Nourishing Kids at Breakfast
Breakfast can be a tough time to feed kids, the busyness of mornings make time an extra valuable commodity. But I don’t believe breakfast has to be so challenging. With a few hearty staples, the first meal of the day can be simple and nourishing. At my house breakfast time is often a meal we all share together. Starting kids off with a balanced breakfast can be one of the most important steps in their day. Breakfast is essentially breaking a fast and this first meal of the day is a prime opportunity to get them fueled. While my goal is to always fill them up for the day ahead, I also want to nourish them and nourishment comes from macronutrient rich foods like Protein, fibre rich Carbohydrates and Fat. These three things will enable their body to function at its best.
Favourite breakfasts for my children(and family as we often all eat the same thing in the mornings) usually covers these 3 Macronutrients, PROTEIN, FIBRE + FAT. These types of food provide a wholesome and blood sugar balancing meal to start my kids day. This helps to avoid a blood sugar roller coaster, leaving my little ones unable to concentrate in class or craving sugar all day long or not being nourished to their full potential. So here are a few examples of what PROTEIN + FIBRE + FAT for breakfast look like in my house(and of course not everyday is a perfect balance of this).
Here are some breakfast ideas my family eats at home(if you’re looking for ideas :), nutrition is of course individual so you do what works for you!)…
- Sourdough pancake/waffles, eggs & fruit (I use the recipes for sourdough starter as well as pancakes/waffles from this blog https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/)
- Hard boiled egg, fibre filled muffin with grass fed butter and fruit
- Pumpkin spice paleo pancakes(my go to recipe is from Practical Paleo by Dianne Sanfilippo) with butter and fruit + breakfast sausages/bacon
- Full fat or Greek yogurt topped with fruit and/or low sugar granola, nuts or seeds
- Veggie packed smoothie + Sprouted/sourdough toast + nut butter(my favourite smoothie recipes come from this book (https://weelicious.com/smoothieproject/)
- Quinoa oatmeal + blueberries/sliced banana + coconut milk + flaxseed + nut butter
To save time in the morning many of these breakfasts can be made ahead/meal prepped or frozen and used as needed.
What about Cereal?
While my kids enjoy cereal on occasion, it’s never the main meal at breakfast(my kids are more likely to eat this at snack time using the suggestions below). Dry cereal is certainly a quick and convenient food for busy mornings, but the majority aren’t going to provide essential nutrition to start the day. An ideal breakfast to start the day will contain PROTEIN + FIBRE + FAT. That means cereal most times is not ideal breakfast food from a nutrition standpoint. If cereal is a go to in your household, here are some tips to add more nutrition and create a more balanced meal;
- First, minimize the unnecessary found in most breakfast cereals (ex. excess sugar, food colourings and flavours…natural or not, it’s best to avoid when you can). Choose options like kamut flakes or spelt, puffed rice or overall lower sugar cereal and skip the fruit or nuts included(they are likely coated in sugar or less desirable industrial oils). I have used www.ewg.org for more information on cereals when it comes to chemicals, toxicity and glyphosate. Worth looking into 🙂
- Top cereal with unsalted and unsweetened nuts and/or seeds(if no allergies exist), chopped fruit or berries. Fruit will help add natural sweetness. Ground flaxseed is an easy and nutritious option to add fibre which is filling. Hemp hearts give a boost of fat and protein(both good for blood sugar balancing). Go slow on fibre if it’s a newer addition to meals.
- Lastly, keep cereal as a “once in a while” breakfast option if you choose. Instead, opt for more nutrient rich foods like eggs, yogurt, fruit or warm cereals like oatmeal(our go to is a quinoa oatmeal combination).
What are popular breakfasts in your home?
Xx Meg
