Contents
Breakfast, an important meal for children
The most important meal of the day, breakfast is still forgotten in 7% of 3-5 year olds. A figure which proves that the message has not yet fully passed despite the information campaigns of the Ministry of Health on the importance of a complete and balanced breakfast.
Why eat breakfast?
Health professionals advise offering your child, regardless of age, a full breakfast.
This meal, the first of the day, breaks a fasting period from 10 a.m. to 13 p.m. depending on the child’s age. During the night, the body burns around 600 calories and the growing child needs to regain strength.
It has been proven that in the absence of breakfast, the consumption of fat during the other meals of the day is higher than normal. Indeed, at 10 o’clock, the pump comes and the nibbling too. This behavior can ultimately lead to weight gain.
Several studies have also linked breakfast to cognitive performance and creative abilities. These are reduced due to the absence or insufficiency of a first meal. The same findings were made for mental arithmetic, performing simple operations, or memorizing efforts.
Breakfast is therefore an essential meal for body and soul.
A balanced meal
To avoid a snack at 10 a.m., nothing beats a full breakfast with a few essential components:
– 1 dairy product : milk, yogurt or cheese. It provides protein, calcium, vitamin A, B2 and D. You can offer to supplement yogurt, honey, or chocolate powder in milk.
— 1 grain product : bread, rusks or cereals. Rich in carbohydrates, cereals contain vitamins, minerals and iron. They can be consumed in addition to the dairy product, either in the bowl of milk or cottage cheese for example. Better to choose cereals in the form of mueslis, less sweet.
– 1 hot or cold drink, to rehydrate the body. The traditional bowl of milk can be taken warm or cold, depending on taste. The older ones, around adolescence, will be able to discover the sweetness of tea in the morning. Consume in low doses, it remains one of the most enjoyable hot drinks to start a new day.
— 1 fresh fruit, a pure juice drink or a compote, to balance the meal and provide the necessary mineral elements. To set off again on the hats of wheels, nothing beats fruit to stock up on vitamins. If you can, squeeze them a pure fresh juice in the morning, they will ask for more!
This breakfast covers 20 to 25% of the daily energy intake by combining simple, complex and protein carbohydrates. It is low in lipids and helps cover calcium, iron and vitamin needs. Thanks to this energy and nutritional contribution, the body will be able to meet its needs and prevent your child from fatigue and low blood pressure.
Read labels carefully Either it’s about cereals, chocolate powders or dairy products, it is important to read and compare the composition of the products. It can vary between brands, in particular for the sugar content in chocolate cereals, according to a study published by 60 million consumers. For dairy products, it is preferable to choose them semi-skimmed, they provide as much calcium and are less fat than whole ones. |