Edam,
First you've told me that:
"unless you have your cereal dry, then of course you are getting protein"
Now you're saying:
"Well of course cereals aren't high-protein foods. They are grains, not meat."
A bit contradictory don't you think?
I'm making the point that cereals for breakfast on their own are merely ok. Better than nothing, purely because the added vitamins and sugar boost break the fast we've experience whilst sleeping. This was, to me at least, a dunce inspired discovery. Of course it's better than nothing at all. A couple of slices of white bread with sugar sprinkled over them, washed down with a cheap multivitamin would also be better than nothing. Why is she comparing Frosties against nothing at all? It's hardly a surprising result that calories help the brain to function.
If a child's going to have cereal, the slow release carbohydrate breakfasts with much lower sugar than Frosties are better.
A breakfast with some form of protein in it too is best of all. Children could be fed many types of protein for breakfast and edam, I'm sure you know that meat isn't the only source of protein.
I'm certainly not suggesting that children should have a traditional fry-up if you mean sausages, black pudding with fried white bread and eggs. You'd be giving a good start to developing atherosclerosis if you did that everyday!
The type of protein I'm talking about is a boiled/poached egg or two with some wholegrain toast.
Or indeed some lean meat or fish with some grilled tomato and mushrooms.
If the child, has no allergies, a nut butter on wholegrain toast can also add protein. Low fat cheese melted on wholegrain toast is another option without a load of sugar!
Getting some fruit and vegetables in there at breakfast might also be a novel idea rather than relying purely on the added vitamins and minerals in the cereal.
(I say purely because a good quality multivitamin with a little bit of iron is a good back up but not a substitute for fruit and veg)
I'm not saying that carbs are wrong but rather there should be a balance of protein and slow release carbs. I know that I can think more clearly and concentrate for longer when I eat this way for breakfast.
One more thing, whilst most grains contain very little protein which is the very point I'm making, there is one grain that is an exception and that is quinoa. Half a cup provides a child's protein needs for the day without the sugar, it's low in salt, contains iron, calcium and all 8 of the essential amino acids. It can made like a porridge.