Multiple Sclerosis and breakfast collide
I grew up as a child of the late seventies/early eighties. What that means is that my Saturday mornings were spent in front of the TV, with a bowl of the best sugary cereal possible, watching classic cartoons.
And by classic, I mean good cartoons; Scooby Doo, Schoolhouse Rock, Fat Albert, the Jetson’s and Bugs Bunny.
My favorite was The Flintstones but they were on in syndication. Yabba Dabba Doo five days a week!
I would spend these joyful mornings getting amped on processed sugar until my mom would start vacuuming, thus making the TV inaudible. The threat of having to help clean forced me outside.
Because of this, I understand what “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids” means.
Trust me; I’ve actually been “CooCoo for Cocoa Puffs.”
I understand the difference between “they’re great” and “they’re GGGREAT!”
I know that it’s not possible to say the words, “magically delicious!” They must be sung.
My favorite breakfast was Froot Loops promoted by the amazing Toucan Sam. Ahh, what could be better?
I’m an adult now and I’ve learned a thing or two.
- Good cartoons are now actually movies and they aren’t even accurate. I met Aladdin at Disney once and he was a total tool!! Disney lied when they made him humble, sweet and brave in the movie.
- 2.Adults aren’t supposed to like good cereal. We’re supposed to appreciate the “good for you” stuff instead.
Multiple sclerosis has made my adulthood confusing and frugal. For example, I’m not sure if milk is considered good for you anymore. And if it is, which kind- whole, low fat, almond, goat, soy- I can’t keep track.
And since life with MS is expensive and I’m on a tight budget, I can’t afford the good ‘good for you cereal.” My favorite healthy cereal costs twice as much as the others and doesn’t even have fruit in it!
How healthy is that??
I’ve tried the cheaper healthy cereals but they taste like cardboard. So let’s be honest, I can buy them and tell myself that I will eat them but the reality is that I will come up with some excuse why I shouldn’t-like that I’m bummed out that there are no good cartoons on so I need to comfort myself with sugar, etc. At which point the healthy cereal will sit in a cabinet getting stale and will turn into stale processed cardboard and need to be thrown away.
How frugal is that?
Luckily, Cheerios seemed like a good compromise. They’re affordable and made with whole grains and thus somewhat healthy. I’m still confused about the milk issue but hey, you need to take things one step at a time.
As I explored my breakfast options, I discovered that Cheerios come in different flavors now. And, what do you know, they have a fruit version! The box even looked like the beloved Froot Loops box of my childhood.
I understood that since it was Cheerios, they couldn’t be as good as the real Froot Loops but maybe they were close and at least they had fruit in them-yea!
I brought some home and they were delicious! They tasted just like the favorite cereal I remembered. Oh joy to adulthood.
But then I began to think about this. How could this be? How could Cheerios steal Froot Loops and not get sued?
How could Cheerios make a healthy version of my cereal and yet still taste great?
As I munched away, the question refused to leave my addled brain. As an adult, we have the internet now and so I thought to solve the issue by comparing the ingredients. And I was shocked!
Brace yourself friends-it turns out the Fruity Cheerios are not that much different in ingredients and nutrients than Froot Loops! And the real devastating shocker NEITHER is made with fruit!!!
Fruity Cheerios has a slightly better nutrition report than its predecessor and includes something called pear puree which makes no sense as I don’t think there are even pear loops in the box!
How was I supposed to process this? How could Cheerios and those heart healthy commercials deceive me this way?
I felt betrayed.
I felt that everything I knew about life was a total lie.
I felt totally amped on sugar.
It occurred to me that I should go run around my neighborhood and tease the boys next door.
Plus, the real frustrating part was that I had two coupons for $1 off three boxes of Fruity (I feel corrupt just typing in the word fruity after my discovery,) Cheerios and thus I had six boxes I needed to consume before I went on to the plain, not so bad for you, regular Cheerios.
The whole thing seemed awfully loopy to me….
I suppose the next disappointing thing someone will tell me to ruin my childhood was that the Flintstones weren’t real either.
See how paranoid this cereal nutrition issue is making me? Of course the Flintstones were real- they were even historical!
Yes friends, this getting healthy thing is hard. This getting older thing is hard. This getting poorer thing is hard.
What’s a confused, money conscious girl to do?
I couldn’t waste the boxes and so I did the only thing I could think of.
I pulled up old episodes of Superfriends on YouTube and ate my breakfast.
I felt comforted by the fact that at least I can get some nutrients from my new gummy vitamins.
And before you argue about vitamins that taste like candy being nutritious, I can prove that they are. They say ADULT right on the label!
PS If you can’t find any good cartoons on TV but want some giggles to go with your breakfast, pick up a copy of MS Madness! A “Giggle More, Cry Less” Story of Multiple Sclerosis!
too funny I do eat Cheerios sometimes of course I put on sugar and maybe some sliced banana or if I am lucky enough to get some blueberries, but honestly I love Cocoa puffs, and Fruit loops, and frosted flakes too… As I don’t drink milk (well I do have some in my coffee, and I do like ice cream does that count?) I only put in enough milk for the cereal to be wet and only finish the milk if its chocolate….I too can relate to being on a tight budget it is so hard to eat “good for you food” when it is so expensive… I do print up coupons, and if things are on sale I will stock up, and I get all kinds of stuff at the Dollar store when I get there… I say the hell with what the “experts” say eat what you like, but just do so in moderation…. And make sure that you get in some fruits and veggies a few times a week, well i do get the veggies but the girls usually eat up the fruit oh well all and all I am in good health and having known me forever it’s not like i ever diet, and we all know that i am a junk food eater from way back… Loved the photo too…
**As for the cartoons I know right I loved Scooby Doo, the flintstones, the jetsons and of course Underdog the cartoons that they have out now are nowhere near the same.
Underdog- I forgot about him!!! I do eat fruit in my cereal- that’s why I bought Fruity Cheerios!!! Kidding- in season I LOVE strawberries in my “good for you” cereal- it makes it edible…
I mix my cereal to get the right taste and consistency. That way it’s half healthy.
Excellent idea!
That’s a wise system Denise- I’ll have to try it!!
luckily I taught my girls early and they love Scooby Doo, Underdog too…. There was one cartoon that Nicole liked and I just hated it so I would never let her watch it the show is Ed Edd & Eddy they have a kid walking around with a board that has a face painted on it what the hell is that?….And even now I will still watch Scooby Doo movies with the girls it is nice to enjoy things from our childhood, I remember every summer I would look forward to the Monkees tv show coming on as I thought it was the funniest show and I had a slight crush on one or 2 of them..
🙂
Funny but I can’t relate as I absolutely hate cereal. Only had it as a “treat” growing up. Mostly oatmeal and cream of wheat – neither of which I would touch with a 10 foot pole today, so you are on your own here. As for milk just go with your gut (get it) as we waste a LOT of grant money on this crap and most of it turns out to be contradictory so everything in moderation and since we have the dreaded disease I say go for what you like and enjoy what little in life we have to relish!
Sounds like a plan to me!!!
An excellent plan Judy!!! I’m going to take it!!!
Don’t let the diet Nazi’s ruin your life. (Shameless self-promotion alert!) I wrote about that topic in this post. You can drive yourself crazy trying to keep (and keep up with) all their capricious commands. Enjoy your Froot Loops! They’re the ultimate comfort food!
By they way, I’m older than you and, yes, the Flintstones were real. They were my neighbors. Dino pooped all over our lawn. They never put that in the shows! It was a tumultuous time when we all had to change our names from stone age appellations to normal ones like we have now. (Yeah, I used to be called “Rock” in those days.) We’ll all have to go through it again soon. Since I haven’t promoted my blog enough yet, I suggest you read this post about the upcoming law that will usher in the Jetson’s era.
Excellent advice Rick! And thank goodness for The Flintstones info- what a relief!! I’ll check out your posts too for more awesome information!!
I love this post Rick- thank you for sharing it! Well done!! And excellent advice. I’m sorry that I’m technically illiterate and can’t comment directly on your blog but I loved it!!
what about the kelloggs cereal with strawberries in it I had it and it tasted good then Jaclyn got a hold of it and it was gone
The child has good taste!
I say the hell with the “experts” eat what you like…
It is a balancing act that I try to do constantly. But when I can make fun of it, it works for me!!
I guess I’m turning into one of those “MS diet Nazi’s” as I’ve tried cleaning up my act. I too have been in the frugal, poor mindset too but a shift in mindset has me thinking differently about the fresh fruits, veggies and lesser processed items in my shopping basket.
I was at the checkout at my favourite fruit and veggie grocers a week or two ago and a lady commented on the total of my shopping cart FULL of fruits, vegetables, nuts and farm fresh egg cartons. I turned to her and said, “I live with chronic illness and in order to avoid pharma drugs and doctors bills I choose to spend on good, wholesome foods to nourish me. I’d rather this than be constantly at the doctors, consuming drugs to combat the side effects of the other drugs I’m on etc… etc…”
It all comes down to perspective. Plus, the more you clean out the processed foods and sugars, the better the fresh food tastes, the easier it is to reach for a carrot or make some kale pesto to scramble into your eggs etc.. and the healthier you eventually begin to feel (despite the MS tingles and numbness or whatever wonderful symptoms MS brings for you.)
I stopped soy milk and went back to full cream dairy milk and I’m not totally following the no dairy, no eggs protocols of Wahls or MS diets etc… I’m just making more food from scratch and less out of a packet laden with additives and preservatives.
It takes time to change and I can understand the conflict to do so for most. I’m no expert but for me, it makes sense to cut out the crap and feel better from the inside out.
Oh, and I challenge anyone to try a week just buying fresh foods without the candy bars, cereals, cookies, crisps, muesli bars, ice creams etc and see how much difference is in your bill. A handful of almonds from a 500g packet that costs $9.95 as a snack that can last the entire week opposed to a $1.50 candy bar x 7 per day which cost you $10.50 and provided very little sustenance and nutrition can make a massive difference to your health.
Try hot oats for breakfast with a grated apple and some cinnamon that is made from scratch rather than a sugary sachet. Or two eggs on sourdough with some tomatoes on the side. Natural Greek Yoghurt with some berries is also a great breakfast full of nutrition and protein for lasting energy.
Hi Robyn, thank you so much for checking out my blog and sharing your perspective! I talk abut this issue a lot and make fun of it whenever I can as it is a difficult road for me. In addition to the what you are used to, it is the time and energy it takes to cook plus the fact that living alone causes a lot of the fresh stuff to go bad so quickly. I remember reading in a health magazine that you should go to the store to pick out produce fresh daily- I can barely get out of my own way never mind going to the store daily! I understand that if I eat better I will feel better and so I am trying. It is a long road for me though. The changes I have made is that I have given up the poison that is aspartame and diet coke and am drinking much more water, eating more veggies and exercising more. I still have a very, very long way to go and so I love to make fun of the process from time to time. And in doing so, I get awesome suggestions like yours. Thank you!!
Was NEVER a fan of Cheerios. That plain ol’ yellow box filled with those plain ol’ little circles. But today, Cheerios has stepped up to the plate! Fruity, Frosted, Chocolate, you name it and Cheerios has a flavor for your liking!
As a 51 year old, I have begun the morphing process away from the cereals of my childhood to the bland, fiberous flakes of adulthood. (Although I still enjoy a bowl of “Charms” from time to time. One must first eat all the oatie things leaving you with a bowl of sugary Charms!)
Excellent post! Keep it up!
I have just two words for you My Odd Sock- to you I say, ‘magically delicious!”