Easy Ways to Make Kids’ Breakfasts Nutritious, Delicious

Most parents would not willingly feed their children a breakfast made almost entirely of sugar but it happens more often than one would imagine, according to the people at Consumer Reports. A nutritional comparison of some of the most popular kids’ breakfast cereals has revealed that as much as 60% of the cereal’s caloric count comes from sugar. There’s less sugar in a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts, even a glazed one.

Part of the problem may lie in the confusing nutrition labels on the cereal containers but there are easy and delicious ways to improve the quality of a child’s breakfast that parents may enjoy, too. Some of them even embrace the use of the most sugary breakfast cereals, with just a minor alteration or two.

Here are nine ways to boost the nutritional content of breakfast while sparing flavor and convenience:

1). Always include some protein. Eating a little protein to start the day improves a child’s cognitive performance, always a good thing in the classroom, and it helps reduce the risk of gaining excess weight, too. Try peanut butter on a whole-grain English muffin or slice of toasted whole-grain bread.

2). Don’t forget the fiber. Fiber is a key nutritional component, according to Consumer Reports. Children’s needs vary as they grow but a good rule of thumb is five grams plus the child’s age, or 10 grams of fiber daily for a 5-year-old child. Adults need 25 to 35 grams, which can be gotten quite easily with a breakfast based on cereal. Original Cheerios and Kix both contain 3 grams of fiber per serving. Life and Honey Nut Cheerios contain 2 grams. Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Grape-Nuts, and Raisin Bran contain 9, 7, and 5 grams, respectively.

3). Sweeten up the fiber to add to its appeal. When a cereal is otherwise healthy, as with a high fiber content, a little sugar isn’t so bad. Frosted Mini-Wheats contain 12 grams of sugar per serving but the sugar calories are offset by the 6 grams of fiber they come with.

4). Welcome whole grains. Whole grains are higher in fiber than refined and enriched grains and they contain naturally occurring vitamins and minerals that might not be in the more processed cereals. Oatmeal sets a good example here. The individually packaged, single-serving types of oatmeal contain less fiber than the old-fashioned or quick oatmeals that come in the familiar round boxes. For the most nutritious, but quick and delicious, oatmeal breakfast, zap the old-fashioned or quick varieties in the microwave then drizzle them with honey and add dried fruit to sweeten up the meal.

5). Think outside the box. Breakfast doesn’t have to be traditional. Order enough pizza the night before or cook enough pasta so there is enough of these nutritious, delicious foods left over for a quick breakfast. Include a glass of milk and a serving of fresh fruit and you’ve got breakfast for champions.

6). Beware excess salt. High blood pressure is a diagnosis becoming more common in today’s children, which can set them up for a lifetime of medical woes. Choose breakfast cereals with the least amount of salt possible and prepare to be surprised. Fruit Loops is actually a more nutritious choice than less-sweet Rice Krispies. Rice Krispies, made from highly processed white rice, contains little sugar but it has almost no fiber, either, and one serving contains a whopping 135 milligrams (mg) of salt. Some breakfast have as much as 270 mg of sodium per serving.

7). Use favored, ultra-sweetened cereals to flavor others. Crave Cap’n Crunch or Cocoa Krispies? Top off a bowl of original Cheerios, shredded wheat, or other more nutritious cereals with sugary favorites for a breakfast cereal combo that covers all the bases.

8). Know that not all sugar is sugar. Cereal manufacturers know parents don’t want to serve their children sugar-laden foods to start the day so they disguise the sugar by listing it under other names on their ingredients labels, such as corn syrup, sucrose, and fructose. Sugar by any other name is still sugar, even when the sweetness comes from an artificial sweetener so beware these, too.

9). Make time for breakfast every day. Cereal is quick, convenient, and, with an almost endless variety from which to choose, it’s sure to please everyone in the family. A high-quality cereal can supply as much a half a day’s fiber needs and the milk that goes with it is full of important nutrients such as calcium, protein, and vitamin D. When children get in the habit of eating breakfast every morning, the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating is built.

Which cereals deliver 60% of their caloric value as sugar? Post Golden Crisp and Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, once called Sugar Smacks but the name was changed so the cereal would sound healthier.

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Filed under: Children's Health, Headlines, Prevention