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Fiber Fundamentals

Breakfast: It's a Breeze

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It has many big benefits for both adults and kids including higher test scores, greater alertness in the classroom, a healthier body weight, and a more balanced diet rich in calcium, iron, fiber and vitamins A and C. But some people, especially kids and teens who have to get up super early for school, tend to skip breakfast.

Here's how everyone can make breakfast a priority:

  • Streamline the Morning Routine:
    Set the table the night before to reduce the stress that chaotic mornings can bring. If a bowl, spoon, and box of ready-to-eat cereal are laid out ahead of time, you'll be more apt to eat.
  • Tantalize the Taste Buds:
    Kids get bored with the same old foods day after day. To shake things up at breakfast, stock a supply of three or four different all-natural whole grain cereals. That way, each member of the family can pick and choose their favorite kind, or mix a few flavors together.
  • Heat Things Up:
    There's nothing like a bowl of stick-to-your-ribs oatmeal for breakfast topped with maple syrup, chopped nuts, and blueberries … or an egg scrambled up and served with whole grain toast and slices of fresh fruit.
  • Eat With Your Eyes:
    Imagine a pretty glass filled with layers of fruited yogurt, sliced strawberries or blueberries, and crunchy cereal. "Parfaits" are easy to prepare and fun to eat.
  • Think Outside the Box:
    While ready-to-eat and hot cereals provide a bowlful of good nutrition (especially when they're made with whole grains), don't feel guilty if you occasionally enjoy last night's dinner leftovers for breakfast! A slice of cold pizza may not appeal to moms, but if it gets kids in the habit of eating breakfast, be flexible and enjoy.
  • Grab and Go:
    Talk about portable! Apples, bananas, and grapes are some of the easiest and healthiest grab-and-go foods that fit into busy schedules, so keep plenty on hand. Other grab-and-go options: granola bars (preferably those made with whole grains), low fat cheese sticks, and whole wheat bagels with peanut butter.

Smart Snacking

Stumped for a healthy mid-morning snack to pack in your child's lunchbox or something to serve when your kids get home from school? Turn to some of our easy snack stuffers for better nutrition:

  • Fresh Fruit:
    It comes in its own wrapper, requires little or no preparation, and is naturally packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients (plant nutrients), and fiber.
  • Mini applesauce:
    Look for an all-natural brand and avoid the ones with added sugar and the fake blue, green, red, or pink coloring. What's up with that?
  • Mini fruit cups and bowls:
    Fruit cups and bowls come in handy when your own fresh fruit bowl is empty. Read labels and choose products packed in fruit juice versus syrup.
  • Squeeze Yogurt:
    Go for the all-natural brands made without artificial colors and flavors.
  • Popcorn:
    Kids love the small, individually packaged bags of popcorn and moms love the fact that popcorn is a whole grain. Look for popcorn made without partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. (Popcorn isn't recommended until the age of 4 because it's a potential choking hazard).
  • Cheese Sticks:
    Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks and lowfat Cheddar cheese snack-size bars provide high-quality protein and calcium and only 1 gram of saturated fat.
  • Carrots with Dip:
    Baby carrots (or red bell pepper strips) with a Ranch dressing dip are fun for kids and help to weave a vegetable into the lunchbox.
  • Make-Your-Own Trail Mix:
    Combine mixed nuts, raisins or dried apricots, mini pretzels, sunflower seeds, whole grain breakfast cereal, and a few chocolate chips into a re-sealable plastic bag.
  • Sweet Potato Chips:
    If your kids love potato chips, make the switch to sweet potato chips. They're made with healthy oils and just one serving contains nearly a day's worth of vitamin A.

Article by Liz Weiss, MS, RD: www.MealMakeoverMoms.com