Don't skip breakfast. Having breakfast establishes a healthy eating routine which is important both for weight control and for brain development in children.
Children who skip breakfast
- generally have poorer nutrition
- find it difficult to control their behaviour and enjoy their day
- become more hungry later in the day, so are more likely to eat less nutritious snack foods
- are more likely to become overweight or obese
Skipping breakfast becomes more common as children get older. Some schools have introduced breakfast programs because they were concerned about children who skip breakfast. Children generally perform better and are more productive at school when they have breakfast. They are also more likely to maintain a healthy weight when they consume a healthy breakfast.
Some easy-to-prepare, healthy breakfast ideas include:
- fresh fruit with wholegrain breakfast cereal and reduced fat milk.
- toast or crumpet with cheese and tomato
- porridge with fruit
- plain yoghurt with fruit, or a fruit smoothie
- baked beans on toast
- pikelets topped with ricotta and fruit.
Visit http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/breakfast-sheet.html?WT.ac=p-ra for a Healthy Breakfast Planner for Teens.
For more information on eating healthy see the Diabetes WA Snack Right Guide and Australian Healthy Eating Guide.
