I am sure you often heard the phrase “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. Read on to find out why it is important, what to eat and tips to make it happen.
Why is Breakfast important?
Breakfast is the first meal of the morning which literally means “breaking the fast”. It is a great way to help refuel your body after the night and give you and your child the energy you need to get things done. Imagine you are a car. After a night’s sleep, your fuel tank is empty and in need of a refill. A car without fuel will not perform well and so does our body. Children who do not eat a nutritious breakfast have lower energy, become tired at school and have shorter attention spans. Various studies have shown that school- aged children who take a nutritious breakfast perform better at school and are able to concentrate more.
A well balanced breakfast helps your child feel full for longer periods and suffer less from hunger pangs. Children who do not eat a good breakfast are more likely to eat junk food during the day and snack on foods which are high in sugar and fat offering low nutritional value. This would not only have an impact on their general health status but even their weight.
A wholesome breakfast is also good way to ensure your child gets the necessary vitamins and minerals from healthy foods such as diary, wholegrains and fruit.
These are just a few reasons why breakfast is an important meal for your child but be careful not all breakfasts are the same!
What kind of breakfast?
It is not only important that your child has breakfast everyday but what your child eats is even more important. Opening a packet of biscuits or a sugar loaded cereal pack is a quick and easy option but be very careful these are very high in calories, sugar, and fat and do not contain the required nutrients that your child really needs. Just like with any other meal try choosing nutritious foods that contain some carbohydrates, proteins and high amounts of fiber, while being low in added sugar and fat.
Here are some ideas for a quick healthy breakfast:
- whole-grain cereal with semi-skimmed/skimmed milk and ½ banana
- whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-cooked eggs
- whole-grain cereal topped with low-fat yogurt, nuts or fruit sprinkled with cinnamon or allspice.
- whole-grain toast topped with fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges)and some nuts plus a glass of low-fat milk to drink
- vegetable omelet with whole-grain toast
- bran muffin and berries
Tips to make it happen
While reading this you might probably be thinking… ‘in the morning I barely have time to finish and get my children ready on time let alone prepare breakfast for them and make sure they eat it!’
Here are some suggestions to help you make it happen and ensure that even when you are in a rush your child manages to get a good breakfast.
- Keep convenient food readily available e.g. fruit, cheese, wholegrain sliced bread, small packs of healthy whole grain cereal. It takes no more than one minute to put a sliced cheese between two slices of whole grain bread or grab a plain yogurt and pre-cut fruit from the fridge. (Be careful fruit flavored yogurt can have a lot of added sugar)
- Try preparing for breakfast the day before. Boiled eggs are an example of a perfect breakfast food which can be prepared the night before – to save time, you can even prepare a whole batch on a Sunday for the whole week. You can also for example cut fruit and place it in an air tight container in the fridge to find it ready in the morning. Let your child help you in this preparation.
- Allow your child to eat breakfast on the way to school if your child had no time to have it at home.
Don’t forget how important being a role model and setting a good example is. Allow your children to see you have breakfast everyday. This way you will be showing them that it is important to start the day with a healthy morning meal. So why not try sleeping a little bit earlier and waking up ten minutes before to try and make time for breakfast together!