Breakfast for kiddos
Its no surprise that breakfast is a pretty important meal. It’s the best way to give our body the energy it needs to wake up and face the day. Research suggests that having breakfast can help kids and adults alike meet nutritional requirements. For kids, skipping breakfast may leave gaps in their nutritional intake and make it difficult to get all the nutrients they need to grow and develop. Research suggests that regular intake of breakfast may also improve congnitive function and alertness in the morning. These factors may also be related to better academic performance, improved focus and behaviour. These are some pretty strong arguments to include breakfast most days, if not every day. Childhood are habit forming years, so cementing the breakfast habit during this time can really help with keeping it up later on. Despite all the well known positives about including breakfast, many parents still find serving breakfast a challenge. So, what is standing in their way? Well, for one, mornings are rushed! Getting up, ready and out the door can be a challenge for most families (even during Covid times when many of us are heading just down the hall for virtual school and work). In addition, many kids and teens wake up without an appetite. Not having the time to linger in the morning and wait for their appetite to build could mean mornings without breakfast.
Making it happen
So if the breakfast routine in your house is lacking, there are a few things you can do to get on the breakfast train. Here are some tips to help you start the habit and make it routine.
Lower your expectations: Breakfast doesn’t have to be a long, leiusurely affair nor does it need to consist of instagram worthy recipes.
Start off with one food item: Getting something on the plate is the goal here. Eventually you can aim for more with a focus on specific food groups, but let’s start with small, realistic goals. To not overwhelm kiddos who don’t have big appetites in the morning aim for just one food group to start. One food group is definitely better than starting the day on empty. Serve yogurt or a fruit or a handful of trail mix or a hardboiled egg.
Create a morning habit that works for your family this could include:
waking up just a few minutes earlier to squeeze in a quick breakfast, even 5 minutes can make all the difference
Prepare breakfast the night before, have cereal poured into bowls waiting for milk, yogurt portioned into cups and waiting for granola or fruit, you could even set out toast and nut butters on the counter ready to go!
Consider making breakfasts ahead of time, I like having muffins, pancakes, banana bread, waffles and baked oatmeal ready to go in the freezer. These make for quick and nutritious breakfasts that just require a few seconds to warm up in the microwave. You could also prepare smoothie bags with all your favourite ingredients for a single serve smoothie, dump it into the blender with some yogurt or milk in the morning and you are good to go!
Have grab and go breakfast items in the pantry or freezer that can be tossed in a backpack as kids are running out the door. Some ideas include, fruit, whole grain granola bars (choose those with less than 8g of sugar per serving), dry cereal, nuts and dried fruit (for kids over 4 and teens) or homemade muffins. Even pancakes or waffles from the freezer could serve as a great grab and go breakfast
What makes a winning breakfast
Of course, a winning breakfast is one that is actually eaten, so again, aim for something even if it’s a very small breakfast and work up from there. Eventually, you want to include a variety of different food groups at breakfast time to help little ones meet their nutritional requirements for growth and development. Aim for whole grains, protein, milk or milk alternatives, some healthy fats and of course a fruit or vegetable. Fibre, protein and fat help keep bellies feeling full until snack time. Find some quick and easy, no frills, breakfast ideas below.
Whole grain toast with nut or seed butter, banana slices and a glass of milk
Oatmeal made with milk topped with berries and sliced almonds
Baked oatmeal, serving of yogurt and sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon
Whole grain cereal (look for something with less than 8g of sugar per serving and at least 2g of fibre) with milk and slices of cantaloupe
Berry tofu smoothie and a homemade muffin
Chia pudding with fruit and nut or seed butter (find my favourite recipe here https://fraicheliving.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-chia-pudding/)
French toast, yogurt and sliced pear
Whole grain English muffin, scrambled egg, cheese and tomato and avocado slices
Avocado toast with cottage cheese
Yogurt with granola and blueberries
Homemade muffin, cheese slices and pineapple
Check out my Recipe section for more winning breakfast ideas! Remember, starting off with at least something in a kiddos belly is better than nothing at all. So start off small and build up from there, before you know it breakfast will be a normal part of the morning routine.
Check out the evidence supporting the importance of breakfast for little ones!
Jijun Yao, Yanli Liu, Shike Zhou (2019) Effect of Eating Breakfast on Cognitive Development of Elementary and Middle School Students: An Empirical Study Using Large-Scale Provincial Survey Data. Med Sci Monit 2019 Nov 22; 25: 8843-53
Widenhorn-Müller K, Hille K, Klenk J and Weiland U. (2008) Influence of having breakfast on cognitive performance and mood in 13- to 20-year-old high school students: results of a crossover trial Pediatrics Aug; 122 (2) 279-84
Gimenez-Legarre N, Miguel-Berges ML, Flores-Barrantes P, et al (2020) Breakfast Characteristics and Its Association with Daily Micronutrients Intake in Children and Adolescents-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Nutrients: Oct 20;12(10):3201
Gimenez-Legarre N, Miguel-Berges ML, Flores-Barrantes P, et al (2020) Characteristics and Their Association with Energy, Macronutrients, and Food Intake in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients: Aug 15; 22(8): 2460