Breakfast Nutrition Tips for Kids

We have often heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Is your child eating a healthy breakfast? Do they have enough time to eat breakfast? What are your children eating for breakfast? Let’s go over some breakfast nutrition tips for kids.

According to the American Diabetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast:

•meet their daily nutritional needs, keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels, attend school more frequently, and make fewer trips to the school nurses office complaining of tummy aches
•are more likely than children who skip breakfast to consume foods with adequate levels of minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins, such as riboflavin, vitamins A, C, and B12, and folate
•likely have a better chance of getting an appropriate amount of calories each day, since kids who skip breakfast do not make up for the missed calories at other meals

Eating something for breakfast is better than eating nothing for breakfast. Of course if your child is eating doughnuts or pastries for breakfast all the time, they will not be gaining the proper nutrients they need for their growing bodies. Eating sugary cereal or having a doughnut for breakfast won’t make you feel full for long since they are high in calories, sugar, and fat.

Eating a healthy breakfast is just like eating the other meals during the day, make sure to have a variety of foods and allow a proper diet. Encourage childhood nutrition by incorporating some breakfast ideas:

•eggs
•French toast, waffles, or pancakes (try wheat or whole-grain varieties)
•cold cereal and milk
•hot cereal, such as oatmeal or cream of wheat (try some dried fruit or nuts on top)
•whole-grain toast, bagel, or English muffin with cheese
•yogurt with fruit or nuts
•fruit smoothies
•banana dog (peanut butter, a banana, and raisins in a long whole-grain bun)
•breakfast taco (shredded cheese on a tortilla, folded in half and microwaved; top with salsa)
•country cottage cheese (apple butter mixed with cottage cheese)
•fruit and cream cheese sandwich (use strawberries or other fresh fruit)
•sandwich – grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or another favorite

Some parents do not know much about childhood nutrition and allow their kids to skip breakfast because they are running late or for other reasons. You need to remember that your child needs a healthy breakfast since their body has rested around eight hours without any food. Scientists have stated that children who skip breakfast tend to eat more calories throughout the day leading to poor childhood nutrition. Scientists have also stated that kids who don’t eat a proper breakfast are less able to learn at school, get less iron in their diets, and are more likely to have a higher body mass index.

If you find yourself rushed in the morning and your child is in a rush to get to school here are a few breakfast nutrition tips for kids:

•single servings of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal
•yogurt
•fresh fruit
•whole-grain muffin
•trail mix of nuts, dried fruits, pretzels, crackers, and dry cereal

Proper childhood nutrition is important for your child’s health not only in youth but in adulthood. Kids who eat a proper breakfast are more likely to do better in school, are more likely to participate in physical activities, and tend to eat healthier overall. Just like you have heard for years, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Be sure to make sure your children are getting the proper childhood nutrition to grow up healthy and strong.