
22 Aug Why Breakfast Is So Important For Healthy Kids
Why feed your child a breakfast cereal that has less nutritional value than the cardboard box it is stored in? |
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
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Naturopathy Can Help With the Following Childhood Conditions
Fiona provides tailored health plans based on a multitude of factors relevant to your child’s symptomology (how they are feeling), pathology (how their body is responding), plus dietary and lifestyle factors.
- ✅ Digestive complaints – constipation, diarrhoea, loose stools, pain or bloating
- ✅ Allergies and allergic conditions – such as asthma, eczema or hayfever
- ✅ Poor Immunity – recurring colds or ear infections
- ✅ Skin Conditions – rashes, eczema, acne, pimples or allergic reactions
- ✅ Moods – anxiety, depression or mood swings
- ✅ Food Intolerances – identifying food reactions
- ✅ Food Allergies – identifying food reactions
- ✅ Growth and development issues – fussy eaters or nutritional malabsorption
- ✅ Behavioural challenges – ADHD or others
- ✅ Energy – poor energy or chronic fatigue
- ✅ Picky Eaters – fussy eaters
- ✅ Sleep – trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
What happens in a children’s nutritionist consultation
During your consultation, Fiona will seek information about your pregnancy, birth and post birth experiences. This will provide an integrated view to give a full picture of the foundations of your child’s health status. You can expect to leave your consultation with a thorough understanding of the potential contributing factors of the presenting symptoms. Fiona will provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates possible herbal/nutritional medicine, dietary/lifestyle recommendations, recipes and handouts. Plus an overview of the consultation so you feel empowered to care for your child’s wellbeing with Fiona’s guidance. At The Children’s Naturopath, Fiona Stock an expert in childhood health, she understands children’s needs and considers working with kids and teens to be an absolute joy. She finds that children typically respond to naturopathic treatment very well – bouncing back to good health in no time. And she treasures the opportunity she has to teach kids about their bodies and engage them in their health journey, setting them up with strong foundations and knowledge for life.Meet Children’s Nutritionist – Fiona Stock
Fiona is skilled at getting to the heart of childhood health challenges – helping to initiate lasting change.
Fiona Stock is a respected Paediatric Naturopath & Children’s Nutritionist with a career spanning over 23 years. Armed with an abundance of experience and a true desire to transform your child’s health, she’ll listen closely to understand the underlying causes of their troubling condition. Fiona gets to the heart of your child’s presenting symptoms by deciphering what their body is trying to tell you. She will suggest simple and specific changes as well as herbal or nutritional medicine where required to nurture and restore your child, so they can enjoy the good health they deserve. Deeply compassionate and highly skilled, either of the Naturopathic Consultation Options with Fiona is a wonderful investment in your child’s health. If you’ve tried everything and are yet to find solutions to your child’s health challenges – this could well be the path to take.FIONA STOCK | PAEDIATRIC NATUROPATH & CHILDREN’S NUTRITIONIST
- ✅Poor Immunity
- ✅Poor Focus & Concentration
- ✅ Behavioural Problems
- ✅ ADHD
- ✅ Depression
- ✅ Anxiety
- ✅ Food Allergies
- ✅ Food Intolerances
- ✅ Constipation
- ✅ Diarrhoea
- ✅ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- ✅ Tummy Pain
- ✅ Eczema
- ✅ Asthma
- ✅ Obesity
- ✅ Auto-Immune Disease
- ✅ Recurring Infections
- ✅ Fussy Eaters
- ✅ Sleep Issues
- ✅ Plus many more…
Online Learning | Children’s Health | Children’s Nutritionist
Would you like a consultation with me at a fraction of the cost? My online learning classes are jam packed with more advice than I provide in a face-to-face appointment. It’s evidence-based naturopathic wisdom coupled with the latest scientific research on kids health I’ve successfully shared with clients over my 20+ year career.
I’ve also included cheatsheets, checklists, nourishing recipes and 25 page book of class notes.
You will learn:
- ✅ Understand the cause if common childhood conditions (eczema, poor immunity, food allergies, food intolerances, poor focus & concentration, ADHD, behavioural problems).
- ✅. Supporting immune function to help support allergic conditions.
- ✅. Support optimal brain function.
- ✅. Healthy Eating Plan – including portion size for each age-group.
- ✅. Natural medicine recommendations,
- ✅. Plus much more…
Brisbane Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Brisbane
Adelaide Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Adelaide
Sydney Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Sydney
Perth Child Naturopath | Children’s Naturopath Perth
Kids Nutritionist | Children’s Nutritionist | Baby Nutritionist
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