Breakfast - Health & Parenting

Breakfast

Health And Parenting Series

*Why Bother With Breakfast?*

Breakfast is a great way to give the body the
refueling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend
to eat healthier overall and are more likely to
participate in physical activities — two great
ways to help maintain a healthy weight.

Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired,
restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies
need to refuel for the day ahead after going
without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep. Their
mood and energy can drop by midmorning if
they don't eat at least a small morning meal.

Breakfast also can help keep kids' weight in
check. Breakfast kick-starts the body's
metabolism, the process by which the body
converts the fuel in food to energy. And when
the metabolism gets moving, the body starts
burning calories.

Also, people who don't eat breakfast often
consume more calories throughout the day and
are more likely to be overweight. That's because
someone who skips breakfast is likely to get
famished before lunchtime and snack on high-
calorie foods or overeat at lunch.

It's important for kids to have breakfast every
day, but what they eat in the morning is crucial
too. Choosing breakfast foods that are rich in
whole grains, fiber , and protein while low in
added sugar may boost kids' attention span,
concentration, and memory — which they need
to learn in school.

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

If kids aren't hungry first thing in the morning,
be sure to pack a breakfast that they can eat a
little later on the bus or between classes. Fresh
fruit, cereal, nuts, or half a peanut butter and
banana sandwich are nutritious, easy to make,
and easy for kids to take along.

What not to serve for breakfast is important too.
Sure, toaster pastries and some breakfast bars
are portable, easy, and appealing to kids. But
many have no more nutritional value than a
candy bar and are high in sugar and calories.
Read the nutrition labels carefully before you
toss these breakfast bars and pastries into your
shopping cart.

Thanks for reading.

Article by: Immanuel Rottex

Have a nice day,
Food, Nutrients & Health.