The Importance of Breakfast for Children

Convincing groggy children to eat a nutritious breakfast first thing in the morning isn’t exactly the easiest task, especially for haggard, time-pressed parents. Most mornings are rushed enough even without a sit-down meal, and children would often prefer to sleep in rather than wake up earlier.

Even when children choose to munch on something, it seldom falls under the category of “healthy.” Many kids go straight for a box of saccharine-filled cereal, a processed breakfast pastry, a granola bar or a doughnut. All of the above, including the deceptively nutritious-seeming granola bar, are loaded with sugar and empty carbohydrates. Many also contain artificial ingredients such as preservatives, flavoring or coloring, or artery-clogging trans fats. Such a nutritionally void start to the day will cause a child’s Glycemic Index (GI), or blood sugar level, to spike and then crash dramatically, leaving them tired and unable to focus only a few hours later.

Difficult as it may be, it is essential for parents to make a healthy breakfast part of their child’s daily routine. According to the Mayo Clinic, children who eat breakfast regularly are more likely to meet their daily nutritional requirements, maintain a healthy body weight, miss fewer school days, and focus better in class.

The effects of skipping breakfast in the morning kick in almost immediately. Ingesting at least a moderate number of calories helps jump-start the metabolism, meaning that the body burns calories faster and operates more efficiently throughout the day. This not only provides physical energy, but also helps reduce the chance that your child will snack on junk food later on. A solid breakfast consisting of complex carbohydrates from whole grains, lean protein, vitamins and healthy fats also boosts your child’s mental energy, allowing them to concentrate better throughout the school day.

Recent studies also suggest that the effects of a regular breakfast may have an even more profound impact down the road. A study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation by the Harvard School of Public Health  indicates that men who habitually skip breakfast may be 27 percent more likely to suffer from heart disease.

According to Leah Cahill, a postdoctoral research fellow in Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Department and one of the lead authors of the study, “Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time.”

There may be several factors at work here. One is that regular meals may help regulate blood sugar and appetite, thereby helping to ward off diabetes. Another is that both children and adults who skip breakfast are prone to sudden spikes in hunger later, often leading them to overeat throughout the day. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that it’s worth convincing your children to take five to 10 minutes in the morning to eat something nutritious.

Photo Credit: Nanagyei via Compfight cc