Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Kimmes talks about the importance of helping kids start off the day right.

As the first meal, breakfast gives kids energy to start the day and is associated with many benefits including a healthier body weight, better memory, attention and test scores, and better overall nutrition and health. 

Breakfast time can be a challenge for a number of reasons, but it's worth it. Here are some ways you can make breakfast a healthy part of your child's day.

Set an earlier bedtime

Make sure your child goes to bed early enough to get up in time to eat breakfast. Adequate sleep is essential, no matter their age.

Eat breakfast together as a family when possible

Research suggests that families that eat together tend to eat healthier. You as a parent or caregiver have the opportunity to act as a role model in terms of nutrition and eating behaviors. 

If you are in weight loss mode and utilizing intermittent fasting, still sit down with your kids and drink your black coffee while they eat. Explain to them that our bodies need different things in different seasons.

Think outside the (cereal) box

There are better choices than cereal for breakfast. If you do decide to feed your kids cereal please make sure to read the nutrition labels. Prioritize whole grain cereals, which are higher in micronutrients than refined grains. Look for cereals with less than 10-12 grams of sugar. They should also have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Try adding berries like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries to sweeten it up.

More ideas

Think protein, fruits, and even vegetables for breakfast. Give these options a try:

• Frozen banana - Dip a banana in yogurt. Roll it in crushed cereal and freeze.
• Cottage cheese with fruit
• Protein Shakes
• Low sugar granola - this is a good homemade granola and here is a tasty grain free granola option.
• Peanut butter breakfast - Spread peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers, apple slices, a tortilla, a plain rice cake or jicama slices.
• Bacon and scrambled eggs
• Leftovers - Serve what's left of last night's meal. Good choices include chicken or whole-wheat spaghetti.

Prepare breakfast the night before

When you plan ahead, it makes for a wider range of healthy foods on hand. To fix breakfast the night before, you can:

• Make hard-boiled eggs
• Prep some fresh fruit (berries are the easiest on the blood sugar, but there are important vitamins and minerals in a variety of fruits).
• Bake some healthy muffins and divide them into serving sizes. Here is a great recipe for grain free apple cinnamon muffins or here is a recipe for protein packed egg muffins.
• Pre assemble jars of overnight oats or make up a pan of baked oatmeal.

Have grab-and-go foods available

While a sit-down breakfast is best, the next best thing may be the following on-the-go options:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Homemade muffins
• Low-sugar dry cereal on occasion
• Yogurt - whole milk plain greek yogurt topped with berries is a great choice.
• Energy bars - here is a great recipe for kids
• Fresh berries topped with cream

Kid's are usually more metabolically flexible than adults and can enjoy things for breakfast that wouldn't always be a good choice for adults. It's important to ground kids' breakfast with protein to minimize blood sugar spikes. This also helps them stay full longer so they are ready for the day ahead.

Adapted from:  Breakfast for Learning: Why the Morning Meal Matters - Healthy Children.org