A daily full and nutritious breakfast not only improves mental performance, but also prevents weight gain and related health problems, improves intestinal motility. So the choice of products for breakfast should be taken seriously.
Once and you’re done?
Many parents today feed their children dry breakfasts – all kinds of chocolate balls, crispy stars, cereals … Cereal with milk can be offered to the child as a last resort, if, for example, you overslept in the morning and there is simply no time to prepare a full hot breakfast.
The main disadvantages of ready-made breakfasts are the high sugar content. After such a meal, the level of glucose in the blood rises sharply and insulin begins to be actively produced. As a result, regular consumption of breakfast cereals can contribute to the development of diabetes, obesity, provoke allergic reactions and intestinal disorders.
Important! You can give your child dry breakfast no more than 1-2 times a week. Keep the portion of sugary cereals or balls small. And ideally, of course, it is better to refuse such food altogether for both children and adults, because we already eat too much sugar.
FOR REFERENCE
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2018, the inhabitants of our country consumed sugar twice as much as the norms established by the Ministry of Health. For every adult Russian, on average, there were 39.4 kg of sugar at a rate of 24 kg. Moreover, Russian children do not lag behind adults.
According to the latest data published by Rospotrebnadzor, children consume much more sugar than WHO recommends. According to these recommendations, the intake of added sugar should not exceed 10% of the daily caloric intake. Reality is far from ideal. The consumption of added sugar in children aged 3-7 years is 14.5%, in adolescents – 13%, in high school students – 12%.
If you are already buying breakfast cereals, then it is better to choose those that contain significantly less sugar and more fiber. For example, flattened grains (instant cereals), and not formed rings or stars. But keep in mind that porridge, which is enough to pour boiling water, is inferior to traditional ones. After all, the more the grain is crushed, the less useful it is. In addition, after such a breakfast, the child will feel hungry again in 1.5–2 hours (due to the lower content of fiber in instant cereals and faster absorption), while whole grain porridge gives a feeling of fullness for 3–5 hours .
It will be fat!
Another popular but unhealthy product with children is glazed curds. If the child does not like dairy products and cottage cheese, you can sometimes offer such curds for breakfast. If the cheese is made according to GOST, it should contain: cottage cheese, sugar and icing. In addition, the composition of the cheese may also include butter and cream.
Good porridge!
It is very good if it is different every day. Buckwheat, oatmeal, corn, barley porridge contain many valuable vitamins and minerals. But the well-known semolina has less nutritional value – there are too few plant fibers in it.
According to WHO recommendations, children should receive at least two servings of dairy products per day (for example, 250 ml of milk and 30 grams of cheese, no more than 20% fat). In addition, when combined with milk, all the elements and vitamins from cereals are better absorbed.
Butter, by the way, is the only animal fat that is included in all diet tables without exception. And all thanks to its ability to enrich food with fat-soluble, well-assimilated vitamins A, E, D. In addition, butter contains healthy fatty acids and complete protein. Combine porridge with any dairy product – yogurt (natural, unsweetened and without additives), cottage cheese or cheese. Bread for porridge is optional.
What to alternate porridge with?
With egg and cottage cheese breakfasts. Cottage cheese is, for example, a casserole, cheesecakes, lazy dumplings. Egg breakfast – eggs with whole grain bread, scrambled eggs – can be offered to the child 2-3 times a week (if there is no allergy).
Cereals, eggs and dairy products are staples for school breakfasts. Because they contain the slow carbohydrates and protein necessary for the growth and development of the child, which is absorbed as easily and quickly as possible by the children’s digestive tract.
As additives to this base, vegetables, fruits and berries are used (a source of vegetable fiber, vitamins and minerals).
For example, it is useful to cook an omelet with vegetables and herbs, and it is good to add berries or pieces of fruit (apples, peaches, pears, apricots, etc.) to porridge and cottage cheese. They will give the dish a sweet taste that children love (adding sugar is not recommended!). As a drink, offer your child compote, berry tea or juice.
Morning sets the tone and mood for the whole day, so breakfast is of great importance. It should be pleasant, leisurely and tasty. If breakfast is generally skipped or limited to a cup of coffee, then it usually ends with a late dinner, and this is unhealthy and unhealthy. On the issue of the importance of breakfast, you can, of course, delve into physiology and dietology, but I think everyone understands this anyway.
But what to do if you are not at home and there is no familiar and favorite food on the table? The most important thing is that when going on a trip to a particular country, just be prepared for the specifics of nutrition, including during breakfast. You can find out in advance the possible breakfast options and choose the most suitable one (usually there is a choice).
Typically, such a breakfast includes tea, coffee or hot chocolate, two or three types of marmalade or jam, baked goods, butter. In different hotels, corn flakes, yogurt, honey, boiled egg, milk or cream, fruit juice can be added to the continental breakfast. Everything is strictly proportionate. There is also a concept – an extended continental breakfast (or buffet), in which either the range of dishes is increased, or there is no portion restriction. But it’s not a buffet.
An American breakfast is an analogue of a continental breakfast, plus various sausage and cheese cuts, hot egg dishes, sausages, fried potatoes, pancakes with syrup (pancake), avocados, tomatoes, etc. As well as additional drinks. In general, very satisfying.
