How hectic are your mornings on the week days? Between waking everyone on time, getting them dressed, and making lunches for school, how do you prepare for breakfast? Do you plan in advance for the week, the night before, or just scramble in the morning?
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 be physically active — two great ways to help maintain a healthy weight. It’s important for kids to have breakfast every day, but what they eat in the morning is important too. To boost nutrition, choose breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fruits or vegetables, and protein while low in added sugar.
So how do you manage to do all of the above every morning with so little time available?
Here are some ideas to put in practice to make breakfasts easier:
-
Prepare early, such as the evening before (cut up veggies and fruit, prepare lunch boxes).
-
Ensure your pantry is stocked up with healthy options.
-
Set an alarm for 15 minutes than the required time.
-
Include children in the preparation of breakfast.
-
Have emergency snacks to go on hand just in case mornings do not go as planned.
Some children do not have a whole lot of appetite first thing in the morning, so try to plan some sort of breakfast meals on the go, while in the car or on the bus. Ideas such as a banana, healthy granola bars or egg muffins for example are easy and not messy to take along.
Some healthy breakfast ideas to try:
Overnight oats, Homemade protein pancakes, Egg muffins, Protein smoothies, Avocado toast, Boiled eggs, Greek yogurt granola, Sliced cucumbers and hummus in a whole-wheat pita, Lean turkey and tomato on a toasted English muffin.
Do not forget about some breakfast ideas to avoid, solely due to the lack of their nutritional value. Sugary, colorful cereals and toaster pastries are super quick and generally appealing to kids but the sugar in them is such a temporary fill and won’t nurture them, especially first thing in the morning. And if a compromise is needed, you can always offer half a toaster pastry along with scrambled eggs, fruit and veggies, thereby allowing for some sugar along with protein and fiber.
