But First…Lets Eat Breakfast!

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day; the foods we eat fuel our minds and bodies and without breakfast our day just would not start off right. It’s not only important to eat breakfast each morning, but it’s also important to consider what you eat for your breakfast.  Starting your day off with a healthy well balanced breakfast can make all the difference to how you feel, the way you think, your energy and attentiveness throughout the day.  At Kids Eat Smart Foundation NL we truly believe in this.  Many school principals and classroom teachers have stated the difference they’ve observed in their students who often came to school without breakfast, but now enjoy a healthy breakfast at school.  They listen better, are less disruptive and they can focus on their school work, this helps them learn better – every teachers goal, and ours!

To ensure you and your children have a healthy breakfast each day either at home or at your KES Club, please keep this in mind:

• Your breakfast should be well balanced and include at least 3 out the 4 food groups.
• When choosing grains, choose whole grains such as whole wheat.
• When choosing fruits, choose fresh, frozen or canned.  If canned or packaged make sure they are packed in water or 100% juice.
• When choosing milk products, we always encourage milk, hard cheese instead of sliced/processed cheese and yogurts low in sugar (plain yogurts are also a great choice and can be sweetened naturally).
• Breakfast proteins often tend to be high in sodium and fat.  Choose healthier options like eggs and peanut butter. If you do choose to eat breakfast meats on occasion, be mindful of your portion size as well aim to purchase low fat and low sodium choices.

An example of a healthy breakfast that includes 3 out of the 4 food groups could look like:

• Vegetable omelette
• Slice of whole wheat toast with margarine
• Sliced oranges
• Glass of milk

An example of a smaller healthy breakfast, but still including 3 out of the 4 food groups could look like:

• Yogurt berry parfait made and layered with greek yogurt, frozen berries and granola.
• Glass of milk

Janel Genge is a Registered Dietitian with Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador