Though it’s important to get nutrients from foods throughout the school day, kids’ bodies are especially primed to digest and metabolize food early in the day, right after a period of fasting (aka: right after waking from the night’s rest).

When it comes to kids and the morning meal, a review of 45 studies on the topic showed that eating breakfast every day has a positive effect on the brain function, test scores, and academic performance of kids and adolescents for at least four hours after they’ve eaten.

Additionally, kids who eat a balanced breakfast, whether it’s at home or through a public health school breakfast program, have:

• fewer behavioral problems due to fewer fluctuations in blood glucose (blood sugar) through the mid-morning
• a lower risk of obesity and chronic disease later in life, such as heart disease, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes
• other healthy eating habits

Key Nutrients Students Need From Breakfast

Here are the most beneficial nutrients and food choices for kids to get in the morning:

• Protein – kids need this macronutrient to help their growing bodies build tissue and muscles
  • How to get more: eggs, yogurt, nuts and peanut butter, meats and fish, cottage cheese, and beans

• Carbs and Fiber – as a readily available source of energy, kids need carbohydrates to fuel both brain activity and physical movement. Fiber, a type of carbohydrate, is necessary to keep kids’ digestive and immune systems healthy
  • How to get more: whole wheat and whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, veggies, oats, berries, citrus, apples and pears, avocado, nuts, bananas, hummus, popcorn, and dried fruit

• Healthy Fats – monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats are important for kids’ brain development, as well as the healthy maturation of their central nervous system, including visual development and intelligence
  • How to get more: avocado, olives, salmon, eggs, seeds, nuts and nut butter, and milk  

• Antioxidants – school children benefit from antioxidants, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin D, to help ward off sickness and to develop healthy cells as they’re multiplying most rapidly 
  • How to get more: wild blueberries, dried cranberries, beans, prunes, strawberries, apples, grapes, citrus, oats, pecans, spinach, tomatoes, avocados, and spices

Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Kids

The following breakfast foods supply kids with a good mix of the nutrients they need most. Use them as ideas for making quick and nutritious breakfasts at home.  

Healthy Breakfast Idea For Students #1

• 2 slices Rudi’s organic bread
• 2-3 tablespoons nut butter
• 2 large strawberries, sliced
• 4-8 ounces milk of choice

Healthy Breakfast Idea For Students #2

• 5-6 ounces yogurt or cottage cheese
• ⅓ cup fresh or frozen berries
• ¼ cup low-sugar granola

   

Healthy Breakfast Idea For Students #3

• 1 Rudi’s English muffin or bagel
• ½ avocado, mashed
• 1 scrambled egg
• 4-8 ounces milk of choice