Healthy Kids

The Benefits of Eating a Good Breakfast

When your child wakes up in the morning, his body has been going without food while he slept. Breakfast gives his body and brain the energy they need to function. Starting the day with more energy helps keep him going throughout the day.

Better at school

Children who don’t have breakfast:

• Get sleepy at school.
• Have a harder time paying attention.
• Tend to eat more junk food later in the day.

Kids who eat breakfast:

• Get higher test scores.
• Perform better in sports.

Better nutrition

Breakfast is a great opportunity to eat nutritious foods like whole grains, fruits, and dairy products. These give you and your child the vitamins and minerals you need.

A healthy breakfast does not have to include the traditional breakfast foods. Any variety of whole grains, proteins, and fruit can make an excellent start to your day. Look for high fiber foods that show 20 percent or more fiber on the label.

Here are some examples of healthy foods you can serve at breakfast:

• Whole grain cereal with nonfat milk; buy low-sugar cereals that have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.
• Oatmeal with raisins or fresh fruit.
• Whole-wheat English muffin with peanut butter.
• Corn tortilla with beans or eggs and whole-grain toast.
• Fresh or frozen fruit with nonfat yogurt.
• Half a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread.
• Dinner leftovers. 

Here are some tips for making breakfast a part of your child’s day:

• Start small. If your child doesn’t feel hungry in the morning, start with something small, like a piece of whole-grain toast, half a container or yogurt. Offer a high-fiber granola bar. Once he gets used to eating earlier in the day, it will be easy to add more healthy foods to his morning meal.
• Pack and go. If your child cannot eat before he leaves for school, have plenty of easy-to-pack foods to take along: string cheese, whole-grain crackers, yogurt, or fruit. 
• Plan ahead. Get breakfast organized the night before: set the table, put the cereal boxes and fruit on the counter, and know what you are going to serve. If you need to wake up a bit earlier each day to have time to enjoy a healthy breakfast, remind yourself that it is worth it.