As I mentioned last time, waffles and pancakes are frequent breakfast offerings at the Everage household. We usually have one or the other on the weekend, and make an extra batch to freeze for eating throughout the week. Aside from pancakes and waffles, we often make oatmeal or cereal. Our cereal choices – which usually number four – include bulk granola purchased at Whole Foods, along with Cascadian Farms, 365 Brand, Barbara’s Bakery, and the like . . . never Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes or some other sugary concoction that I so much enjoyed myself as a child. I figured, as long as they don’t know what sugar-laden or character-promoted cereal they were missing, they would never whine for it if we were at the grocery store. How wrong I was. The other day while fixing up a bowl of cereal for Grayson, he turned to me and said, “Mom, I saw this cereal, little squares with cinnamon on them. They look like toast.” Nicole chimed in with a twinkle in her eye, “And, they’re sparkly!!!” Yikes, during commercial time of some PBS show they were watching, they were exposed to the marketing machine of cereal manufacturers. I launched into an explanation, that as I was saying it, knew it was going nowhere with them. I said something like, “well, you know, some cereals are not made of things that are good for the body. The cereals we eat . ..” I then drifted onto some healthy food lecture that went right over his head. When I was finished, he innocently looked at me and said, “But they said it is good for you!” I had to chuckle, as I could almost hear the commercial saying, “Cinnamon Toast Crunch offers whole grain goodness in every bite. It’s good for you.” I decided to search the web for more information on this good-for-you cereal. Aside from perusing the long ingredient list filled with things I wasn’t sure what they were, I was entertained by the wording found on the box, “Whole grain guaranteed in every box,” and then, “Real cinnamon and sugar in every bite.”
Hmm, so I’d have to eat the entire box before I can be guaranteed I’d get some of the whole grain goodness promised, but all I would have to do is take one bite to be sure that I’d get some sugar. It is amazing how breakfast cereals have turned into these ‘monsters’ purporting to be good for you.I dread the day my kids beg for Oreo O’s cereal from Post, with their great Oreo cookie crunch and creamy tasting marshmallows – even though they’re made with “wholesome oat, corn and wheat.” Perhaps I can follow that up with the Oreo Cookie Dessert Pizza Dominoes recently had on their menu. At least I can be sure that I’m safe in the cereal aisle for now. My kids don’t know what an Oreo is.
