With the new school year approaching, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is urging parents to take some time to plan breakfast, a child’s most important meal of the day.
"We know that a healthy breakfast helps children concentrate better in school and makes it easier for them to learn," said Heart and Stroke Foundation registered dietitian Carol Dombrow. "We all want to give our kids the power to be their best and the truth is, breakfast plays a big part. Fibre, iron and protein are the powerful nutritional trio that make up a healthy and well-rounded breakfast.” Lack of time and picky eaters provide big challenges for parents trying to steer away from highly-processed and unhealthy foods during the morning rush.Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years to nine per cent. The combined overweight and obesity rate is now 26 per cent. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has launched the Time to Start campaign promoting healthy meal options and physical activity guidelines in time for the new school year. "A healthy breakfast can be every bit as quick and easy to prepare as a less nutritious one,” Dombrow said. “It's all about being creative with your food, knowing your child and thinking a little bit like a kid." No time for creativity? Dombrow suggests taking a few minutes after dinner to prepare a quick and nutritious breakfast by cutting up some fresh fruit and hard boiling some eggs. Here are some other tips, courtesy of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada:
Kid-friendly options: • Put a face on your bowl of oatmeal with raisins and almonds.
• Dip whole wheat toast sticks into a soft-boiled egg.
• Melt lower fat cheese on an English muffin and serve with apple slices.
• Make a fruit smoothie; make sure you use 100 per cent fruit juice, lower-fat yogurt and plenty of fruit. Fast breakfasts: • Leftovers are a great option for a quick, healthy breakfast. So warm up the whole-wheat pasta from last night's dinner.
• Have a batch of whole-grain, low-fat muffins or bread ready in the freezer. A little weekend baking with the kids can set you up for smooth, easy weekday mornings.
• When you're cleaning up from dinner, take an extra few minutes and cut up fresh fruit or hard boil a few eggs. Adding toast next morning is a breeze.
• Make fruit smoothie popsicles for those warm-weather mornings.
• Eating on the go is the new normal for many families. Pack fruit, whole-grain/low-sodium crackers and cheese so you can all run out the door with the right fuel for your gas tanks. Get your child involved: • Involve them in menu planning; let them create the week's breakfast plan by picking from a list of healthy options.
• Let your child operate the blender when you make a smoothie.
• Include at least three of the food groups in the breakfast meal - let your child pick the day's groups.
• Empower your child to make breakfast for the whole family - you may need to get up a few minutes earlier, but the trade-off has excellent results.
• Dip whole wheat toast sticks into a soft-boiled egg.
• Melt lower fat cheese on an English muffin and serve with apple slices.
• Make a fruit smoothie; make sure you use 100 per cent fruit juice, lower-fat yogurt and plenty of fruit. Fast breakfasts: • Leftovers are a great option for a quick, healthy breakfast. So warm up the whole-wheat pasta from last night's dinner.
• Have a batch of whole-grain, low-fat muffins or bread ready in the freezer. A little weekend baking with the kids can set you up for smooth, easy weekday mornings.
• When you're cleaning up from dinner, take an extra few minutes and cut up fresh fruit or hard boil a few eggs. Adding toast next morning is a breeze.
• Make fruit smoothie popsicles for those warm-weather mornings.
• Eating on the go is the new normal for many families. Pack fruit, whole-grain/low-sodium crackers and cheese so you can all run out the door with the right fuel for your gas tanks. Get your child involved: • Involve them in menu planning; let them create the week's breakfast plan by picking from a list of healthy options.
• Let your child operate the blender when you make a smoothie.
• Include at least three of the food groups in the breakfast meal - let your child pick the day's groups.
• Empower your child to make breakfast for the whole family - you may need to get up a few minutes earlier, but the trade-off has excellent results.
Posted via email from Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan
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