You may have heard it over and over again but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, especially for children.
With hectic school schedules, our kids might find it hard to sit down for a proper breakfast. We often succumb to providing easy options that kids will tolerate just to get the job done!
Read on to find out why that morning meal is so important, plus the ways to make your kid a healthy and nutritious breakfast, every day.
The first meal to get your ‘fuel’ going
Breakfast re-energises the body after an overnight fast; breakfast eaters tend to be more energetic1 too.
Nutritionists believe that a good breakfast should deliver at least one quarter to a third of your child's daily nutritional needs2.
Research shows that children who eat breakfast, compared to those who don't, achieve better concentration, memory, test scores and behaviour in school3.
Rise and shine to a power breakfast
Wake up just a little earlier and sit down with your kids to have a nourishing breakfast. Make it an interesting meal with a choice of healthy alternatives.
Bread, cereal, rice, porridge, pasta, or noodles provide fuel for the day. Opt for wholegrain bread for more fibre and nutrient value in the meals of your children.
Choose to include protein like eggs, lean meat, fish, poultry, or beans in their meals to support growth and repair of the body.
And try to include formula milk, yogurt, or cheese for more calcium and protein in your kid’s breakfast, so that their bones will grow healthy and strong.
Make sure that your kids take fruit and vegetables daily for added vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Keep added sugar, salt and fat to a minimum in your children’s diet.
1Health Promotion Board of Singapore. Retrieved on August 28, 2015 from: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2682.
2'The role of breakfast in nutrient intake of urban schoolchildren'. Chitra, U; Reddy, CR. Public Health Nutrition, January 2007, 10(1):55-8. Retrieved on August 28, 2015 from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17212843.
3WebMD.com. Retrieved on August 24, 2015 from: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal.
