Breakfast - giving kids a great start to the day

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, providing children with the fuel needed to get through their day and maintain their energy levels.  Having the right energy levels helps with good concentration at school - which assists with learning.

Our bodies store glucose or sugar in the blood. This sugar ends up in the liver, which then releases it as energy in bursts throughout the day, in the form of glycogen. If you skip breakfast, your body will run out of glycogen by the middle of the morning and when this happens, your body is like a car that runs out of gas.

So if children skip breakfast, they'll feel tired and lacking energy by mid morning. It will be harder for them to concentrate and they'll probably be irritable too.

How does breakfast help children to concentrate?

After not eating all night, breakfast helps to refuel children’s brains just as much as it fuels their bodies.So for growing children and teens especially, a morning meal is particularly important. Breakfast prepares children to meet the challenges of learning. Studies show that breakfast eaters have higher school attendance, are less likely to be late for school, and have fewer hunger-induced stomach-aches in the morning. They concentrate better, solve problems more easily and have better muscle coordination and verbal fluency.

How else does breakfast influence health?

People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, too. Researchers recently found adults who eat breakfast are nearly 50 percent less likely to be obese compared to people who don’t eat breakfast.No doubt this also applies to children, who, by eating breakfast regularly, are setting up a good lifetime habit for weight control.

Here are some other breakfast benefits. Children who eat breakfast are more likely to...

• meet their daily nutritional needs for optimal growth and development
• keep their weight under control
• have better dental health
• have lower blood cholesterol levels
• attend school more frequently
• make fewer trips to the school nurse’s office complaining of tummy aches.

What makes a good breakfast for children?

No matter what children eat for breakfast - the most important thing is that they have breakfast. However, some breakfast foods are more nutritious than others.Try to include a source of protein (such as milk or yoghurt) with a source of carbohydrate (such as cereal, bread, rice or noodles), because this will help to delay digestion of the meal, providing more sustained energy until lunch-time.

Examples of good breakfasts include:

• Cereal with fruit and milk provides lots of nutritional goodies, including carbohydrate, some protein, B vitamins, fibre, calcium and vitamin C.
• Whole grain toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk provides carbohydrate, fibre, protein, calcium and B vitamins.
• Fruit and yoghurt provides protein, carbohydrate, fibre, calcium and
• vitamin C.This can also be blended with milk to make a delicious smoothie for children who prefer to drink their breakfast.
• Rice/noodles/bread and egg provides carbohydrate, protein, iron and
• B vitamins.
• Whole grain toast with baked beans and grated cheese provides carbohydrate, fibre, protein, calcium and B vitamins.

How to make breakfast fun and easy

• Make breakfast a family occasion - this is often the only time in the day when the whole family is together.Parents who eat breakfast set a good example, which their children are more likely to follow.
• Set up the breakfast table the night before to save time in the morning.
• Make breakfast fun by planning it with your child. If your child doesn't like traditional breakfast foods, don't worry; breakfast can be any food they like - within reason of course!
• If children use the excuse of not being hungry, start them out with a light bite - perhaps juice, toast or a glass of milk. Then send with them to school with a nutritious mid-morning snack like yogurt, cheese or a bran muffin.
• Don't feel you have to make elaborate breakfast food. Stick to the basics and serve simple foods that are nutritious and quick and easy to prepare and eat in the morning.