Better Your Breakfast, Better Your Brain

Breakfast - What you feed your body upon waking is so important, especially for children.  It is what feeds our brains and gets us going for the day so it is important to make that first meal count.  Unfortunately, there is not a lot of nutritional value in the typical American breakfast cereal for instance.  Many cereals marketed towards children are loaded with sugar and other ingredients that do not provide the nutrients a growing body needs.  An estimated 73% of children eat sweetened cereal at least once a week in the United States.   Most breakfast cereals tend to have a serving size of ¾ of a cup.  Let’s be real here….when is the last time you actually measured how much cereal you are putting in their bowl? Most likely they are getting a lot more than the serving size.   This means more sugar, more chemicals, and more artificial colors.  All of these things affect a child's brain. 

According to the American Heart Association, children should not have more than 12-25 grams of added sugar per day and with just this one measured ¾ cup of cereal, they would be getting a big portion of their added sugar for an entire day from just this one meal, not to mention, how much they are actually getting when we don't really measure the amount.  Luckily, there are now some better cereal options on the market.  A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to what the ingredients are.  When reading a nutrition label, pay attention to how much added sugar is listed.   If you don't recognize some of the ingredients as something you can find in your kitchen, it is best to stay away from it.  Chances are it is not something you want to be eating or feeding to your children anyway.

There is a misconception that the processed ready-made foods you buy in the grocery store are more convenient than making these items yourself, but this is not always true. I will give you an example. One morning, I made the mistake of asking my children what they wanted for breakfast. One said french toast and the other said a pancake. I don’t usually do this short order cook thing, but that day, I entertained the idea and made both breakfasts in under 10 minutes.

 This is what I did:
 For my son Jason,

 Nutrient Dense Pancakes:
-1 organic egg
-1 organic banana
-¼ - ½ cup organic rolled oats (I used gluten-free but both work the same)
-1 teaspoon flax seeds
-1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

First,  I took all of these ingredients and put them in the blender. I then heated a nonstick pan with about a teaspoon of coconut oil and fried one big pancake for my son. While this was cooking,  I was making my daughter’s recipe.

For my daughter Leah, 

 Nutrient Dense French Toast:
-1 organic egg
-1 splash of almond milk
-½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
-¼ cup pumpkin puree (optional)
-1 slice of Ezekiel bread
-a sprinkle of coconut sugar

First I beat the egg, then added the splash of milk and pumpkin spice.  I then dipped the slice of Ezekiel bread into the egg mixture and coated evenly. I heated the pan with about a teaspoon of coconut oil and when the pan was hot, I took the bread out of the egg  mixture and cooked on both sides until brown. I then sprinkled a bit of organic coconut sugar on each side and cooked each side until it was a bit caramelized for sweetness. Another thing you can add to this recipe if you have it is some pumpkin puree.   You simply mix it with the egg and then you are adding even more nutrients to your child’s morning meal.

After both of these items were done, I  plated them with some fresh fruit that I had cut up and prepared in the refrigerator from the night before and BAM, these kids had a healthy and nutritious breakfast that they both devoured.