September

September is National Breakfast for Learning Month.

Summer is now over and all the children are heading back to school. It's time to think about how we can support their developing bodies and minds so that they can maintain their energy and focus in the months ahead.  An important factor is eating a tasty, healthy, breakfast every morning.  While this is important for all of us, studies have found that for our children, this is crucial. 

Children who are hungry or undernourished can experience symptoms such as headache, muscle fatigue and sleepiness as well as anxiety, nervousness, anger, hostility, indecisiveness and confusion. Physical consequences of hunger include stomach pain, headache, muscle fatigue, and sleepiness.

According to studies, children who eat breakfast have better memory retrieval, significantly better results in standardized tests, have a greater capacity to complete tasks and have better concentration.

Meredith Deasley, registered holistic nutritionist and author of the book, The Resourceful Mother's Secrets to Healthy Kids, suggests that a healthy breakfast be one that includes some fruit or vegetable, complex carbohydrates (i.e. whole grains) and protein (such as eggs, nuts/seeds or nut/seed butter, sheep or goat cheeses and other animal proteins).  This will help to maintain blood sugar balance and, therefore, greater brainpower through the morning hours until lunch. She gives examples of various breakfast options, the healthier packaged foods available as well as some great recipes.

Please check out her book for more great tips and ideas on raising the healthiest children possible and also please check out our Recipe of the Month (and even our Ask the Nutritionist section) for yummy, hearty, hot and cold breakfast cereals.