Or is toast with honey a perfectly acceptable breakfast for a 4yo?

[n0ne]

Just that, really. DD(4) is asking for toast with honey for breakfast. DH is telling her she can't have it. I ask why, he says it's just pure sugar and looks at me like I've got two heads. Surely toast with honey is a perfectly normal breakfast option? It's not like she eats it every day (or in fact ever before).

DH is foreign, if that makes a difference. He has some really weird (to me) ideas about what is and isn't an acceptable meal

I have to say I love this thread. There is MAD stuff on here.

And we're only talking honey on bread ( which might even have been whole grain )

there is no nutritional value to sugar. Thought this was quite interesting as an explanatory guide.

Out of interest- What age do we need to start worrying about crappy diets (Note I am not saying one slice of toast and honey is a massive issue here) just that the 'SHE'S 4' can easily turn into 'due a growth spurt' and 'pre-pubescent thickening up' then 'OMG my kids 15 stone and i don't know how?'

It's basically sugar on toast as far as your body is concerned. An hour and a half after that breakfast the sugar high will have gone, she will get ratty, and you will have lost out on the chance of giving her something nutritious for the day. At 4 I would not have given my son that for breakfast except as a weekend or going-out treat (similar to having, e.g., croissant with jam).

Loads of my friends have given in on stuffing their children with junk because they don't have the energy to impose boundaries on food, and their older children are generally fat and/or spotty and the girls get borderline self-esteem issues. Frankly it's really easy to not have those arguments if your family culture is that you have always eaten together and have always been the parent rather than let your child dictate the menu when they're too young to act in their real interests.

You need to just plonk the food down - on their favourite plate - and don't offer an alternative, no discussion. Don't make it seen as if you're depriving her, because you're not. You're giving her a lovely breakfast if she gets porridge, or egg and toast, or banana and Greek yogurt... Toast and marmite or peanut butter are also good. Muesli ok (but not standard Alpen, too sugary). Eat the same breakfast with her. Chat, joke, and talk about the day ahead.

Can you imagine if you had given a glass of squash with it too? Even if high juice that has got to be tantamount to one of the worst parenting fails on here.

hoddtastic but the poster didn't say there was no nutritional value to sugar, they appear to be saying there is no nutritional value to honey.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/You-dont-need-added-sugar-in-diet-it-has-no-nutritional-value/articleshow/29275239.cms

all in moderation, and as i said, it's a very very rare bacon/sausage breakfast (one eats no bacon, one eats no sausage, one is veggie) thanks for your concern for my children. For the record- I suspect I potentially have a slightly better angle on childhood nutrition/obesity than many on here do.

Sanctimommy needs to check out some of these replies. Pure gold.

I think if they are eating three nutritional meals a day and doing plenty of exercise they will be fine

The kids I have had round who are overweight are constantly in the kitchen asking for food and saying they are hungry. They really believe that they are hungry and that being hungry is a Bad Thing. If mine wander in and say Im hungry I say good you'll enjoy your dinner then

or if its ages until dinner I might say have a piece of toast and honey

You need to just plonk the food down - on their favourite plate - and don't offer an alternative, no discussion.

If I plonked something down in front of you that you didn't like and didnt offer you an alternative. Would you still eat it?

A balanced diet from the beginning, Hoddtastic, combined with regular exercise and activity.

I don't

God some of these replies are cringe worthy.

I HAVE TWO GROWN UP CHILDREN NEITHER OF WHOM ARE FAT I know what I am talking about

HONEY ON TOAST FOR BREAKFAST IS PERFECTLY FINE

If mine wander in and say Im hungry I say good you'll enjoy your dinner then

I say that too

no alternative no discussion

Wow.

Everyone gets a choice at breakfast here

You keep linking to sugar, hoddtastic but honey isn't just sugar and has different nutritional, and other benefits

Sorry that didn't make sense!

I don't think sugar and honey are simple equivalents.

I don't think honey on toast is the ' thin end of the wedge' in terms of diet.

And I think diet is much more important than individual foods.

Toast with honey/jam/marmalade/choc spread may be a "normal" breakfast but that doesn't mean it's a good choice (as a breakfast) unless other things are added to the meal. Same with many cereals. They're carbohydrate heavy and the low fat and protein content means it wont keep a person feeling full for long. Also the high glycaemic load means a larger slump in energy once digested (and it digests faster than fat and protein) and that's when we feel tired, can't concentrate and crave another sugary meal. Depending on what a person has to do mid morning that can be a problem. However, the brain needs carbs, so toast and a sweet topping is fine but ideally the meal would also include fat and more protein too. Perhaps add a glass of whole milk (rather than skimmed or semi skimmed), an egg or some nuts. It obviously depends on frequency...aim to eat healthily 80% of the time and the other 20% eat what you want.

'We all eat far too much sugar. It's bad for us and can have serious long-term health effects. Let's also not pretend that the only alternatives are lentils and mung beans at one end of the scale and Haribo (or cocaine hmm) at the other.'

Who's 'we'? Speak for yourself. Some of us use our brains and are able to regulate our diets just fine without feeling guilty about what we eat. Some of us would rather enjoy our lives than worry endlessly about sugar, carbs, fat or what have you because we use moderation and sense.

Me, I like honey in comb. Yum. The comb is delicious.

*Who's 'we'? Speak for yourself. Some of us use our brains and are able to regulate our diets just fine without feeling guilty about what we eat. Some of us would rather enjoy our lives than worry endlessly about sugar, carbs, fat or what have you because we use moderation and sense.

Me, I like honey in comb. Yum. The comb is delicious.*

i agree on all points particularly the comb one

Hear hear Scotland.

It's not like she eats it every day (or in fact ever before)

Really wants honey on toast now... Misses point of thread and doesn't comment on the fact that with 4 teenagers in the house she has NO idea what they ate but suspect hotcross buns were involved this morning.

health.spectator.co.uk/bad-medicine-busting-the-myths-about-sugar-and-hyperactivity/

sugar high is a myth btw

Honey on toast is absolutely fine for an occasional breakfast. Mixed up in a week with porridge, Weetabix, cornflakes, toast and peanut butter / chocolate spread, muesli and yoghurt. Variety is the spice of life!

They're carbohydrate heavy and the low fat and protein content means it wont keep a person feeling full for long

Why are people concerned about the carbohydrates in a four year olds breakfast?

No wonder many children are growing up with so many food hangups