To wonder who is buying chocolate cereal

[Blueyseviltwin]

Who om each is buying Lion bar and Oreo cereal? See also lucky charms, nesquick and coco pops
These aren't breakfast foods (or any sort of food). I literally cannot imagine anyone thinking it is a reasonable way of feeding children?

I was the fat child who was fed the equivalent of CocoPops. If you asked 5 year old me now, knowing what I know, I'd say please mummy don't feed me this crap.

Completely agree

If somebody gave their 8 year old a cigarette the kid would be taken off them. But marching them to a newsagent for a Mars bar and a Tango ice blast after school when they’re already overweight is fine 🤷🏻‍♀️

FGS nobody is saying 1 box of coco pops will make somebody obese. But buying this rubbish is symptomatic of making bad food choices and it’s NEVER ‘just one box’. Why do you think there are so many fat children?

Cereal is delicious.. that's why! My kids have Coco-pops at Christmas and summer holidays. During week at school term they have better cereals but still cereal!

You said it.

DD has gluten free chocolate cereal a couple of times a week, cornflakes on other days. Sometimes she has Nutella on gluten free toast. Sometimes she has eggs or pancakes. She's a healthy teen who eats a varied diet which includes some treats. As an overweight woman who was put on multiple "diets" by my mother as a child I don't really believe in forbidden foods.

They’re 4 and 5. They have choices. We have at least 6 cereals at any one time, plus toast and usually croissants. I let them choose and don’t try to direct.

They’re healthy happy sporty kids.

If I was concerned about their weight I’d react accordingly.

I’m a bit older than you - I grew up in the sixties - but my story is the same. For me it was stupid Ribena, which damages teeth. And, like you I believe, Ricicles. It makes me both angry, and sad. English doesn’t have a word for that.

My parents were lovely, and had my best interests at heart, but they were not educated people.

Another memory was the great fuss made about huge tins of ‘Quality Street’ chocolates. These still exit. I know this because I won a tin in a local secret Santa raffle last year. It went straight in the bin unopened. That was oddly cathartic.

Yes. Ive suffered from depression for most of my life, so i would prefer the life I've got to be one filled with happiness and eating what I please. However as a mum, I feed my child a much healthier diet. I'm educated and know exactly what I should be eating but oh well. I'm a good mum and that's what matters most to me.

Children cannot make informed choices at 4 and 5. They don't know that CocoPops and Haribo are excessively sugary and processed foods. Why not just offer a choice of less UPF options?

I remember ages ago an article which said, eat anything you like, so long as you make it yourself from scratch. That includes pizzas, cakes, biscuits, whatever.

@IridiumSky I’m a bit older than you - I grew up in the sixties - but my story is the same. For me it was stupid Ribena, which damages teeth. And, like you I believe, Ricicles.

Our parents didn't know the damage. I don't blame them. But it's tragic that parents are still doing this to children decades later when we now know the damage done by UPF and the importance of whole foods. Some of if is down to poverty, but not all of it. Porridge oats and Shredded Wheat is still cheaper than CocoPops, and nobody needs to drink sugary fizzy drinks.

Same. What have they done ?

Unfortunately, the OP is likely to have the same experience.

Weetabix is still UPF though. Not sure why the marketing has been so successful on MNers who’d otherwise be so against it.

"Weetabix is a UPF because of the barley malt extract that is added, but it is high in whole grains and there’s only one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in a standard kitchen. I would not class these as UPFs but these foods would come under Nova level 4.”

Quoting from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/sep/05/the-experts-dietitians-on-20-ways-to-cut-down-on-upfs-while-still-eating-what-you-love

Technically yes because of the barley malt extract but it’s also high in whole grains. Haribo is UPF but it’s hardly the same as weetabix

I mean they’re clearly, demonstrably, food. Only an idiot would think otherwise.

I imagine people are buying them for a range of reasons, as with most foods. As children we got coco pops in the school holidays sometimes, for example.

As it happens I’ve never seen lucky charms or Oreo cereals. Does that make me the winner? Or just someone who doesn’t roam around the supermarket looking for reasons to be aghast at the food choices of others.

I always found the concept of putting sugar and/or chocolate in a kid's cereal odd, but I suppose people put jam or marmalade on toast or sugar or honey on cereal. Youngest (adult) DS often adds a pain a chocolate to his breakfast.

I want Weetos now. Thanks.

Those cereals are more like pudding or sweet treat snacks.
Cocopoos are lovely though and have less sugar than a lot of “healthy” granola type cereals.

It's hard to imagine anyone getting fat on coco pops. It's mostly air. I mean, I can imagine that it has fuck all nutrition but it's just a gesture of a food. Can't abide the stuff personally, it doesn't make the milk chocolatly, just a murky brown and bluegh.

I have eaten loads of fatty sweet food all my life, I have a big bar of chocolate most days, I am not fat and never have been, don't blame the coco pops.

I don't see it as an issue. Ds2 still eats lots of stuff UPF, but alongside loads of good natural stuff. He eats krave, Nutella on toast, loads of eggs, chicken, protein, youghurts, lots of fruit. He also likes a roast, pie and veg, spaghetti and meatballs, most meals, and mini eggs. He plays football 3 times a week and is getting his 5K times below 5 minutes more each time. He's ok I think.

@RogueFemale
what if you don't want to cook from scratch every time. I have made pasta. I don't do it regularly though. Most people don't only eat food from scratch.

"Thinking is difficult, that's why most people judge"

Carl Jung