According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, kids who skip breakfast typically have more difficulty with problem-solving tasks than kids who eat a healthy, balanced breakfast. Other studies of the effects of free breakfast programs at inner city elementary schools have shown significant academic improvement among participating students who went from not eating breakfast to eating breakfast each day before school.
You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s also the meal that both parents and kids skip most often. If you want your child to develop lifelong healthy eating habits and have an easier time in school, you should get your child’s body and brain off on the right track each day with breakfast.
The Benefits of Breakfast for Kids
- According to the CDC’s research on the relationship between a healthy breakfast and academic performance, kids who start the day off with a nutritious meal have better cognitive abilities throughout the day, are less likely to miss school, and feel better emotionally.
- Breakfast is thought to help reduce hyperactivity in children and even help them get along better with their peers and teachers, based on the findings of a few different studies.
- Kids who skip breakfast are more likely to become obese and overeat during lunch and dinner, according to WebMD. Kids who eat breakfast every day, on the other hand, are more likely to develop healthy eating habits and remain at a healthy weight.
- Researchers at the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning assert that eating a nutritious breakfast helps kids perform better on math and reading portions of standardized tests.
Healthy eating for kids should begin at breakfast, and, luckily, preparing breakfast for your child doesn’t have to be difficult. Something as simple as whole grain cereal and milk can serve as a nourishing meal at the start of your child’s day. Just make sure you make breakfast a part of your child’s overall healthy eating plan, and you’ll be setting your little one up for success!
Sources:
- “Adolescent and School Health: Nutrition Facts,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- “Why Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day,” WebMD
- “School breakfast programs energizing the classroom,” Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning
- “Brief fasting, stress, and cognition in children,” Pollitt, E., Leibel, R., Greenfield, D., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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