Make a Healthy Breakfast the Start of Your Child’s School Day – Noozhawk

Nothing will start the day off better than a big, healthy breakfast to celebrate your student’s first day back to school.

Healthy breakfasts have plenty of benefits for the body and mind, according to , a doctor-reviewed nonprofit site created by the now retired Dr. Neil Izenberg, a pediatrician in Wilmington, Delaware. It’s important for children to have breakfast every day, and what they eat eat is every bit as important, too.

Kids who eat breakfast tend to be healthier overall and are more likely to participate in physical activities.

Here are some healthy breakfast choices that can get your students ready for school, according to kidshealth.org:

» Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk topped with fruit

» Whole-grain waffles topped with peanut butter and fruit

» Half a whole-grain bagel topped with peanut butter and fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges) and low-fat milk

» Shredded cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla, folded in half, microwaved for 20 seconds and topped with salsa

Kidshealth.org says kids who eat breakfast are more likely to get fiber, calcium and other important nutrients. Kids who eat breakfast also tend to keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels and make fewer trips to the school nurse with stomach complaints related to hunger.

Make Breakfast Together

Another great way to make back-to-school a special occasion for all your students and to be able to gain the benefits of a healthy breakfast is to plan and prepare breakfast together.

Having everyone chime in and plan the breakfast the day before will help your young ones look forward to the following day. Along with the benefits of a healthy and full belly, your children will walk in to school more awake and focused.

If making a breakfast together isn’t possible because of travel and work, the second best thing to do is to plan a meal the day before. Prepare healthy snacks like fruit and cereal that your children can eat the following morning, on the bus or between classes.

Making Breakfast Happen

Morning rushes shouldn’t keep your children from eating a healthy breakfast each morning. There is sometimes a life adjustment that needs to be done so that your family gets on to a new routine.

Kidshealth.org shares a list of a few options your family can consider to make sure breakfast can happen:

» Stock your kitchen with healthy breakfast options.

» Prepare as much as you can the night before, such as getting dishes and utensils ready or cutting up fruit.

» Get everyone up earlier.

» Let kids help plan and prepare breakfast.

» Have grab-and-go alternatives — fresh fruit, individual boxes or baggies of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal, yogurt or smoothies, trail mix — on days when there is little or no time to eat.