Breakfast Ideas for Obese Children

This meal is of the utmost importance in controlling weight and also, ironically, the one meal that kids often skip. While it is never a good idea to force kids to eat when they are not hungry, breakfast must be eaten, and this is something your children will need to accept. Most children will, once they begin a healthy eating programme, develop a more regular appetite, and be more refreshed and alert in the morning. So breakfast will eventually become more appealing – in fact, most kids will be ravenous for good nutritious fare.

Try to include a good source of protein – eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, milk, grilled lean bacon, or even cheese occasionally – in your child’s breakfast. It will help to keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the morning, and aid concentration. Children who eat a good healthy breakfast are far less likely to overeat throughout the day. Always add one or more servings of fruit as well – it gives them the nutrients they need to start the day well, plus it provides them with a healthy burst of energy to get them through the morning. Many kids will pick at fruit even if they are not natural breakfasters, so take this opportunity to squeeze in a couple of servings.

Ideas
- Healthy breakfast cereals are a great source of fibre, which aids digestion, is filling and encourages a sustained release of energy throughout the day. Porridge is a particularly good choice
- Make a breakfast buffet, with oatmeal, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and dried fruits – such as apricots, raisins and cranberries-in small dishes. Each child can then create their own mixture
- Wholegrain cereal or muesli, sprinkled with seasonal berries or another fruit, with milk (try soya or rice milk occasionally to add variety) on top, along with a glass of juice – if the cereal needs to be sweetened, drizzle it with honey
- Wholemeal toast with peanut butter, a banana and a glass of juice
- Poached or boiled egg with wholemeal toast and a glass of juice
- Grilled lean bacon, a boiled egg, some berries or orange sections, a piece of wholemeal toast or muffin and some juice
- Plain yogurt (try soya yogurt as an alternative) with fruit (anything goes) and organic honey, a piece of wholemeal toast and a glass of juice
- A grilled lean bacon sandwich with tomatoes or cucumber on wholemeal toast, with a glass of juice
- Veggie sausage in a wholemeal bun, with fruit juice and an orange
- Fresh mango with yogurt, a handful of seeds or nuts, and a piece of wholemeal toast with butter or nut butter
- Wholemeal toast with pure fruit, low-sugar jam or preserve; yogurt (or a yogurt drink) and a glass of milk or juice
- Rice cakes with hummus, apple slices and juice
- A smoothie – fresh or tinned fruit, plain yogurt and honey whizzed together with a banana, or some ice cubes
- Grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms and grilled lean bacon with a slice of wholemeal toast and a glass of juice
- Or why not consider ‘non-breakfast’ foods, such as a tuna fish sandwich on wholemeal bread with a glass of juice? Or a leftover slice of ‘healthy’ pizza?
- If you are at a loss as to how to incorporate a few servings of fruit or vegetables, it’s not hard. Some grapes on the side, or some orange, banana or apple sections are an easy choice. A pot of fruit in fruit juice, a few strawberries or other berries on cereal or yogurt, or whizzed into a smoothie, are other good ideas. Slices of cucumber, tomatoes or even pepper with bacon and eggs works well, too. A glass of pure fruit juice is also a whole serving of fruit, and you can normally encourage most children to drink a glass with breakfast. If you have a juicer, encourage your children to choose three or four fruits (kiwi, apple, mango, banana, pineapple, melon, for example) and add one vegetable, such as carrot, celery or cucumber, to add vital nutrients. A good simple combination for those new to juicing is apple and carrot – it’s sweet, delicious and cheap.