Dietary experts argue whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but one thing is certain: Your morning meal can have a huge impact on how the rest of your day plays out. But what about children and teens? Mornings with kids are busy, and it can be challenging to find time to serve up a home-prepared meal, but a healthy breakfast for kids before school is doubly important.
Several studies have shown that kids who eat a nutritionally balanced breakfast perform better in school. In addition to improved academic performance, the food kids eat in the morning impacts their energy levels, mood, behavior, and concentration. Research indicates a healthy breakfast also affects a child's physical health. In this article, we'll learn more about how breakfast benefits kids, along with sharing some simple breakfast ideas to make your hectic morning flow more efficiently.
The benefits of a healthy breakfast for kids
Perhaps the first thing parents think of in terms of a healthy breakfast for kids before school is how morning nutrition impacts a child's focus, memory, and concentration during the school day. You can think of a healthy breakfast as brain food for the first half of your child's day.
During the first few years of a child's life, over one million new neural connections are formed every single second of the day. As young children get older, brain growth shifts to cognitive function. As for older kids, adolescence is the time when the teen brain gets the most fine-tuning. The human brain doesn't stop maturing and developing until the mid-20s.
Overnight oats for busy mornings
When there's no time for meal prep in the morning, consider making your breakfast the night before. Overnight oats are made with basic pantry ingredients, and this is a budget-friendly breakfast option. Because they're a great source of beta-glucan fiber, oats may lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Follow this basic recipe, substituting whichever fruits, milk, and nuts you like.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (we don't recommend instant oatmeal for this recipe)
- 2 cups milk (dairy, almond, oat, or soy)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon or other spices (vanilla, nutmeg)
- 4 Tbsp. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds) or nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter)
- 1 1/2 cups fruit, cut up (blueberries, peaches, apples, strawberries, or bananas)
- 4 tsp. sweetener (maple syrup, honey, monk fruit sweetener)
Directions
- Pull together 4 glass containers that will hold 2 cups of ingredients each.
- Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup oats, and 1/4 cup cinnamon to each container, stirring to combine the ingredients.
- Cover the containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Store overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next morning, add 1/3 cup of fruit atop the oats, along with 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite sweetener.
- Serve cold or heat your overnight oats in the microwave.
Healthy breakfast muffins
If you need healthy breakfast ideas for toddlers or older kids, muffins are simple to pull together. Muffins feel like a treat, but when you use the right ingredients, these breakfast mainstays can be quite nutritious. This basic muffin recipe can be customized with your own favorite add-ins. If you use maple syrup for this recipe, you can avoid refined sugars. Also, unlike sugar, maple syrup does have some health benefits.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (white whole wheat is OK)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 cup fruit (applesauce with cinnamon, mashed bananas, whole cranberries, diced oranges, pureed pumpkin)
Directions
- Liner a muffin pan with liners, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, and fruit in a bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well-mixed.
- Add the melted coconut oil to the mixture and stir again.
- Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes.
Yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit
Protein is important for young minds, so starting the school day with some protein-rich yogurt is the best way to give your kiddos a solid start for the day. Yogurt is also rich in calcium, which is essential for bone health.
With Greek yogurt, you also get vitamin A, riboflavin, selenium, and B vitamins. For lots of beneficial antioxidants, add some juicy berries to your yogurt parfait. And the granola in this parfait will provide plenty of fiber and extra protein, so your kids will feel fuller for longer. Follow this recipe, and substitute your own favorite pantry staples.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain or flavored Greek yogurt
- 3 cups fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, blackberries, peaches)
- 2 cups granola
Directions
- In glass containers, spoon about 1/4 cup of the Greek yogurt.
- Add 1/4 cup of the granola on top of the yogurt.
- On top of the granola, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of fruit.
These yogurt parfaits can be prepared the night before.
Quick and nutritious smoothie recipes
Smoothies are quick and easy, and kids love them. You can pull your ingredients together the night before and blend them up in the morning to save even more time in the busy early hours of the day. Start with your base of plant-based or dairy milk, coconut water or fruit juice, and fruit. Then, add extra ingredients your kids enjoy. Any of these smoothies will give your kids a tasty head start.
- Banana berry smoothie: Use frozen bananas and your choice of berries.
- Pineapple mango smoothie: Frozen or canned pineapple pairs nicely with frozen mango chunks.
- Nut butter banana smoothie: Give your kids a jolt of protein with a creamy smoothie made with frozen bananas and their favorite nut butter.
- Spinach avocado smoothie: Blend chunks of avocado and fresh spinach leaves with bananas and unsweetened plant-based milk.
Egg-based breakfast ideas
Eggs are one of the purest protein sources you can find, and there are so many delicious ways to prepare a hearty breakfast with them. You can't go wrong with any of these classics.
- Veggie egg scramble: Scramble eggs with vegetables.
- Omelet: Make a classic omelet, or create a western-style omelet loaded with vegetables and topped with salsa.
- Poached eggs on toast: Add a poached egg to a slice of whole-grain toast for a breakfast rich in fiber and protein.
- Breakfast burrito: Fill whole wheat tortillas with scrambled eggs, cooked diced potatoes, and diced turkey bacon for southwestern flavor.
Incorporating fruits and vegetables
The recipes we share above for muffins, yogurt parfait, and overnight oats will give you lots of ideas for incorporating fruit into a healthy breakfast. But what about getting some nutrient-rich veggies into your kids for a morning meal? Consider any of these ideas to add vegetables to your morning meal rotation.
- Breakfast burrito: Stuff a whole wheat tortilla with black beans, sauteed onions and bell peppers, spinach, and scrambled eggs.
- Veggie smoothie: Opt for a vegetable smoothie instead of a fruit smoothie. Add leafy greens like spinach and kale, or get creative with ingredients like cauliflower rice, cooked sweet potatoes, and avocado.
- Avocado toast: While avocado is technically a fruit, it spreads up beautifully on toast.
- Egg dishes: Add vegetables such as zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and bell peppers to omelets, scrambled eggs, quiche, and frittatas.
- Veggie muffins: Instead of pureed fruit, add diced or pureed vegetables like carrots, spinach, and zucchini to our basic muffin recipe.
Healthy breakfast ideas for kids
Active kids of all ages need fuel, and the right balance of protein, fiber, and carbs will give them a solid start to their busy days. Try some of our healthy breakfast ideas for toddlers, grade-school-aged kids, and teens to make your mornings easier while providing them with a healthy breakfast.
You can pair the Evidation app with apps that track food intake. The Evidation app allows you to earn points and rewards for tracking healthy habits, including sleep, mood, and physical activity. Download the app today to get a jumpstart on your family's healthy living journey.
