Jac - I am so glad you have started this thread! I have the same problem with my DS.. and it's my fault because I used to like to watch the news while he was having his dinner. And Sunrise in the morning (you get my drift..). Now he watches dvd's and I didn't realise how addicted he had become until he had a screaming meltdown the other night because I didn't put the tv on.
So we are working on it slowly and trying to comprimise a bit. If he eats his cereal in the dining room, he can have toast in front of the tv (which also gives me time to get ready for the day!). The past couple of nights he has been hysterical once he realises we are eating at the table, but I have put on a cd of kids songs and read him a story etc. Last night was a lot better and less tears and lots more food was eaten. On the nice nights we have been eating outside and he doesn't even think about tv because there is so much else to look at.

I am a bit torn over the whole tv thing.. I don't mind it and even like watching it myself but I recently went to a girlfriends house and her little girl couldn't even say hello because she was hypnotized by the tv which made me have a bit of think about how much DS already watches. I have also been making a big deal of turning it off - I get him to say goodbye the character on the tv (Igglepiggle on high rotation at the moment!) so that he knows its going off.