Serve up one of these kid-friendly breakfasts to keep your little one feeling great all morning.
Help for the I'm not hungrys'
Many a picky eater would rather go hungry than start the day the nutritious way. So what's a mom to do when all her litle one wants is last night's spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast? According to Sheah Rarback, R.D., director of nutrition at the The Mailman Center for Child Development at the University of Miami school of Medicine, don't fight it! A little leniency will help get kids in the breakfast mind-set and avoid the headaches, tummy trouble, restlessness and even anxiety they can feel when they're running out of calories to burn.
To help you get your kids to the breakfast table with a smile, try some of these superfun child-pleasing meals. They're packed with all the nutritious elements--carbs to fuel the brain, protein for alertness, fat to sustain energy levels, plus lots of vitamins and minerals--that active kids need to get in gear.
Sunrise sundae
Perk up with pizza
Eye-opening smoothie
What's better than dessert for breakfast? Try a big sundae that hits the sweet tooth mark healthfully. Scoop 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt (protein and calcium) onto a sundae dish and top with 1/2 cup granola (carbohydates and fiber), 2 Tbs. raisins (iron) and 1/3 cup sliced strawberries (B vitamins and vitamin C).
Your child isn't into cereal in the morning? Make a breakfast pizza and watch her gobble it up. Start with 1 slice whole-wheat toast (carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and iron), then top with 1 oz. shredded mozzarella (protein and calcium) and half of a tomato, sliced (vitamin C).
Liquid fuel is perfect for kids--and moms--on the run. Simply blend 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (protein and calcium), 1/2 cup berries (fiber and vitamin C) and 2 Tbs. wheat germ (carbohydrates, iron and B vitamins).
It's the candy not the cartoons
Turns out TV viewing isn't the weight-gain culprit experts once thought it was. The food choices that kids make are the real villains. In a study led by Leann Birch, head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University, researchers found that children who watched more television also munched more frequently. And when snack options were loaded with fat, sugar and salt, kids with at least one over-weight parent were more prone to weight gain. To win the snacking battle, limit your kids to a bowl of fresh strawberries when they crave a sweet treat.