BENEFITS OF BREAKFAST FOR CHILDREN
There are many benefits of breakfast for children. Breakfast provides children with
the energy and essential nutrients they need to concentrate on school work and learn.
Studies show that breakfast provides as much as 25 percent of the recommended daily
allowance for key nutrients, such as calcium, protein, vitamins A and B6, magnesium,
iron and zinc.
More Benefits of Breakfast
Research shows that children who eat breakfast have higher achievement scores, lower
rates of absence and tardiness, and increased concentration in the classroom. Adults
who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat fewer calories, less saturated fat and cholesterol
and have better overall nutritional status than breakfast skippers.
Another important benefit of breakfast for children is that establishing the healthy
habit of eating breakfast early in life could stave off many adulthood health problems
associated with poor diet, such as diabetes and obesity.
What counts as breakfast?
Breakfasts that include foods from several food groups provide the most benefit
to children, both educationally and physically. Ideally, you want to make a balanced
breakfast that consists of protein, fat and carbohydrate. That will prevent drops
in blood sugar for several hours, whereas a breakfast of just carbohydrate will
sustain a child for only one to two hours.
A drop in blood sugar can mean a decline in energy level and the onset of hunger
symptoms like a stomachache or headache, which interfere with learning. Balanced
meals offering foods from several food groups (containing carbohydrate, protein
and fat) are designed to sustain children’s energy throughout the morning.
If breakfast is rushed in the morning, eating something is still better than eating
nothing. So, if you are getting your child to eat a banana or piece of string cheese
on the way to school, that’s better than them starting the day on an empty stomach.
Fast Breakfast Ideas
Simple breakfasts that can be prepared quickly and easily include:
- Juice and cereal with milk
- Toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
- A fruit smoothie made with yogurt
- A hard-cooked egg and a bagel
- A cereal bar or a piece of fresh fruit and string cheese are great portable breakfasts
- Leftovers can be breakfast too—soup and crackers, tortillas with melted cheese
or chicken drumsticks can all work in a pinch!
Healthy Habits Start Early
Your kids look up to you. If mom and dad don’t have to eat breakfast—why should
they? By eating breakfast everyday, you are teaching your children that it is important
to eat breakfast. Establishing this habit early ensures that they will have healthy
eating habits when they grow up.
Print more quick and nutritious breakfast ideas for busy families:
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