22 Aug Why Breakfast Is So Important For Healthy Kids

Avoiding the popular highly processed breakfast cereals that line the supermarket shelves is the first step in supporting the health of your child’s gut and immune system.  Many parents would be horrified to know that many of the top selling breakfast cereals are full of sugar, artificial flavours and colours and can contain as much sugar as a packet of chips.  In fact, you would be better off eating the cereals cardboard box.

Replacing these highly processed cereals with a wholefood option is a critical step in changing your child’s appetite for processed foods. If the day starts with a meal high in sugar then this will more than likely be the type of food craved throughout the day. Wholegrains have their nutrients intact in the outer covering of the grain

We often hear it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there certainly is a lot of truth to this statement.  The word breakfast literally means ‘breaking the fast’, and your child probably hasn’t eaten for 10 to 12 hours.  When they break their fast, their body needs proper nourishment for the thousands of vital functions it is about to perform throughout the day.

A nourishing breakfast that contains protein will help your child in the following way:

• ✅ When your child eats a balanced breakfast they feel full for longer
• ✅ Balances their energy throughout the morning
• ✅ Improves focus and concentration in the classroom
• ✅ Evens out their blood sugar which helps to stop the cravings for junk food.

Preparing a nutritious breakfast for your child doesn’t have to be labour intensive but is essential to keep your child strong and healthy.  By incorporating protein into breakfast this helps them to stay away from the processed foods that are interfering with their long term health and happiness.  A bowl of traditional porridge or an egg on toast is going to sustain their energy levels more than a bowel of highly processed breakfast cereal that line the supermarket shelves. 

If your child doesn’t have an appetite for breakfast then smoothies are a healthy option.  This is the perfect opportunity to add fruit and vegetables into their diet in a delicious nutrient dense breakfast.  Breakfast muffins are also a good choice for breakfast and can be eaten in the car on the way to school

Fruit juice contains up to 6 teaspoons of sugar

Commercial fruit juice is high in sugar and can contain up to 6 teaspoons of sugar per serving, this gives a spike in blood sugars followed by an energy slump which makes your child tired and irritable. A healthier option, with orange juice for example, is squeeze the juice from the orange and dilute the juice with water and put the pulp in the glass and they can eat it with a spoon. 

Our Daily Bread

Toast is a popular choice for breakfast – try some of these suggestions rather than the usual honey or jam. 

choosing the best loaf of bread

• ✅ Always buy the best quality bread you can afford – the heavier the loaf the better.
• ✅ Look for wheat alternatives, for example spelt or rye bread, they will never notice the difference.  Check the ingredients list to make sure the bread contains 100% spelt or rye because wheat can often still be the main ingredient, check the ingredient list for baker’s flour, another term used by manufacturers to describe wheat flour.
• ✅ Buy wholegrain brown bread because when it is toasted they won’t notice that it is brown bread.
• ✅ Always use butter, nut butter or avocado as a spread and never margarine.

• ✅ Always buy the best quality bread you can afford – the heavier the loaf the better.
• ✅ Look for wheat alternatives, for example spelt or rye bread, they will never notice the difference.  Check the ingredients list to make sure the bread contains 100% spelt or rye because wheat can often still be the main ingredient, check the ingredient list for baker’s flour, another term used by manufacturers to describe wheat flour.
• ✅ Buy wholegrain brown bread because when it is toasted they won’t notice that it is brown bread.
• ✅ Always use butter, nut butter or avocado as a spread and never margarine.

Try these toast toppings

• ✅ Poached Poached or scrambled egg on toast
• ✅ Ricotta or goats cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes
• ✅ Cold pressed peanut butter and smashed banana
• ✅ Fresh tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese
• ✅ Pesto and sliced tomato and cheese
• ✅ Homemade baked beans
• ✅ Meted cheese over anything
• ✅ Cream cheese, mashed banana and cinnamon
• ✅ Leftover mashed veggies and melted cheese