My husband has lost the plot !!

[MyWonderfulbutcrazyHusband]

Ok, so hear me out here!!!

In my opinion, DCs (6 and 4) are pretty healthy kids! They exercise a LOT and their diet is, I think, pretty ok!

Example

Breakfast - weetabix with fromage frais, honey and grapes

Snack - milk and a some fruit (or occasionally Pom bears or a 'YoYo' bar for a treat!!)

Lunch - sanwiches with cucumber slices and carrot sticks

Snack - banana or raisins

Dinner - tomato pasta or spaghetti bolognaise or something like that! With veg sticks

So ... my (usually amazing, very sane, very sensible and completely gorgeous lovely he's reading this!!) DH said tonight he thinks the children have too much sugar and we need to cut out the fromage frais and honey in the mornings?

I think ... 'well at least they don't scoff chocolate, don't eat takeaways, and they deserve at least something they like (life is too short to cut out everything, right?)'

So - what do you think!?

Husband is reading this! So please tell him to leave their breakfast alone! They are good, healthy, sporty kids and a fromage frais in the morning won't kill them!?

(Sadly, I am prepared to be told IABU, but you do realise DH will not let me forget it!!)

I don't quite get the comparison, the egg white would be more placenta, & I'm sure you happily eat that. I get that it's unusual though & tbh, we rarely do it as we buy farm eggs that are usually covered in crap & I don't fancy feeding anyone that 😂

It wasn’t a direct biological comparison, it was meant to be another example of something that people don’t routinely eat but that those with more “out there” views on healthy eating might advocate trying as they are so nutritious. Also I was just trying to be lighthearted/ flippant!

No worries Jesses, I was equally lighthearted x

Lots of sugar in most fromage frais, in bananas, dried fruit (including bear yoyos) in the bolognaise is sauce if you use a jar,so potential for lots of hidden sugar. Check labels/nutritional advice and see how it adds up?

Sorry loads of sugar in there, drop the raisins and the honey. Love how people kid themselves!!

You could cut down a little.i presume your hubbys diet is superb?

You’re both a little wrong
He is wrong in that there’s too much sugar
You are because you are missing a whole food group- protein

A few protein ideas:

inside.akronchildrens.org/2016/07/15/8-ways-to-sneak-more-protein-into-your-childs-diet/

www.verywellfamily.com/protein-rich-foods-2633936

www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods-group-food-gallery
An illustration of a wide range of protein sources.

www.healthline.com/health/parenting/protein-shakes-for-kids#4
Recipes for protein rich smoothies.

Don't forget dark leafy greens (broccoli, spinach, etc)
Serve whole grain bread, pasta, brown rice, basmati rice.
Nut butters can be used instead of peanut butter - almond butter in particular has extra nutrients that are great.

Wrt eggs - indeed, some children (looking at several of mine in particular) are very leery of eggs. Even my most ardent egg refuser enjoyed breakfast egg muffins, however.

Here is a recipe I used to make for handy breakfasts.
Preheat oven to gas mark 5.
Grease muffin pans - you may need two depending on capacity of your pan.

5-8 eggs, beaten, in separate bowl at first;
In a larger bowl -
About 6 average slices of stale bread/baguette cut in smallish cubes;
crumbled cooked bacon or diced ham - about a teacup full;
shredded baby spinach leaves - about a teacup full volume wise, once shredded;
About two teacups of shredded cheese - I always used shredded Parmesan but a good aged cheddar would be nice too;
Tablespoon or so of TVP;
Half a cup of veggie powder;
S&P;
A little shake of Tabasco, or paprika, or add basil, oregano, tarragon, any other herb your children might go for.
You could add diced tofu too.

Combine all ingredients except eggs and mix to break up clumps. Add eggs, mix thoroughly.

Fill greased muffin tin, bake 15 mins.

Can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.

It's a little like a very egg-dense savoury bread and butter pudding.

*Ingredients there are all approximate.

You could cut out a lot of work for yourself and serve whole grain bagels with cream cheese and sliced deli turkey or ham plus some darker leafed lettuce for breakfast.

Or add quinoa, chia seeds, hemp seeds and/or flax seeds to oats and make a very wholesome porridge using milk and a pinch of salt. You could drizzle honey over this and even dollop some fromage frais too.

I think it’s fine, but personally weetabix is an occasional cereal in our house - because it has added sugar. I never buy any yoghurts/ fromage frais with added sugar. To then add honey to both those things is, to me too much sugar. They probably eat less sugar than a lot of kids, but I don’t think your DH is being unreasonable.

Weetabix with fromage frais and honey sounds like alot of sugar.
We have low sugar cereal including weetabix with milk and fruit. I would replace the fromage frais with normal plain yoghurt and drop the honey. You dont need honey and grapes.

Most people are feeding their children too much sugar so I'm not sure you'll get a 'scientific' answer on mumsnet!

Why do you need honey with fromage frais?
It’s very sweet as it is, there is a ridiculous amount of sugar in yoghurts like this. I would give natural or Greek yoghurt instead.
Greek yoghurt has higher protein.
I wouldn’t go low sugar, sweeteners are worse than sugar health wise

Absolutely agree with D/H. I've always had an interest in health and nutrition and the simple fact is sugar raises insulin every single time we eat. If we eat a carbohydrate rich diet we will be constantly releasing insulin into our system which can make us fat and causes problems later in life. It's a also scientifically proven that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a low carb diet even if you've been insulin dependent and medicated for 15 years after just a few months restricting your carbs. Dr Jason Fung is an excellent source of expert information on the role of insulin in the body and the issues it can cause. Of course the nutrition could be worse but it could also be batter.

Oh bless. You two are still in the honeymoon phase of parenting.

I agree with him.

Don't get the 'treat' mentailty or why you would add honey to weetabix. It's as bad as adding sugar and I'd guess you wouldn't dream of doing that.

I am not quite sure what to say, other than it's pretty similar to what mine ate when they were 4 and 6. They are now 14 and 16, and I'd be beyond delighted if they were still eating this kind of thing now rather than the sugary crap they buy on the way back from school

Too much sugar, short on protein and fat. Eggs or beans on toast for brekkie some days. Cheese for lunch. Olive oil dressing on their salads

Actually, raw honey has many health benefits compared to sugar. It contains traces of many beneficial enzymes, pollens, probiotics, is anti-inflammatory, aids digestion and builds tolerance to local allergens- it is a natural non-processed food too. You must make sure you use raw local honey though- look for local supplier or bee keeper.

We need to remember that no food group is the ultimate enemy- I very much doubt that avoiding sugar will be the cure for all ills, just as avoiding fat has been proven to be fruitless in the pursuit of health. Balance is the key in my opinion until proven otherwise and a bit of sugar in the diet, especially from honey is unlikely to cause any harm.

In the 1970s my best friend used to sprinkle sugar on her frosties for breakfast, and my lunch would often be a brown sugar or dripping sandwich.
I don't think there was ever really a time when the majority of people in Britain ate a healthy diet. I know it is often said that people ate healthy during rationing and I think that those like my family in rural areas growing their own vegetables probably did, but many poor people in the cities would have gone hungry.

fresta and lily I agree with both of you.

In terms of advice OP diet is not just one day and variety is what's important. Getting stuck in ruts of the same breakfast every day for example isn't a good thing good even if it was avocado and egg with kale and organic quinoa sprinkled on top. Most people have days that are a bit carb heavy but then it evens out elsewhere.

The important thing is balance over a week or two not tearing apart the content of 3 meals.

I'd only say cut out the raisins in between meals - really bad for teeth as the sugar from them sticks. Our dentist told us this.

I think you've hit Mumsnet gold here OP, maybe this should go into classics, 14 pages of people telling you to stop giving your spoilt and greedy kids a yoghurt lest they move on to the hard stuff like lard sandwiches.

Mmm butter and sugar sandwiches on white bread. Those were the days..