Healthy breakfast cereals for kids?

I was amazed recently when I rent away camping with a load of 11-16 year olds, the amount of cereal bars the mammys had packed in the suitcase, just in case the children didn't like the cereal on offer.

As if on such a trip you would allow a child to sit eating a sugar laden bar whilst the other children tucked into Weetabix/Rice crispies?

Needless to say the bars were confiscated, along with the gobstoppers and coke - anyone want to buy a joblot of gobstoppers?
 
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ClubMan said:
I'm pretty sure that Weetabix has sugar added too!
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I was trying to verify this claim when I came across this in the Observer food monthly: (interview with Howard Marks)

"Weetabix Other than fibre, these slabs of desiccated wheat contain precious little else in terms of nutritional value, and have added sugar and salt; Howard should add a piece or two of fruit."

Now I remember why I don't like them!
 
Thanks for all the replies, especially Squonk for the links, it gives me something to be digesting anyway.
 
I just read that which report and it definitely makes for interesting reading. I said that my son gets weetabix/readybrek. Not strictly correct, what he gets is Tesco Healthy Living Wheat Biscuits or Tesco Instant Hot Oat Cereal, both of which fared better than their 'branded' counterparts in the report so that has me happy although I had checked the boxes when I started buying them just to make sure they were no worse. Of course the fact that they are only half the price too is a bonus. It just goes to show just because the branded stuff is advertised and we all think they're the ones we should be buying, doesn't mean they're the ones we should be buying. I've also found the same with Dunnes Stores fromage frais, lower sugar, fat and cals than petit filous and less than half the price ( the ones in the 'boring' packaging, not a cartoon character in sight!). So aswell as making our kids healthier we could be making our wallets healthier too.
 
Probably doesn't apply to the vast majority of posters here but I think it's worth mentioning that I have noticed this bizarre attitude to sugar content whereby some parents are meticulous in their research of breakfast cereals but think nothing of providing all the sweets, chocolate & fizzy drinks their children could ask for - during the remainder of the day!

As at least some sugar is advisable, the irony is that if these kids are going to eat something with high sugar content, they would probably be better off having it a breakfast time, when it at least has a chance to get burned off, rather than later on in the day.
 
I'm a make your own muesli person.

I have 4 containers in the press: One with nuts (cashews, brazils, almonds, hazelnuts - toasted & chopped myself), One with cranberries (or apricots - low sugar dried fruit / no sulphuric-whatsit), One with mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, linseed) and One with Bransticks, OatBran, Oats (just flahavans).

I just put a spoon of each in my bowl with some nat. yoghurt or milk. No need for honey as cranberries are sweet enough.

Mad expensive to start off but fine after that as most of the things last for ages. Very handy to keep the containers seperate because you can vary the amount of each component depending on the humour. Also if you have the mixed seeds seperate, you can throw a spoon or two on salads and things, which is surpisingly yummy. The chopped nuts and cranberries are handy to add to a natural yoghurt as even the zero fat ones are full of sugars (or sweetners which aren't good for you either). If you eat yoghurt at home, the big pots work out cheaper too - I just spoon a bit into a teacup with a few nuts/seeds etc on and off go. Glenisk is by far the nicest natural yoghurt I've tried (steer clear of Onken at all costs IMHO).

Can't believe I sound like such a sandle-wearing tree-hugger but that must be old age for you :) It came about with a low GI eating regime but it's actually quite tasty and stuck with us fairly well.

Rebecca
 
The Special Meusli sold in Lidl over here in UK and containing 50 % fruit and nuts is delicious. It deserves to be healthy but as we keep it in a Tupperware box I can't tell you sugar content etc.

£1.40 a bag and mixes well with Bran flakes from ASDA.
 
Welfarite said:
Hmmm, this sounds like the novelty wearing off and methinks the mammy is to blame! The poor toddlers probably yearn for their healthy diet once more (feeling guilty yet?:D )

Time to bring out the blender once more! Think of that bprogramme "honey, we're killing the kids..."
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Not at all. I blame Mr.V.;)
 
I think that children do not need to have as much fibre as adults, their nutritional needs are different. I would go easy on the weetabix ,all bran etc if possible.
 
True but still doesn't make sense to shovel the likes of Coco Pops into them surely?
 
My daughter age 9 is diabetic and we find that weetabix or ready brek keeps the blood sugar the most stable till lunch time. The more complex the carbohydrate the slower and steadier the energy will release from it.

Sometimes we compromise and she throws in a few rice krispies into the mix for a change or when she's bored with the usual thing and missing something crunchy. A bowl of rice krispies on its own will make her sugar high and she'll be looking for more snacks mid morning.

I guess this is a good guideline for non diabetic kids too.

I am trying the alpen no added sugar this week for myself and I find it gives me wicked heartburn straight away. That's usually a sign there's a lot of sugar or fat in it. Mind you I am nine months pregnant so lots of things give me heartburn but this is particularly bad.
I haven't examined/compared the box for sugar content but even weetabix with a spoon of sugar doesn't do that to me.
 
aircobra19 said:
Compare it with the Tesco brand one (no added sugar one).
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I haven't bought tesco muesli since hubbie cracked his tooth off a piece of banana in it years ago. It didn't soften when milk was added.
Maybe the tooth was weak anyway but still.....
 
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