Porridge as evening meal for DC?

[Smithson85]

DC7 is a bit of a 'basic' eater and quite often just asks for a big bowl of porridge for his tea if we're at home - which I'm generally happy to give him.

But I'm getting a bit of judgement from the in-laws that we're not making him have a meat-and-two-veg style meal every evening. My thinking is that porridge (with milk, seeds and honey) is a pretty complete meal option, he has plenty of fruit and veg during the rest of the day, and he will eat 'proper' meals on other nights - but just seems to prefer the porridge a couple of times a week.

AIBU letting him have what he wants?

Out of interest I've just totted up what he actually had last night, and

• 50g jumbo oats
• 375ml semi-skimmed milk
• 10g chia seeds

comes out as 21.5g protein. There doesnt seem to be much guidance on amounts from the NHS but some of the American health sites say 4-8 year olds should be having c. 19g of protein a day. So on that basis it looks pretty good!

Porridge made with full milk, honey seeds and fruit is pretty good. But I'd grind up most of the seeds to a powder. I've noticed allegedly highly nutritious seeds can pass right through the body intact so how is a child getting the nutrients from them? I might add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the porridge too.

This is especially true of chia seeds, as they are quite small, so unless the child chews and chews, they might not break down and if they pass through his body undigested, he is not getting any nutrients from them at all. Grind them into a powder and stir it into the porridge.

With fussy eaters, you just have to get enough calories into them, and give vitamin supplements until they grow out of it. It's all very well for other people to say what you should do, but no point putting chicken and veg in front of him if he won't touch it.

This is especially true of chia seeds, as they are quite small, so unless the child chews and chews, they might not break down and if they pass through his body undigested, he is not getting any nutrients from them at all. Grind them into a powder and stir it into the porridge.

You don't actually have to do that when combined with wet foods like oatmeal - the shell of the chia seed dissolves and it becomes like a blob of jelly that is fully digestible.

They need 10-20 minutes or soaking in order to break down.

Back in the seventies, once a week I had to walk to my grannies for my tea and in winter it was pretty miserable and dark. I’d arrive often soaking wet and freezing but she’d have porridge ready for me with just a bit too much sugar on top. I’d sit in front of the fire in my vest and pants and her house coat, my hair in a towel and could feel all the warmness spread through me. Porridge is perfect for tea sometimes.

Nothing wrong with porridge for dinner however having had a basic eater who developed into an incredibly restrictive eater I’d be a little wary of how often they are having ‘safe’ meals or dictating dinner.

As long as it's not the sugary stuff, you can't beat a good healthy bowl of porridge.

I eat porridge for dinner sometimes.

What on earth could be wrong with it?

Yes you posted before me but porridge is normally around 20ish grams of protein and a meal isnt really worth being more than that, as the body can only process and absorb so much protien in one meal, its around 20-25g I read somewhere. So its bang on what it should be.

Mine have this all the time! It’s a balanced meal - carbs, protein and fats 👍

Why do people think oats and milk are low protein??

A 40g bowl of porridge with milk will have around 15g+ of protein. And if you add chia seeds it will add to it

Where as 2 eggs...12g protein

1 tbsp peanut butter is about 4 g, so peanut butter toast will provide at most 15g

And "protein" yoghurt will give more 20g in 200g pot but they're full of junk... Look at arla strawberry protein yoghurt ingredients

Lactose Free Skyr (Yogurt (Milk)), Grape Juice Concentrate, Strawberries 2%, Waxy Maize Starch, Carrot Concentrate, Natural Flavouring, Stabiliser (Pectin), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Sweetener (Steviol Glycocides from Stevia), Lactase Enzymes

So... The porridge is a much better source of protein than your suggestions...

With lots of mixed seeds, maybe a dollop of peanut or almond butter and minimal honey (there’s plenty of carbs in the oats so the honey should be a drizzle for flavour) it’s a fine thing to eat for an evening meal. Not every day, (although people think nothing of having it for breakfast every day so you could argue that it’s not much different) but as long as his daily food intake is varied and healthy I think your In-laws can mind their own.

Could you stir some high-protein yoghurt into it?

** didn’t read posts above 🥲

I have seen evidence otherwise when it comes out the other end.

Imagine moaning about a child wanting porridge. 🙄

I think this is one of the most loveliest things ive ever read on mumsnet