The other day I shared a photo of my son surrounded by his cereal box “walls” while he devoured cereal and milk for breakfast. A comment from a “more experienced mother” who’s children are now grown was, “The one thing I regret the most is feeding my children cereal”. My first thought was WOW that is pretty good parenting  if this is  her ONE regret after raising her children to functioning adults. My second thought was, “Why does she regret this move?”

My son was surrounded by non-organic cereal my husband bought him while I was out of town. They were the lesser-evil cereals with a positive role model on the box, so I let it be. W could certainly have demonstrated healthier choices in the photo, but it was more than that. This was about not  feeding children cereal of any kind, and that didn’t make sense to me.

Cereal is a balanced breakfast complete with whole grains,fiber, protein, and fat. Not to mention it is something my kids can serve themselves! Upon further investigation of my friend’s social feed I found that she has been watching her carbohydrate intake to the level of removing wheat from her diet as a way of limiting carbohydrate intake. This is common for people looking to self-inflict restrictions to their diet that help them feel in control; and it works for many. These methods, however do not have to be imposed as gospel to others. I see no need to impose this restriction on my growing boys.

Here in a vintage vignette from LUNA. I debunk some of the still-present carbohydrate myths. Please do not visit try to win a free box of LUNA Bars after this video. The give-away was long ago (and in a time when I had better hair).