Foods Growing up, I always heard, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I scoffed. Seriously? I feel fine when I don’t eat breakfast.
Turns out, Mom was right. Figures. She usually is.
All of the research points in one direction: for kids with developing brains, breakfast is an incredibly important meal.
5 Foods to Never Feed Your Kids for Breakfast
If you have kids, you surely want them to do well in school. You want them to be able to perform well academically and concentrate. If you homeschool like me, this is especially important. If your kids are bouncing off the walls or falling asleep at their desk you will be the one paying for it!
Take heed, dear friends. Here are 5 foods to never feed your kiddos for breakfast…
- Toaster waffles drenched in syrup
- Store-bought cereal
- Pop-Tarts®
- Bagels
- Donuts
What do these foods have in common?
Can you spy the common denominator? These are all high-carb, highly-processed, nutrient-deficient foods. These foods will lead to trouble!
- A high-carb meal with lots of sugar will lead to a sugar crash. Your kids will end up hungry, distracted, probably temperamental, and they won’t perform well while doing school work.
- A meal without healthy fats starves the brain. Did you know your brain is primarily made of fat and cholesterol?
- Meals made up of primarily processed foods can set your child up for a lifetime of bad eating habits that lead to disease. It’s so much easier to instill good eating habits in them while they’re young!
What to Feed Your Kids Instead
If you’re anything like me, you might struggle with trying to figure out what to feed your kids in the mornings for breakfast. If you can’t throw a bowl of cereal in front of them or throw a Pop-Tart or bagel in the toaster, what’s a mom to do?
Look for foods that have the following characteristics:
- High in protein
- Lots of healthy fats (from foods like eggs, coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed meats)
- Plenty of antioxidants, b vitamins, iron, and choline
What fits the bill?
There’s always eggs. Eggs are a fabulous option. They’re packed with protein and brain-nourishing fat, iron, and choline. It’s fast and easy to scramble up a couple eggs. But, well, even mom gets tired of plain ole’ scrambled eggs after a while.
If you’re feeling stumped and are looking for some fabulous breakfast ideas, I’d like to introduce you to Brainy Breakfasts: Over 40 Grain-Free, Brain-Fueling Breakfasts for Kids and their Parents.
Whether your family eats grain-free or not, this cookbook is a great place to get ideas for brain-fueling breakfasts. And it’s a beautiful, full-color cookbook moms will enjoy browsing!
Check out Brainy Breakfasts now!
Even Cheerios?
I agree, but I wonder about some exceptions. We buy whole wheat bagels and add fat in the form of butter or peanut butter, and often along with protein from eggs. Also, what about no sugar, whole grain, high-fiber cereals with raw milk (healthy fat and protein). We try to avoid sugar for breakfast, but I’m curious why you say NEVER eat those food which could be a part of a balanced breakfast.
You definitely have to do what is best for your family’s dietary needs, but even those “whole grain” products still cause a huge spike in blood sugar. Something to be aware of!
For those who are under the impression that whole wheat is healthy: Wheat production has changed over the last 50-60 years such that the glycemic index of white sugar is now lower than whole wheat. The amount of gluten has exponentially increased due to agricultural method manipulation over the years that allows wheat to grow faster and get to market faster. However, this means an extraordinarily unhealthy product for us. The Mayo clinic conducted a study several years ago that found gluten from wheat causes brain damage. Gluten put me in the hospital several years ago, so I have researched quite a bit. Our family is gluten free now.
Very good points!
Calorie for calorie meat (beef, chx, fish, game) fruit and veggies pack way more nutrition than grains. The agro business in the United States have altered the genetic make up of most of our grains, especially wheat, so that they are drought and insect resistant, high yielding, and no longer fit for human consumption.
Peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes. Hence high carb, high fat.
Hard boil a dozen eggs and keep them in your fridge for grab and go brekkies. Those and a bananna will keep everyone full til lunch.
Funny ( but not really) Joanthing is that is exactly what the public schools serve for breakfast.
You know…since I don’t have any public school kids I didn’t know that! That’s too bad though 🙁