Blissful breakfast time? Yes, it’s possible! By Julie Kendrick
T
wo years ago, Mya Bitney’s three children (ages 10, 7 and 5) collected 17 tardies at school, all a result of last-minute morning madness. Last year, she decided that something had to change. She told her kids that the goal for the upcoming school year was “zero tardies,” and she asked for everyone’s help in meeting it. Results so far? “On time, every morning!” she reports, as she quickly searches for some wood to knock on.
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What has been the secret of her success? Bitney, who works full time as a marketing manager at Medtronic, says that one secret was creating a “morning song,” a ditty she sang every morning at 6:30 a.m. Sung to the tune of Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight, its lyrics urged the kids to “Wake up now, and then get out of bed…” listing each task to complete before breakfast (including a line for “take a pee,” since one of the kids had been chronically forgetting to use the toilet until the moment they were ready to walk out the door). The other reason that mornings are so much smoother, she says, has to do with breakfast. “I acquiesced on allowing some packaged foods,” she reports, “and things have been a lot easier.” With three bodies to hustle out the door by 7:15 a.m. (their school, Armatage Montessori in Minneapolis, starts the school day at 7:30 a.m.), she arrived at a system that allowed each child to choose one or two packaged foods they’d be willing be eat. She drew the line at super-sugary cereal, and her kids have now settled on staples like instant oatmeal, Raisin Bran, Cheerios and Greek yogurt. She insists that they include milk and fresh fruit, and has found that breakfast time has settled down considerably since those frequently tardy days of the previous year.
The battle of breakfast While there has been considerable attention recently directed toward school lunches, many parents find that their most stressful meal of the day is breakfast. It poses a double problem for those struggling to get kids fed and out the door. First, time is of the essence—the school bus driver won’t wait while your darling finishes that last mouthful of toast. And secondly, a nutritious meal can make a huge difference in a child’s school performance. Numerous studies have shown that children who eat healthful breakfasts have higher energy levels and better learning ability than students who don’t eat breakfast. So what’s a struggling parent to do? It might help to take at look at how Bitney helped her family improve their on-time
performance. She addressed the issue with the family members and stated her goal for the school year ahead. She created a fun way, a song, for everyone to remember what needed to happen next. And she let her kids have a say in what they chose to eat.
Ingredients for success Allowing kids a choice is important, says Susan Moores, R.D., a registered dietician and Twin Cities-based nutrition consultant. She says that there are a few key elements in a good breakfast: Good-quality carbohydrates, a preferred source of energy for the brain. “The first ingredient on the package needs to be whole wheat, rolled oats, or whole grain,” she says, adding, “Don’t be fooled by fiber claims, because that’s not an indicator of a whole grain. The more claims they make on the front of the box, the more you should turn it over and read the ingredient list for the full story.” Protein, which Moores says, “helps make
the energy you’re getting from your food last a little bit longer, because it’s the slowest to leave the stomach.” Yogurt is a good source, but she cautions to be aware of sugar (aim for 30 grams or less) and artificial colors, which some studies have linked to behavior issues in some children. Other good protein sources include milk, peanut or almond butter, and string cheese. Liquids, but limit fruit juice to six ounces
(2/3 cup) a day. “If you drink your breakfast, you’ll be hungry in an hour or two,” says Moores. Fruit or vegetable. “They have fiber,
which helps kids feel full longer,” Moores says. “Plus, missing them at breakfast causes a need to ‘make up’ servings later in the day.”
Skip the table, not breakfast While some families do sit down to breakfast together every morning, that’s not always a reality for many
Quick snacks for on the go Oversleep? Dawdling? Sometimes there’s no getting around the fact that kids will not always have time for the most important meal of the day. That’s when take-along foods for on the bus or the walk to school are the only way to get a bit of nutrition in. When there isn’t opportunity to slap bread with peanut butter, these snacks will help fill that gnawing, empty feeling. It’s not just for babies Kids of every age love squeeze pouch convenience, so throw out the notion that only babies and toddlers want to eat “purple roots and fruit” and “berry banana beet.” With BPA-free pouches, no artificial ingredients, and certified organic products, your child will suck up Plum Organic goodness quickly and with no mess. Other pouch-style foods include HappyBaby, a Dr. Searsrecommended product with the same BPA-free and 100% natural guarantee; and the organic super smoothie, HappySqueeze, a larger portioned size for bigger kids. Pouches usually cost under $2 each, some can be found for closer to a dollar. There’s also Earth’s Best Organic (Lund’s/Byerly’s, $1.69), Sprout Organic Baby Food (Lund’s, Target, about $1.60), and now even Gerber is getting into the act. Beyond baby food Consider the mainstay of granola bars, now in all kinds of flavors and nutrition values; the venerable Naked juices with tags like “protein zone” and “berry veggie” (between $3 and $4 depending upon where you acquire them); Cuties, an all natural fruit smoothie (about $2) with no added sugar; and a personal favorite, Greek yogurt, which usually has about 12 grams of protein — not bad at all, and again, under $2. Finally, consider the nutritional value of nuts such as almonds. One ounce of almonds has 12 percent of the daily allowance of protein and as much calcium as a quarter cup of milk. They are also loaded with Vitamin E. — Kathleen Stoehr
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homes, but Moores has some on-the-go suggestions. “A lot of kids aren’t hungry an hour into their day, but you can offer take-along foods like trail mix, string cheese, or individual packages of cottage cheese or yogurt. Apple wedges can be dipped in vanilla yogurt that’s sprinkled with cinnamon. And there’s no reason a child can’t have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or cheese and turkey sandwich for breakfast,” she says.
School steps in
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If breakfast at home or on the go just isn’t feasible, your child’s school may be stepping in to fill that gap. Janeen Peterson, president of the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, says that school breakfast programs have been around since 1975. “We’ve tried to make breakfast more convenient for students, and the number of breakfasts eaten at school is on the rise,” she says. Many schools have added concepts such as a grab-and-go breakfasts that can be eaten in classrooms, along with mobile breakfast carts located in different areas of the school building. Peterson encourages parents to check out their children’s school breakfast options, saying, “Like school lunch, it’s one of the best deals around, and provides nutrients that help children learn better than they would without having breakfast.” And, Peterson says, “We hear from many parents that they appreciate having one less thing to do before getting kids off to school.”
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—Susan Moores, R.D. Ed Fair MNP 0912 2-3page L.indd 1
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Style, function and value... you must be the parent of a teen. Since they often want to sleep until the last possible moment in the morning, most teens don’t leave time for a nutritious breakfast. Moores suggests fast options such as beef sticks (“Read the labels and make sure you can pronounce the ingredients,” she cautions) or pita pockets stuffed with nut butter and bananas, or with cottage cheese, broccoli slaw, and dressing. One big no-no for teen breakfasts is energy drinks. “They have a significant amount of sugar, and destructive substances for teeth, which is a worry since the teens will be away from a toothbrush until afternoon. The big rush of caffeine and sugar wears off in a couple hours, and then they feel so bad they often reach for another drink,” she says, adding, “It’s hard to learn when you feel so cruddy because of those ups and downs.”
She tells parents that nagging about long-term health consequences like tooth decay, heart disease, or osteoporosis will be ignored by most teens. “Instead, say that you need to choose the best foods to charge up your brain so you can do better on that test today, or to help you run during the game.” Even with a system in place to make breakfast run more smoothly, Mya Bitney has found there is always room for improvement. “My husband was letting the little ones pour their own hot water for instant oatmeal,” she said. “It was taking forever and causing spills. Now we have a ‘parents pour’ policy,” she says, and notes that it’s saved some time and kept their on-time record intact. And what’s her goal for the coming school year? “Everyone will brush their teeth before we leave the house,” she vows. •
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