from Connie Pearson, School Nurse

When children come to the school clinic before 10 AM, I usually ask them if they have had breakfast.  If they did eat breakfast, they often have skipped the nutritious foods and have eaten a sweet roll or Pop Tart as they leave the house to catch the bus.  Sometimes they answer that they have had no breakfast at all.    

 A nutritious breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a variety of reasons.  Our brains are dependent on food for fuel.  Unless we nourish our brain cells and supply them with fresh fuel in the morning, our minds may remain as empty as our stomachs.  Children who become cranky, inattentive, nervous or prone to headaches or stomachaches in the early part of the day may be suffering from inadequate morning nourishment. One ten-year study showed that when both children and adults skipped breakfast, work output was lower, mental reactions were slower, and muscle fatigue increased. Data from the Nationwide Food Consumption Surveys show that individuals who eat breakfast regularly appear to have higher intakes of vitamins, minerals and fiber and consume a lower percent of calories from fat.  Recently released data show that regular consumers of breakfast, especially breakfast cereal, get fewer and less severe colds than non-consumers. 

There are a variety of ways that we can make breakfast appealing, tasty and nutritious for children.  While food selection for breakfast is limited only by our imaginations, a good breakfast should include protein, fiber, fat and water-soluble vitamins, and an abundance of minerals including calcium, iron and potassium. Some ideas for ensuring that your children eat a nutritious breakfast and are ready for a busy school day are: 

• plan ahead by making interesting dishes that need only to be warmed or served in the morning

• involve your children in the planning and preparation of make-ahead dishes

• avoid foods that have little nutritional value or are high in fat and sugar

• try combinations of foods that you might not have tried before

• allow 20 extra minutes in the morning to eat breakfast with your children

• look at www.kidshealth.org with your children to review the Food Guide Pyramid

• remember that breakfast does not have to consist only of traditional breakfast foods

 If your children still do not want to eat breakfast, remember that non-breakfast eaters who begin to eat small servings in the morning find that they gradually develop morning appetites.                                               

References:

Goldbeck, Nikki and David, The Good Breakfast Book, Making Breakfast Special. Ceres Press, Woodstock, NY, 1992.

Yahoo News, “Breakfast Each Day May Keep Colds Away,” Thursday, March 7, 1:36 PM, ET

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