Getting your children to sit down and eat breakfast is a daily hurdle most parents face. But, Samreen Samad brings you a few simple tricks you can use so that breakfast time becomes fun!
Importance of breakfast
Nutritionist Smruti Gokhale tells us, “After dinner, your stomach remains empty for 10 to 12 hours while you sleep. Breakfast is very important to bridge this long gap. If you wait till lunch time, this gap increases to 15-16 hours. Because of this long duration between two meals, children who do not have breakfast usually have a low attention span, they cannot concentrate on their studies and have low physical activity.” She adds, “Children who skip breakfast have more chances of becoming obese than those who consume breakfast every day.”
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it replenishes your body’s glucose supply and provides other essential nutrients required to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. Gokhale says, “Breakfast helps children perform day-to-day activities effectively. It also helps improve a child’s learning ability.
Studies have shown that children who consume breakfast every day score better in exams and are more enthusiastic in sports.”
Ideal breakfast
Gokhale says, “Breakfast should include a good proportion of all the essential nutrients such as carbohydrates and proteins along with micro-nutrients such as iron, vitamin A, B complex and minerals with good amount of fibre.”
Make breakfast fun
If breakfast is tasty, it is readily accepted by children. So, an ideal breakfast should be tasty as well as easy to prepare. Here’s how you can make it fun:
- Make fruit kebabs. Use colourful fruits such as strawberries, grapes, banana slices, pineapple chunks, apple pieces and kiwi. Throw in a few marshmallows and cherries to make it look fun.
- Make fruit dips using yogurt, peanut butter or cream cheese. Serve the above mentioned fruits with a toothpick. Let your children dip the fruits in them. This is tasty and your children will eat nourishing food.
- Make a whole grain/multi grain bread sandwich with a glass of milk/fresh fruit juice (Avoid using white bread which is made of maida).
- Add dry fruits or fresh fruits to porridge, oats and wheat flakes. This will make their breakfast tasty and colourful.
- Make omelettes fun by adding cheese and olives or sprinkle herbs on boiled egg and serve with fresh fruit juice.
- Make toast with toppings such as baked beans, carrots, capsicum, tomatoes, peas, eggs and cheese.