Comments on: Kellogg strikes again

By: Karen J

Karen J — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:26:40 +0000

This probably sounds absurd, but I’ve been feeding my kids Ice Cream for breakfast lately. Low carb Breyers or homemade.

Between that and the bacon & sausages, they’re getting a lot more protein & fat and a ton less carbs than the average breakfast cereal. They’re not allowed any fruit until they’ve had some fat & protein.

On the plus side, they get to tell all their friends that they’re getting Ice Cream for breakfast.

On the minus side, I’m not crazy about the dairy. And they hate eggs in any form except deviled. We go through tons of deviled eggs!

By: Noah

Noah — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 02:37:05 +0000

And I’m the only one that thought there was a scary yet albeit funny reference to snorting coke with how that cereal straw ad started? Ironic too, not

I didn’t notice. But, then again, I wouldn’t.

Cheers–
MRE

By: Hellistile

Hellistile — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:01:21 +0000

I forgot to mention that my son is now 27 and although he is on his own and eating crap most of the time he’s never had a cavity and his bones are made of steel and he’s never been sick. He’s back to eating low-carb though because he knows it works and he was starting to put on some weight.

I guess he’s still a smart boy.

By: Hellistile

Hellistile — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:57:30 +0000

One of the fastest and easiest things to make for breakfast for kids is omelets full of cheese, feta cheese, curry, bacon, sausages, other sliced meats, onions, peppers, whatever. Another favorite was a home made MacMuffin made with 2 small slices of sour rye, one fried egg, tons of bacon, lots of cheese. If they don’t like eggs they won’t even notice there’s an egg in there. I remember taking my son on vacation and we stopped at Denny’s for lunch. Guess what he ordered? He was 6 at the time. A three egg omelet. His choice not mine.

A bright kid indeed.

By: Marilyn Leahy

Marilyn Leahy — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:18:47 +0000

As for alternatives to what to feed the kiddies for breakfast, I missed that boat almost entirely. I was too carb saturated to even make the effort to feed them good stuff so early in the morning; besides, it was good for them, right? However, I learned a lot as my older ones went to high school. It was still to late to convert them to non-cereal, but I did make some headway. My strategies: lots of bacon. If you have good bacon, most kids love it. Also I did pain perdue, frech toast that is completely soaked in custard. Heavy on the butter, light on the syrup. Homemade egg custard using heavy cream instead of milk is simple to make and most kids love that, or don’t cook it and give them a “milkshake” for breakfast. Add fruit as your conscience dictates. Cups of custard last a week in the fridge and are self serve.

I hope this helps someone else with kids and teens.

Marilyn

By: Char

Char — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:11:51 +0000

And we wonder why there are SOOOO many kids on ritalin and other “wonder drugs” for hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders. Gee, parents, what about NOT feeding your kids sugar first thing in the morning with NO protein to speak of to counteract any of it?

By: Kristine

Kristine — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:12:31 +0000

This post triggered a random, fun memory: my little brother and I used to buy that mile-long shoe string licorice, bite off each end, and suck our Pepsi through it. We were such sugar junkies. I think I’ve had every sugar cereal ever produced.

By: Wil B.

Wil B. — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:17:57 +0000

Thanks for this one Dr. Mike. I don’t think there are any adjectives in the English language sufficient to describe a business model that would result in this kind of product being made and marketed to anyone (let alone children). The words corrupt, malevolent, or immoral just don’t seem strong enough.

I hate to have to say it, but health care professionals, nutritionists and the government all have a lot to answer for here. They are supposed to protect the public against these kinds of hazards and most of them don’t seem to have a clue. I’m hoping against hope that Gary T’s new book will eventually tip the balance.

Hi Wil–

I’m hoping Gary’s book will help.

MRE

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:39:33 +0000

I never bought these sugary Kellogg’s or General Mills kinds of popular cereals for my son (in fact, my mother never bought those for me, either). But for a number of years I did buy Joe’s Os and similar “healthy” cereals from Trader Joe’s (fairly simple ingredient list, as low sugar as I could find, whole grain, etc.).

I can understand why parents love cold cereal for their kids. It is one of the first foods that a kid can fix him/herself. That aspect, regardless of the cereal content, is very seductive. I tried to limit his consumption, but if I wasn’t monitoring it, he would sometimes feed himself cold cereal several times a day.

But I changed my tune last spring when I did a home version of a glucose tolerance test on myself with a measured amount of Joe’s Os (TJ version of Cheerios and milk = 75 gms CHO and got my highest glucose test level ever (250 range in 45 minutes followed by a nasty low) from food (outside of a lab test). It’s essentially predigested sugar, whole grain notwithstanding. No more commercial cold cereals in our house, period.

But what to fix instead? I’ve experimented with making baked granola, heavy on the nuts, sesame seeds, coconut oil & flakes, and light on the oats, with mixed success (he eats it but likes it less, so I guess that is a success because he isn’t tempted to overconsume it).

Breakfast is the hardest meal for me to resolve with him. His preferences run to high carb foods and I am always trying to moderate that. He resists having eggs over-easy or scrambled more than twice a week. I get around that by making “French Toast Frittata”, with 2-3 eggs & milk with 2 slices TJ sprouted whole wheat bread torn up and soaked, cooked in lots of butter (makes 2-3 kid-size servings). Sort of like pan-cooked bread pudding, with a high egg to bread ratio. He gets about 1 or 2 teaspoons of real maple syrup and a pat of butter on top, too and often some fresh fruit.

And that means I am cooking rather than him fixing something for himself. I guess it’s time to start the cooking lessons.
But I find the “what to feed the kid” issues so much harder than what to feed myself. My gut instinct is that the fewer sugars and grains for him the better (for lots of reasons), but it’s hard to actually put that into practice to the level I would like without a battle.

Hi Anna–

I think you’ve captured the problem perfectly. It’s a battle between doing what’s right for your kids – which takes a lot of effort on the parent’s part – or doing what is easiest – which is to give in and let them have what they want. The cereal companies make it easy to give in guiltlessly because they all tout the nutritional advantages ” fortified with all the vitamins and minerals your kids need to start their day” of their wretched products.

If someone could come up with a high-protein (and I mean high-protien, not what passes for high-protein among cereal makers), good quality fat, low-carb, tasty breakfast cereal that kids liked, that person could retire early.

Cheers–
MRE

By: Paul B.

Paul B. — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:50:42 +0000

Hi Doc–aside from the fact that they will make kids fat and diabetic, rot their teeth, and contribute to behavior and developmental problems, don’t parents realize what a ripoff breakfast cereals are from a financial standpoint? Why on earth would a family pay 4.50 or 5 bucks for a few cents’ worth of sugar, white flour, and vegetable oil? You can get 2 dozen cage free eggs for that amount if you shop around.

You’re right on the money.