To think this about Cereal & Toast?

[Bbq1]

Only a lighthearted aibu so please don't flame me!

My ds is almost 17, very slim and healthy. He enjoys the occasional bowl of cereal and even more occasional slice of toast. That is his choice, I on the other hand love toast. There are often threads on here with parents complaining about the amount of food their teens consume. They usually state something along the lines of 'Fruit, vegetables, toast and cereal are unlimited ". The first two I understand but cereal and toast are actually unlimited?? How can it be any healthier or better if a teen consumes a box of cereal or most of a loaf (as many would) in one sitting as opposed to one bag of crisps? Add on butter/toppings and/or milk how can that be healthy?

I think maybe it's just the word 'unlimited' that is causing confusion here? My teens can have unlimited bread and cereal in that it's freely available and I don't stop them helping themselves. That doesn't mean they'd ever eat a whole loaf of bread in one go! They also eat healthy meals and they're all really skinny and active.

Cereal and toast are things that older kids and teens can make for themselves. They are cheap and you don't have to have unhealthy white processed or sugary options. A bowl of weetabix and milk or a couple of slices of wholegrain toast with peanut butter is going to fill them up a lot better than fruit or vegetable sticks, even better if they have both

There is a difference between an eating disorder (and over eating is as much as a disorder as under eating) and teens who are hungry.

I don't think people do it because it's optimum nutrition though it's because these are cheap and easy

Teenage boys need far more calories than their adult mothers.

One of my adult dc is an average height, lightly-built man. He recognises that his calorie requirements are less now than 5-10y ago, and that he has to balance input and output or he puts on weight. As a teen, however, he would inhale cheese sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches between meals and last thing at night. And remained skinny. Because at that age teen boys' bodies are growing almost as fast as when they were toddlers, laying down muscle and bone, and they are very active both physically and mentally.

I agree. I think that cereal in particular can be very addictive and both contain very few nutrients. I think it’s a very bad habit to get into….they get away with it as teens but what about ten years on when they’re obese and have pre diabetes?

It’s the ‘unlimited’ that annoys me. You hear it on here a lot, some greedy teen clearing the cupboard of stuff leaving nowt for his siblings etc. People coming on saying ‘oh well, he’s a growing teen’ or even worse ‘you don’t have teenagers yet do you?’. It’s greed, pure and simple. They really don’t need it to be unlimited, they won’t starve if they have to wait an hour for their next meal.
And don’t get me started on the ‘fruit, yoghurt, cereal’ after tea (when they’ve not even touched their mea.

But what annoys me the most is…..I’m annoyed and cross at myself forceveing caring that bleedin much 😳😳

It annoys me in reverse maddie

Clearing cupboards and not leaving anything for everyone else is greedy and unfair.

Having unlimited milk, wetabix, toast so that if they are hungry they have something to eat isn't greedy. Like a pp my elder children have realised they can't eat like they did as growing teens. Their cereal habit as a teen has not led to obesity or diabetes.
Interestingly the one friend that has a weight problem had parents that were very restrictive.