Healthy Children For Life - Breakfast

Imagine building a house without a foundation. It may stay standing for awhile, but eventually it will start to shift and crack and eventually collapse. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast should be considered as important to your body as a solid foundation is to a house. The word breakfast literally means “breaking the fast”. After you stop eating in the evening, there is usually about 12 hours until you rise and eat again. Although it is important for your body to rest during the night, it is extremely important to begin nourishing your body once you awaken. As soon as you eat, your metabolism revs up. The internal organs, including the brain, can perform their respective functions and you have energy to begin your day. On the contrary, if you don’t eat, your metabolism is not activated and the body starts to go into starvation mode. The human body has a natural instinct to preserve itself and basic functions begin to slow down as the body responds to a lack of nutrients. By not consuming breakfast, you stress all your internal organs, you have trouble concentrating because there is no energy for your brain, and you create a body that is destined to be obese as it learns to hold onto fat due to this perceived famine. Therefore, eating a healthy breakfast is an extremely important habit to teach your children.

So what are the best choices for breakfast? It is very important at every meal to have carbohydrates and protein. Let’s start with the carbs. A great habit to instill in your children is to have fresh fruit to start the day. Fruit gives you tons of energy, it’s full of nutrients and enzymes for digestion and most varieties have a good amount of fibre. When it comes to bread, insist on multigrain. White bread should be considered a “treat” just like candy. My youngest daughter likes when I make “M&Ms”. No, not the chocolate kind. I toast up some multigrain bread, her current favourite is Dempster’s Whole Grains “Ancient Grains” (3g of fibre and 5g protein per slice). Then after buttering it, I sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top. Cinnamon is a great blood sugar stabilizer and antioxidant. Then I cut the bread into the letter “M”, the first letter of her name. Somehow this makes it taste much more delicious.

Next, I would recommend a good source of protein. Plain, low fat yogurt is great because it is loaded with protein, is an excellent source of calcium, has lots of good bacteria for the intestines and is easy to add flavour to. Stir in the aforementioned fruit, some honey or maple syrup, some chopped up nuts and a high quality granola and you have a very satisfying breakfast. Or make a smoothie with the fruit and yogurt. In my experience, if you give them straws, kids are more likely to drink it. It’s all about making it fun. Stay away from presweetened yogurts that are loaded with sugar. One of my daughters’ favourite breakfasts is what we call “string cheese egg”. I pour egg whites into a fry pan and the girls string the cheese over the top. I serve it rolled up and they love it. What a great blast of protein

Many people ask me about breakfast cereals and instant oatmeal. I am not a fan because most are loaded with sugar and are low in protein and fibre. Nature’s Path, Kashi and President’s Choice brands have some excellent cereals, but make sure you check the nutrition label. Look for at least 4g of protein and 3g of fibre. My kids love the Nature’s Path Optimum and Optimum Slim. They are both loaded with fibre and protein and are actually fantastic to eat after exercising.

By starting the day right, your kids will be ready to perform their best in school, in sports and in life.