You have to start young ))) I was surprised

[Datum]

I took my daughter to a doctor today and when I was in the office I saw this poster on the wall.
Contemplate Your Breakfast Plate Posters at AllPosters.com

I was a little bit shocked that they would promote such breakfasts to kids. I mentioned it to a doctor and she did not see what was wrong with it.

The difficult part will be to try to explain to my child that doctors and teachers may also be wrong.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I don't know if you really understood the poster. They are just comparing the different breakfasts that they could eat and are encouraging you to make breakfast at home. It is the healthiest. The other breakfasts, for the most part, are not good for your child. I don't think they were promoting the grocery store or convenience/fast food ones. They were just showing the comparison between that and eating breakfast at home.

[liamona]

I would agree with Datum that it's shocking (although I'm not shocked)—toasted Os cereal and lowfat milk is NOT a healthy breakfast for a growing child. I wonder who funded the printing of this poster? General Mills?

If I saw this at a doctor's office, that would be my last visit. It goes perfectly with all the meds paraphernalia they seem partial to.

One of the best articles that explains how cereals are made is "DIRTY SECRETS OF THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY":

PACKAGED CEREALS
These cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. They take the grains from the farmer, pay them a pittance for them, make the grains into a slurry and put them in a tank, a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure and shaped into little o's and flakes and shredded wheat and so forth, or puffed up. A blade slices off each little flake which is carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.

Paul Stitt has written about the extrusion process used for these cereals which treats every grain with very high heat and high pressure and destroys much of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially ravaged by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

The only advances made in the extrusion process are those which will cut cost regardless of how these will alter the nutrient content of the product. Cereals are a multi-billion dollar business which has created huge fortunes. You would think there would be some studies on the effect on man or animals. There are no published studies and there are only two unpublished studies which were done on rats.

[Datum]

2 Andrew Brunelle
Initially I thought so too. But the problem is that there is no pattern. The only two that obviously follow out of "good for you" pattern are grocery store and convenience store. But then grocery store has much better choices then Cola and chips, plus it does not display that it is bad for you. So in my opinion, the posted what kids should choose as breakfast at various locations. That is how I understood it.

2 liamona
For the first time I 100% agree with you. Cereal should never be given to kids. It should be treated like candy - give sometimes.
But I am definitely not leaving that doctor's office. I love our doctor. I am already used to the fact that doctors are not diet experts and diet is a matter that should be taken into my own hands. I already went through the same problem with my dog's vet and their desire to feed my dog dog's food. They just do not know any better.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by Datum

I am already used to the fact that doctors are not diet experts and diet is a matter that should be taken into my own hands.

That's true, but it's nice when you can find someone who is a doctor and who understands its importance! However, it sounds like yours has other good qualities—you're lucky!

I already went through the same problem with my dog's vet and their desire to feed my dog dog's food. They just do not know any better.

Yep! BTDT.