Breakfast is a super important meal for toddlers and children, and contributes a significant proportion of a child's overall nutritional requirements for the day. Breakfast helps children to perform better and improve concentration, by replenishing the supply of energy after an overnight fast.
Lots of good quality studies have reported children and adolescents who skip breakfast tend to have poorer overall diet quality, higher BMI and increased risk for some chronic diseases later in life.
So we know it is important, but does it feel like breakfast is the same on repeat?
Here are some nourishing and nutritionally balanced breakfast ideas to mix up your breakfast offerings.
Chia seed pudding
Ingredients:
- 1 x Banana
- 1/4 Cup of milk of choice
- 1 x Teaspoon of chia seeds
- Pinch of cinnamon
Mash the banana, add in the milk and chia seeds with a pinch of cinnamon and mix together. Let sit overnight, stir well before serving.
Scrambled eggs with toast and fresh fruit
- 1 x egg
- a dash of milk of your choice
- 1 x teaspoon of butter or ghee
Whisk your egg and milk until well combined and add to a medium heat pan with the butter/ghee. Cook over a medium heat using a wooden spoon to gently stir. Serve with toast and fresh fruit.
Overnight oats
- 1/2 cup of oats
- 1/2 of milk of choice
- 3-4 raspberries
Mash the raspberries, add the oats and milk and stir. Let set overnight in the fridge. Remove from fridge to serve and can be eaten cold or warmed if preferred.
Peanut butter toast
- 1 x piece of toast
- Butter
- Peanut Butter
- Banana and blueberries
Toast your bread of choice, spread butter then peanut butter and add fruit to decorate. Cut into bite size pieces or suitable size for your child's skills.
Avocado on sourdough toast
- 1 x piece of sourdough
- Butter (optional)
- Avocado
- Lemon
Toast your sourdough and mash 1/2 an avocado with a squeeze of lemon. To assemble spread toast with butter and top with Avo. Cut into bite size pieces or suitable size for your child's skills.
French (eggy) toast
- 1 x egg
- Dash of milk of choice
- Butter or ghee
- Bread
Whisk the egg and milk together, dip the bread in the egg mix making sure both sides are covered. Heat a pan, add the butter then add the eggy bread and cook on both sides until golden.
Smoothie
- 1/2 Banana
- One handful of spinach (optional)
- 1 x teaspoon of hemp seeds
- 1 x cup of milk of choice
- 1 x Medjool date (pip removed)
Add all ingredients to a blender. Blitz until smooth.
This article was originally written by Accredited Paediatric Dietitian, Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Nutritionist Anna Ritan from Nourish Little Lives, a friend of Supermarket Swap, and has been included here with her permission. To learn more about Anna's work, visit Nourish Little Lives.