Breakfast - Many of us make excuses as to why we don't eat breakfast - "I'm running late." "I don't have the time." "I need a few more minutes of sleep." "I'll just have a cup of coffee." But as a parent, your behavior impacts on your children. And this is one behavior you may need to rethink, because a nutritious breakfast is essential for the growth and development of your children. Children are continuously growing and changing every day, and a nutritious breakfast provides the sugar, starch, protein, and fat - elements necessary for children to ensure a sustained release of energy and a delayed onset of hunger. Eating breakfast also improves the intake of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, especially iron and vitamin C.Studies have shown that eating breakfast gives children the nutritional boost they need to get the learning process going - to stimulate learning - and there are other benefits as well. Children who ate breakfast (when compared to those who rarely ate breakfast): Learn better (and have improved memory) Achieve more (better math and reading scores - almost a whole letter grade higher; and better standardized test scores) Participate in the class more often (and have increased attentiveness in the classroom and less anxiety) Behave better (less disciplinary actions or incidences and are more socially developed) Attend school more often (less absences and tardiness) Visit the school nurse less often Children who are hungry can be apathetic, disinterested, and irritable when confronted with difficult tasks. Growth, the nonverbal aspects of development, learning, and social skills of undernourished children are significantly affected. But when the physical need of hunger is taken care of, these children can focus on learning and perform better in school, not only educationally but socially and emotionally as well. The evidence is clear - eating breakfast, whether it's eaten at home or at school - and whether it's pancakes, cereal, fruit, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or leftovers from the night before - leads to better health, learning, and behavior - all keys to success at school - and in life. Some tips for getting kids to eat breakfast Get them involved When children are involved in an activity, they are more likely to enjoy it and do it. For younger children, that may mean letting them pour the cereal into the bowl, or make "ghost toast" using cookie cutters to cut out favorite shapes or characters. For older children that may mean letting them actually make their own breakfast. The following are three easy to make, appealing, (and nutritious) breakfast recipes from the American School Food Service Association that children can make themselves - you probably have others at home. Strawberry Banana Shake Put ½ cup frozen strawberries, ½ sliced banana, ½ c orange juice, and ¼ cup lowfat plain yogurt in a blender. Mix until smooth. Makes one serving. Fruit Yogurt Shake Put ½ cup sliced fruit (peaches, strawberries, bananas), 2 scoops of nonfat frozen yogurt, 1 cup ice cold skim milk, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses. Makes one serving. Cinnamon Apple Wrap Gather 4 7-inch flour tortillas, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ½ cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Spread 1/8 cup of applesauce over each of the tortilla. Sprinkle ½ Tbsp of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the applesauce. Top with 1/8 cup of cheddar cheese. Wrap each tortilla and heat in the microwave until the cheese melts. Use the food guide pyramids Another way to help children get a good breakfast is to have them use the food guide pyramids to keep track of the types of foods they eat and how much. Developed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Food Guide Pyramids show the recommended food groups and number of servings for a well-balanced diet. <TABLE style="MARGIN-LEFT: auto; WIDTH: 71%; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; TEXT-ALIGN: left" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 border=0><TD width="38%" height=245><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width=300 bgColor=#000000 border=0><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" bgColor=#d1dbef border=0>Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). <TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle; WIDTH: 62%; HEIGHT: 245px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><TABLE style="WIDTH: 335px; HEIGHT: 379px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 bgColor=#000000 border=0><TR bgColor=#ffffcc><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0>Source: U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). By actively involving children in making their nutritional choices, you can help them develop life-long good nutritional habits at the same time - and make it fun! Pack good nutritious and safe meals Packing good nutritious meals for your children is essential. Whether your child eats breakfast and lunch or lunch only at school - it's not only what you put in the lunch box or bag that counts but how you pack it. Keep these tips from the USDA in mind when packing your children's school meals. Keep foods clean Keep everything (the food, food preparation surfaces, hands, and utensils) clean when packing the lunch. Use hot, soapy water, and keep your family pets away from the kitchen counters. Most of all wash your hands before you prepare or eat food. Keep cold foods cold Use an insulated lunch box or bag to keep cold foods cold. And take care in how you actually "pack" the foods. When packing lunches, include freezer gel packs or cold food items such as fruit, or small frozen juice packs. Nestle perishable meat, poultry, or egg sandwiches between these cold items. Sandwiches can also be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated or frozen before placing in the lunch box. Freezer gel packs usually work for only a few hours. So they will keep cold foods cold until lunchtime, but generally will not work for all-day storage. Perishable leftovers should be discarded and not brought home. If you don't have an insulated lunch box or bag, "double-bag" your paper or plastic lunch bags. The layers will help insulate the food. Also, if possible, control the environment where the lunch bag or box is kept. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators or other heat sources. Keep hot foods hot Foods like soup, chili, and stew need to stay hot. Use an insulated bottle stored in an insulated lunch box or bag. Fill the bottle with boiling water, let it stand for a few minutes, then empty the bottle and put in the hot food. Keep the insulated bottle closed until mealtime to keep the food hot. You probably have other tips for getting your children to eat breakfast. These are only a few. But no matter what you do, or whether your children eat breakfast at home or at school - starting the day with a good breakfast is essential. Eating breakfast helps children be their best.
