' - flax, chia and ground almonds. I think people are being a tad harsh and really advocating weetabix a bit too much.

That said, it's all about balance so although I think OP's creations don't sound bad I would vary it a bit.

Also for what it's worth I think OP says it's easy as these things can be made in advance and actually scrambled eggs on toast would be more work!

OP's original question was about her DH - tell him to feel free to do it himself!

I'm not talking about people who have all-bran or scrambled egg on brown toast, but people who are happy to give children chocolate spread or jam on toast, or coco pops, but say cake is too sugary?

I'm not sure anyone has recommended Nutella or coco pops! I agree they are an unhealthy breakfast.

Sounds good to me. Although not every day, maybe just at weekends? We give dd1 coco pops but only at the weekends, she usually has porridge or weetabix and fruit during the week.

I think that's fine for breakfast if the rest of the day's diet is healthy, but I'm Italian and I'm perfectly fine with homemade cake, biscuits, or a brioche dunked into hot milk for breakfast.

But -massive generalisation - I think the rest of the day children in England have a lot more sugar than in continental Europe, adults too for that matter.
Packed lunches aren't very common in Italy and the standard of school dinners is generally very high + most adults I know take a full hour for lunch and eat a proper meal.