How much cereal is OK?

[mustnotgrumble]

My 13 yo boy is always hungry (very tall and slim, sporty) I let him have cereal for breakfast and before bed too if he wants it and sometimes after school for a snack. I don't buy any cereal which has over 20g/100g sugar. My DH thinks its too much sugary cereal. DS doesn't eat well at school but has a cooked from scratch family supper every day, and snacks on everything, fruit and raw vegetables included. How much is too much, mners? thanks!

[dementedpixie]

Weetabix is only 4.4 % sugar so is counted as low sugar

[Mide7]

As long as the rest of his diet is ok then cereal won't have much impact

[ouryve]

A box a day, or the carb equivalent, is about right for a lot of 13 year old boys.

My 12yo has decided his carb of choice is biscuits. I would love it if he decided that breakfast cereal wasn't crap in a box because at least then it would have some token nutritional value. Instead, I get constant ear ache about why there is only ever one biscuit in the tin (the rest of the packet is under lock and key!)

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

What about those vegetarian sausages or burgers? Could put it in a nice wholemeal roll, with cheese and lettuce?

I've never met a teenager who has refused a burger.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

Ouryve I know how you feel. We have a biscuit situation in our house with 2 teen boys. 'A couple' means most of the packet and they're still starving.

[green18]

OP what is wrong with wheat unless you have an intolerance?

[mustnotgrumble]

That's two bowls of cereal/day - breakfast and after school OR before bed. Personally I don't rate veggie sausages/burgers/quorn. Will go with more sandwiches, I think. Thanks all for your suggestions!!!! Happy mothers day!!

[LifeofI]

what about ready break with some manuka honey?
I have this most mornings, very filling and healthy.

[Mistigri]

I think you will find that Rice Krispies have a lot of sugar 8% versus about 5% for weetabix - not a big issue unless you are food phobic or diabetic. Fruit certainly contains more sugar than rice krispies.

Lots of the usual mumsnet food weirdness on display here! Wheat is a perfectly healthy food for growing kids (unless they have a gluten intolerance - which the vast majority don't), and human beings - even teenage boys - really don't need anywhere near as much animal protein as some people are suggesting.

[Mistigri]

ouryve with two teenagers in the house I don't buy any biscuits at all ...

[Marzipants]

What about a cereal with more fibre to fill him up? Something like Sultana Bran or Fruit & Fibre go down a treat in our house.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

Misti I agree it's not sensible to cut wheat or any food groups out of your diet unless medically advised.

However, no one suggested eating huge amounts of animal protein.
The OP described her main family meal as pasta, rice, mash..
Protein is essential in a healthy diet and is vital in cell formation, growth and tissue repair.
The suggestions made by posters were all very sensible IMO

[Mistigri]

The high fibre cereals often contain quite a lot of sugar to make them palatable (not a deal breaker for me but the OP was wanting to reduce sugar intake). I sometimes buy branflakes for DS because he likes them, but they are nearer 15-20% sugar than the 5-10% in unsweetened or minimally sweetened cereals like weetabix, cornflakes or Rice Krispies.

Tbh my cereal eater will eat just as huge a bowl regardless of how "filling" it is - I find muesli pretty filling but DS can still get through an enormous bowl of it. In fact I don't bother buying muesli any more because it disappears so fast.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

And included a lot of unprocessed or vegetarian protein options as well as wholemeal or wholegrain cereals.

[gamerchick]

Yes and weetabix does contain sugar so not as low as you think. Shredded wheat is much better, no added sugar at all

Yeah and like nomming on the contents of a hamster cage to boot

[Mistigri]

ILostIt some of the suggestions are sensible, but replacing cereal with large quantities of eggs and processed meats probably isn't. There is definitely a good amount of food weirdness on here, the low carb diet industry has a lot to answer for.

I think when feeding teenagers especially boys you need a certain amount of pragmatism and lots of carbs. I'd love my son to eat "better" - more fruit and veg, more variety - but one or two bowls of cereal a day are not going to make him fat/ give him tooth decay etc.

There is only so much you can do as a parent of teens - my oldest is now vegan and that's a PITA too.

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

With teen boys in our house, I understand Misti.It's carbs central in our house. But the odd egg or cheese/ tuna sandwich is always a good source of protein which is required as well.

Gamerchick Has anyone ever ploughed through a bowl of plain shredded wheat?

[Mistigri]

ILostIt sure, I'm a great believer in variety. Sadly my DS isn't .

He's not even a big eater, and never has been. I feel sorry for the parents of boys with big appetites!

[IHaveBrilloHair]

Isn't it the law that teenagers live on cereal, noodles and toast?

[WhatALoadOfOldBollocks]

Cereal, although convenient, is packed full of carbohydrate and, regardless of what we've been lead to believe by the food industry, makes a crap breakfast. Much better to have a lower carb meal combined with plenty of protein, such as eggs.

Cornflakes, for example, are 93 on the glycaemic index; 100 is glucose, the highest! Even Coca Cola is lower at 63. If we go more accurate and use the glycaemic load (so takes into account serving sizes) it's still 23 compared to Coke's 16. Rice Krispies have a GI of 82 and a GL of 23. It's processed crap that we've been brainwashed into thinking is good by clever marketing.

He'll be getting a load of glucose in his blood stream, followed by a load of insulin to reduce it (the body hates too much glucose in the blood) but that results in a big dip. Big highs and lows of blood glucose long term are bad news, can result in insulin resistance and diabetes type 2. In the short term it causes tiredness and lack of concentration which is bad news when he has to sit in class for hours.

[thebestfurchinchilla]

Carbohydrate is needed and you only need to worry about too many refined carbs or if you are diabetic. They do no harm to the general population as part of a balanced diet. Several bowls of cereal is not balanced, that is the issue not the fact that it's a carb.If he was snacking on bowls of chicken that would be too much protein. IMO it is wrong to demonise one food group. Carbs are a great source of energy and fibre, it's all about choosing the right kind.

[Mistigri]

Anyone who knows the glycemic index of everything is either diabetic or eating disordered ...

Active teenagers should be getting a fair proportion of their calories from carbs. Obviously it would be ideal if those carbs were in the form of whole grains with no added sugar or salt, but try feeding a health food diet to most teenage boys and they will quickly slope off the the nearest bakery.

My oldest is vegan and objectively is far more at risk of developing food and eating related health issues than her Rice Krispie eating brother (in fact like most vegans she already has history of food issues).

[QueenOfToast]

Do you have a blender? What about getting him mixing some smoothies? With full fat milk and/or some protein powder added if he's hungry. My favourite recipe:

Blend one banana, a few slices of pineapple and some milk/water/almond milk/whatever you fancy.
Add some greens (such as spinach, cos lettuce, parsley, kale); some protein powder; plus half a dozen ice cubes. Blend again until smooth.

Its sweet enough to taste yummy, but is not too sugar heavy. The milk and/or protein powder fill you up and the greens are good for you.

[PreAdvent13610]

I used to make a vat of thick soup to fill up starving teens. With DC, DSC and DFC we often had 6 or more around.
Root veg and red lentils cooked with stock, liquidised and more veg and some beans added, always a pot in the fridge. Cheap, cheerful, healthy and filling. It used to vanish. Teens seem to be always hungry and generally a bit lazy, they go for the lowest effort option.

[WhatALoadOfOldBollocks]

"Carbohydrate is needed and you only need to worry about too many refined carbs or if you are diabetic."
Of course it's needed, I didn't say it wasn't, it's what it's eaten with that's the key to avoiding those highs and lows in blood sugar. And everyone should be aware; why do you think the rate of diabetes mellitus is rapidly increasing in the UK (and everywhere that eats a western diet), amongst progressively younger people? It doesn't happen overnight, it develops from years of eating foods that stress the production of insulin, until one day the pancreas has "worn out". So although we can get away with eating high GI/GL foods on their own, we can't take it for granted that we always can. It catches up on many people.

And I wasn't demonising cereals or carbohydrates, I said cereals make a crap breakfast if not combined with protein (or some fat). Anyway, what I've seen of school children they often swig sugary drinks on their way to school, then have a bar of chocolate or something equally high sugar. I doubt they will miss out on their required daily carbs. It's the blood sugar roller coaster we should be aiming to reduce.

"Anyone who knows the glycemic index of everything is either diabetic or eating disordered"
..Or a Dietitian, nutritionist, nutritional therapist, a person who likes to know what's in their food and what it does to the body, someone who lives with a diabetic perhaps...? Not necessarily either physically or mentally unwell