The importance of breakfast during the school week

What do your children eat for breakfast? How long does it take them to eat their food? Perhaps many of us will answer that during the school week, breakfast often becomes a pitched battle. As we ask our sleepy children to abandon the comfort of their beds in order to get ready, we end up following them around with a glass of warm chocolate milk. We spill the milk along the way and ultimately, they won’t even drink half of it.

Many hours of fasting or an insufficient intake of nutrients at breakfast, will make children feel tired, lack energy, remain unfocused during class, and prevent them from performing well at school. Then, they might resort to eating junk food and candy during breaks. Unfortunately if this becomes a habit, they could end up suffering from nausea, blurred vision, and low hypoglycemic levels that could lead to a development in obesity later on.

On the other hand, a substantial meal at breakfast promotes healthy blood sugar levels and provides the body with sufficient energy for a great performance at school. This will also permit the child to fully develop and grow. In other words, breakfast should include dairy, protein, vitamins, fibers, carbohydrates, and a sufficient amount of healthy fats that are transformed into “fuel,” allowing the body to operate successfully.

Even though, the total amount of calories a child needs depends on their age, height, and weight, it is important to know their appropriate daily calorie intake, and also the calorie percentage intake during each meal. Therefore, the distribution of a child’s calorie intake must be done as follows:

• At breakfast: 25% of calories
• At lunch:    30% of calories
• During a break: 15-20% of calories
• At dinner: 25-30% of calories