Healthy Breakfasts

Breakfast is essential to getting your child's day started right.

Think of your children as little plants. When a plant is provided with nutrient rich soil and the right amount of water, it will grow strong and be vibrant. Your child is growing just as fast as that plant. Physically and mentally, your child is growing growing at an amazing rate. He/she needs nutrient packed foods to make sure that process continues running as efficiently as possible.
The problem is, our Nation is consumed with prepackaged, fast fast food, many of which have an ingredient list a mile long of 'ingredients' the consumer has no clue what they are.
Childhood obesity is at an all time high, children are dealing with adult diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and Sleep Apnea.

It's time to toss out the junk and feed our children real food!

If your child isn't eating breakfast, have you realized he/she will have gone approximately 16 hours without food if he/she doesn't eat until lunch?

What does a healthy breakfast consist of?
Protein and Complex Carbohydrates.
Why?
Dr Sears explains it far better than I can here, called 'Brainy Breakfasts'. You'll have to scroll down a little ways. While you're at his site, be sure to read the section on '11 Ways Foods Can Help You Think'

So what should you feed your children?
Dr Sears has a great list on the link above.
They are below as well.

1. granola cereal, yogurt, a sliced apple
2. scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice
3. veggie omelet, bran muffin, fruit with yogurt
4. whole-grain pancakes or waffles topped with berries and/or yogurt, milk
5. whole-wheat zucchini pancakes topped with fruit, milk
6. french toast topped with fruit, orange juice or milk
7. low-fat cheese melted on toast with a piece of fruit
8. low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, orange juice
9. peanut butter and banana slices on an English muffin, milk
10. For a breakfast-on-the-run smoothie, see "School-Ade."

Other ideas...

1. Scrambled eggs, veggies wrapped in a whole grain tortilla
2. Eggs In a Whole
3. Whole Grain Waffles topped with fresh fruit and milk or yogurt
   
4. Whole grain muffins, fruit and cottage cheese or yogurt
5. Oven Veggie or Fruit Pancake or Sweet Potato Pancakes, with cottage cheese, yogurt, or milk
6. Oatmeal, cooked in milk, served with fruit or juice
7. Peanut butter on whole grain toast, served with yogurt & juice
8. Hard boiled egg, whole grain English muffin or mini whole grain bagel, milk
9. Tuna on whole grain toast broiled with a little cheese (I have a child who LOVES tuna, this is like a treat to him!)
10. Yogurt parfait make with fresh fruit & granola with finely chopped nuts
11. Homemade granola bars & a glass of milk

How do you fit these into your schedule?

• Many baked items can be made a head and frozen so they are easy to pull out in the morning. Plan a time to bake.
• Make yogurt parfaits the afternoon before. Allow your child to create his/her own.
  
• Plan a head. When you set out clothes for you child to wear for the next day, set out breakfast too.
• Plan a grocery trip to purchase the things you will need.
• Delegate morning breakfast jobs to your children. Every age child can help in some way!
• Ask you children to help you plan the week's menu of breakfasts. When they help plan they will be more eager to help eat.

When you start to feed your child a healthy breakfast, you will notice a difference in their behavior and learning.

AND...
Don't forget to feed yourself a healthy breakfast too!
What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
My family had... poached eggs, whole wheat toast, oranges, bananas, greek yogurt, kefir