Breakfast Fuels Your Day

By Kathryn Tarulli, Dr. Diane Bales and Dr. Charlotte Wallinga — Department of Human Development and Family Science

Eat Breakfast: Eating breakfast helps your family start the day in a healthy way.

Breakfast is a crucial part of the day. After going without food for several hours while sleeping, the body needs a healthy meal in the morning to refuel. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, up to 12% of children regularly skip breakfast before school for either financial reasons or a lack of time in the morning. Children who do eat breakfast have improved attention and better school scores.

If you and your children skip breakfast, you may feel tired, irritable, or restless. Your energy level may also drop early in the day without a healthy breakfast.

Eating breakfast can also help your family stay healthy. When you eat a healthy meal in the morning, the body is better able to transform the food into energy for the day. The process of creating energy also allows the body to start burning calories. Encourage your family to eat a variety of foods for breakfast, including fruit, grains, protein, and dairy. This may include berries, whole grain toast, eggs, and milk.

*The Nemours Foundation. (2012). KidsHealth: Breakfast Basics. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/breakfast.html

Family Fun Activity: Cereal Toppings

Use this easy activity to help your child learn.

What You Need:

• Bowl of hot or cold cereal
• Variety of Toppings, such as:
  • Fruit
  • Yogurt
  • Granola
  • Peanut Butter
  • Raisins
  • Sliced Almonds

What To Do:

• Invite your child to help you create a new cereal taste by choosing interesting toppings
• Try some of these ideas:
  • Apple Berry Crunch
    • Apples
    • Strawberries
    • Granola
  • Strawberry Banana
    • Strawberries
    • Bananas
    • Yogurt
  • PB&J
    • Peanut Butter
    • Strawberries
  • Nutty
    • Nuts
    • Raisins
  • Tropical Blast
    • Strawberries
    • Blueberries
    • Bananas

This is publication 6 out of 24 in the Eat Healthy, Be Active: Keeping Children Healthy at Home and School series. For more information visit www.eathealthybeactive.net

Status and Revision History
Published on May 13, 2014
Published with Full Review on Mar 28, 2017
Published with Full Review on Dec 06, 2022