What foods are considered a meal when they're in one form, but not considered a meal when the same food is in a different form?

I decided to pour myself a glass of tomato juice. Then I got to thinking…why would tomato juice not be considered a meal, but a bowl of tomato soup would be considered a meal? And what other foods are out there that the same thing could be applied to? Pancakes with syrup vs cake, for example. They both have the same ingredients, but people would be aghast to learn I fed a kid a piece of chocolate cake for breakfast, but would be fine if I served them pancakes.

I read something written by a day care provider where she said one of the moms would get upset if she fed her daughter a Popsicle made from orange juice because Popsicles are junk food you know, but was fine with her daughter drinking that same juice in liquid form from a glass.