The other day I saw a commercial for
Nutella. (Watch it here.) Apparently,
the marketing wizards over there have
determined that Nutella can and should
be part of a healthy breakfast for kids.
This is based on the fact that it is healthy
for kids to eat breakfast (using Nutella will
make kids want to eat breakfast more) and
it is a good way to get them to eat whole
grains (using Nutella will make kids want to
eat whole grains more). They even have a
dietician on their website explaining their
logic. Let me break it down for you.
Now, I don’t have kids aged appropriately to make a true informed breakfast argument, but it certainly seems like a great big leap of bullshit to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Nutella. So much so that I don’t want to insult their advertising efforts. But I love it as a dessert. Or at the very least as a grown-up making a knowingly naughty meal choice.
Also- I’m questioning ‘this breakfast problem’ Nutella is raising. I know times have changed since I was a kid but I don’t remember my mom struggling to get my sister and me to eat it. We loved breakfast. You’d have to turn off The Smurfs, pry the bowl of Kix out of our cold dead hands and shove us head first out the door to put an end to breakfast. I’m also questioning parents today having issues getting their kids to eat whole grains. I haven’t had a slice of basic white bread in my kitchen since the 80s. I woud think that most kids today have grown up with nothing but whole wheat and whole grain bread. Is it really ‘a problem’ getting your kids to eat whole grains?
I could be totally wrong about this and I’m aware that things like pancakes and waffles aren’t exactly winning any healthy living awards either (although they do make plenty of whole grain varieties) but spreadable hazelnut chocolate sounds way too delicious to be promoted as a healthy breakfast food for kids. Unless of course you are searching for a healthier option than your current breakfast du jour: Crispy Cremes dipped in caramel with a side of Cinnabon.
What do you think?
Hey, don’t diss it, lady! ANY reason to eat Nutella is a good reason!
No-tella for baby; Yes-tella for mommy
You’re absolutely right. Why get your kids hooked on breakfast crack?
Fudge for breakfast isn’t very responsible. So I put it on the top shelf.. for the adults.
Here in Mexico we have a kind of national nutella, is made from organic cacao, and instead of sugar it has agave syrup. I guess that could be better than regular nutella.
Here in France, Nutella is EVERY person’s breakfast, always, until you’re maybe about 25 years old. I cannot even imagine my (French) husband’s shock if I said ‘no nutella for our kids ! Doesn’t mean that they’re right… but the world is also not falling apart here. That said, overall, kids have far less sugar over here than back home in Canada (dessert will often be a whole piece of fruit, or some yogurt and honey or homemade jam). The only time you’d dream of having nutella as a dessert is spread on crêpes with whipped cream – which I highly encourage everyone to try ^^
Last year I wrote a paper for my journalism final against Nutella… the whole point of that project was not to make it sound like if nutella was poisonus or something,, but to make people understand that it in NO way should be advertised as a healthy food… that thibg is like 70% sugar!!! It’s like if someone decided that it was better for kids to eat their cereal with soda instead of milk. Let’s face it,, Nutella is basically candy,, not a healthy breakfast option