Nut_Article

♥ BREAKFAST IS A MUST!

Everybody’s heard it before…breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s true, but you eat is also crucial. When you wake up in the morning your body has been fasting for a number of hours (hence, breakfast = break the fast). Eating breakfast regularly is an important habit to instill in your children when they are young, so that it lasts a lifetime. The breakfast habit is more easily acquired if it is regular part of the household routine.

Eat breakfast yourself. “Showing” teaches more than simply “telling.” Your child will follow what you do. Sometimes, as parents we feel that grabbing a quick bite is sufficient for breakfast. However, it is important to remember that in school, students are learning new concepts and ideas on a daily basis, requiring them to have higher energy requirements than doing something routine or familiar, which is what most people do at work every day. In addition, in a work environment, the luxury of getting up and “grabbing a bite” is always available, however in a school setting this is not often the case. Children who do not eat a good breakfast become tired in school and have shorter attention spans, especially late in the morning. In fact, in one study, test scores of children who did not eat breakfast were generally lower than those who had eaten a well-balanced morning meal.

Give yourself time to wake up. Most people aren’t hungry right away. Rushing puts pressure on breakfast eating. Wake up earlier, or try to prepare breakfast the night before, so that it is ready to go in the morning. Another good reason to eat breakfast, is that it help ensure getting enough vitamins and minerals, as research has shown we often do not get enough from lunch and dinner alone. By adding breakfast, we are more likely to get the vitamins and minerals they need.

Breakfast does not need to complicated, or fancy, just balanced and nutritious. A good breakfast should be nutritionally dense. What this means is that it should include one food from at least three of the four food groups. Here are some ideas:

It takes minimal time to put a slice of cheese between two slices of whole grain bread on the way out the door!

Keep convenient foods on hand, such as yogurt, fruit, cheese sticks, quick cooking oatmeal, backs of trail mix, and whole grain bread.

Have ‘breakfast-to-go’ on the bus, in the car, or while walking to work. This might include a smoothie with a whole grain muffin.

Peanut butter and banana sandwich and a carton of milk – sandwich can be made the night before. Try a whole wheat hot dog bun for variety and fun!

Bowl of cereal (look for those with more than 4 g fiber/serving), with fresh berries or cut up fruit with milk

Oatmeal (try the quick cooking instead of instant, they both cook in 1 ½ minutes in the microwave, and you save on the salt), add raisins for extra fiber and iron. Make it with milk instead of water

Homemade Granola Recipe – add this on top of yogurt, or have on its own

3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup canola oil
1 cup dried apples, chopped
1 cup raisins
½ cup walnuts (omit if using for a school snack)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds

♥ Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Combine rolled oats, brown sugar and canola oil in large bowl. Add remaining ingredientsand stir thoroughly. Spread in a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for thirty minutes or until golden, stirring twice. Cool and store in a tightly covered container. Recipe Source: Canola Council of Canada

I often get the impression that parents think that what is good enough for them, should also work for their children, ie: a quick Danish. But, they forget the learning requires more energy than doing something you are familiar with, which is what most people do at work every day. Also, they tend to forget that they can go and get something more to eat whenever they feel like it, or they drink coffee with milk and sugar which might keep them going for awhile, as opposed to the children who don’t have their first snack time until 10:40 am. There are also children who can’t eat when they first get up and come to school having had next to nothing or a quick snack thing in the car on the way to school. The teachers are ok with kids eating in the classroom once in a while if that means they will be able to think and learn better. Another option of course, it to get the children up earlier! Anyway, if you have time, let me know and I will save space in the newsletter.

underestimate the value of breakfast

Some research shows that people who skip breakfast on a regular basis are 400 times more likely to be obese, than those that don’t!

ou probably heard it from your own parents: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But now you’re the one saying it — to your sleepy, frazzled, grumpy kids, who insist “I’m not hungry” as you try to get everyone fed and moving in the morning. Even if you eat a healthy morning meal every day, it can be tough to get kids fueled up in time for school, childcare, or a day of play. But it’s important to try. Here’s how to make breakfast more appealing for everyone.

♥ Why Bother With Breakfast?

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 participate in physical activities — two great ways to help maintain a healthy weight.

Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day ahead after going without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don’t eat at least a small morning meal.

Breakfast also can help keep kids’ weight in check. Breakfast kick-starts the body’s metabolism, the process by which the body converts the fuel in food to energy. And when the metabolism gets moving, the body starts burning calories.

Also, people who don’t eat breakfast often consume more calories throughout the day and are more likely to be overweight. That’s because someone who skips breakfast is likely to get famished before lunchtime and snack on high-calorie foods or overeat at lunch. Breakfast Brain Power

It’s important for kids to have breakfast every day, but what they eat in the morning is crucial too. Choosing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein while low in added sugar may boost kids’ attention span, concentration, and memory — which they need to learn in school.

Kids who eat breakfast are more likely to get fiber, calcium, and other important nutrients. They also tend to keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels and fewer absences from school, and make fewer trips to the school nurse with stomach complaints related to hunger.

♥ Making Breakfast Happen

It would be great to serve whole-grain waffles, fresh fruit, and low-fat milk each morning. But it can be difficult to make a healthy breakfast happen when you’re rushing to get yourself and the kids ready in the morning and juggling the general household chaos.

So try these practical suggestions to ensure that — even in a rush — your kids get a good breakfast before they’re out the door:

stock your kitchen with healthy breakfast options
prepare as much as you can the night before (gets dishes and utensils ready, cut up fruit, etc.)
get everyone up 10 minutes earlier
let kids help plan and prepare breakfast
have grab-and-go alternatives (fresh fruit, individual boxes of cereal, yogurt or smoothies, trail-mix) on days when there is little or no time to eat

If kids aren’t hungry first thing in the morning, be sure to pack a breakfast that they can eat a little later on the bus or between classes. Fresh fruit, cereal, nuts, or half a peanut butter and banana sandwich are nutritious, easy to make, and easy for kids to take along.

You may also want to check out the breakfasts offered at school or daycare. Some offer breakfasts and provide them for free or at reduced prices for families with limited incomes. If your kids eat breakfast outside the home, talk with them about how to make healthy selections.

What not to serve for breakfast is important too. Sure, toaster pastries and some breakfast bars are portable, easy, and appealing to kids. But many have no more nutritional value than a candy bar and are high in sugar and calories. Read the nutrition labels carefully before you toss these breakfast bars and pastries into your shopping cart.

♥ Breakfast Ideas to Try

The morning meal doesn’t have to be all about traditional breakfast items. You can mix it up to include different foods, even the leftovers from last night’s dinner, and still provide the nutrients and energy kids need for the day.

Try to serve a balanced breakfast that includes some carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. Carbs are a good source of immediate energy for the body. Energy from protein tends to kick in after the carbs are used up. Fiber helps provide a feeling of fullness and, therefore, discourages overeating. And when combined with adequate liquid consumption, fiber helps move food through the digestive system, preventing constipation and lowering cholesterol.

♥ Good sources of these nutrients include:

carbohydrates: whole-grain cereals, brown rice, whole-grain breads and muffins, fruits, vegetables
protein: low-fat or nonfat dairy products, lean meats, eggs, nuts (including nut butters), seeds, and cooked dried beans
fiber: whole-grain breads, waffles, and cereals; brown rice, bran, and other grains; fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts

♥ Here are some ideas for healthy breakfasts to try:

whole-grain cereal topped with fruit and low-fat yogurt
whole-grain waffles topped with peanut butter, fruit, or ricotta cheese
whole-wheat pita stuffed with sliced hard-cooked eggs
hot cereal topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves
peanut butter on a whole-grain bagel with fresh fruit (banana or apple wedges) and low-fat milk
breakfast smoothie (low-fat milk or yogurt, fruit, and teaspoon of bran, whirled in a blender)
vegetable omelet with whole-wheat toast and orange juice
bran muffin and yogurt with berries
hummus on whole-wheat pita and milk
lean turkey on a toasted English muffin and vegetable juice
heated leftover rice with chopped apples, nuts, and cinnamon, plus fruit juice
low-fat cream cheese and fresh fruit, such as sliced strawberries, on whole-grain bread or a whole-grain bagel
shredded cheese on a whole-wheat tortilla, folded in half and microwaved for 20 seconds and topped with salsa

And don’t forget how important your good example is. Let your kids see you making time to enjoy breakfast every day. Even if you just wash down some whole-wheat toast and a banana with a glass of juice or milk, you’re showing how important it is to face the day only after refueling your brain and body with a healthy morning meal.