A power breakfast is what our kids need to kick start a productive day in school. For the longest time, I have been giving my kids the breakfast that they love. Simply because they love it and it’s easy to prepare. However, as I delve deeper into child development and the diet children required to reach their optimum growth, I decided to change their breakfast menu.
1. Cereal
Once upon a time, cereal was a top choice for me. This is because it requires no downtime for preparation and the kids love the taste. On most days, they can have 2 servings or more. However, cereals are packed with sugar with little or no nutritional value left after they are processed in the factory. The high sugar content will fuel your child’s body with a high blood sugar level only to result in a sugar crash in an hour or so. This will affect the child’s ability to focus as he will quickly feel lethargic, needing another boost of sugar to keep him going.
Upon realizing this, I have since replaced cereal with oats. Are they mad at me? Absolutely. Did they kick up a fuss? They most definitely did! Did they go on a hunger strike? You bet! But perseverance is the key. I modify the otherwise blend and ‘yucky’ oatmeal with raisins, nuts, and some ‘chocolate chips’ and they relented. Today, oatmeal is their top pick of breakfast selection.
2. Biscuits and cookies
Like cereal, biscuits and cookies are delicious. Your kids will love you if you serve them this for breakfast. However, the sugar content in biscuits and cookies or generally any processed food is very high. The high sugar content is highly addictive and will keep our children wanting more. What’s more, it cannot keep them full for long. Typically, their stomach will start rumbling way before lunchtime, and this will affect their attention in class. I have replaced this with fruits in the morning. Fruits are great because although they are sweet, the sweetness is natural. Besides, it boosts our children’s immunity and keeps their energy high until lunch break.
3. Flavored yogurt
Flavored yogurt is yummy and irresistible, even for an adult. I would not deprive my children of this yummy treat altogether. Having said that, I will never give it to my children for breakfast. Similar to cereal, it may seem like a great breakfast choice that is fueled with goodness. In reality, it is just sugar that we are feeding our children. Upon realizing this, I have since replaced flavored yogurt with plain yogurt with berries. I drizzled a little maple syrup or ‘chocolate chips’ for some added sweetness at the initial stage. It took a while for them to readjust to the new ‘familiar’. Nonetheless, they eventually did!
4. Cakes and pastries
Cakes and pastries filled with sugar are a big no-no in my household’s breakfast selection. The fats and sugar content is so high that it will leave my kids feeling super hyper one moment and extremely sluggish shortly after. The unstable blood sugar level due to a high sugar breakfast will leave our kids feeling hungry sooner than they should. And we all know, when one is hungry, concentration is out of the window. I have replaced this option with homemade pancakes. This option allows me to control the ingredients and the sugar that will go into my children’s body. It’s a healthier and more nutritious breakfast option for the little ones.
5. Milo
Milo is promoted as a health drink and a morning ‘must-have’ for kids. However, if you study the label, you will find that it is loaded with not much nutrients besides sugar. Milo is highly addictive, even for myself. It was the most challenging item for me to remove from my children’s breakfast list. Nevertheless, I pressed on and won! I replaced my children’s breakfast beverage with fresh milk instead. At times, to give a little bit of sweetness, I will add in a quarter cup of chocolate milk or dates milk. Even so, this happens only once in a blue moon and when it happened, they know it’s a special treat.
Beating sugar addiction is possible
Sugar makes our food irresistibly addictive but research shows that they are not natural for the human body system. It messes up with how our body digests the food and will leave us craving for more and more. While researching on sugar and how it can turn harmful to the human body if it is not controlled, some researchers suggest that sugar is more addictive than drugs. A question that we should ponder on is ‘if we do not allow our children to smoke, drink or take drugs, why then do we permit them to consume so much of sugar’? It most definitely will make them very happy and we might even be crowned as ‘best parents of the year’. But at what costs? Proper nutrition plays a big part in the growth of a happy and healthy child and must never be substituted, compromised, and replaced with easy, pre-packed processed meals.
It was extremely stressful changing the children’s breakfast menu. There were lots of tears, pouts, frowns, and tantrums. However, the good news is it can be done! Give it a try, and you will notice the difference in your children. Until next time =)
0 comments