Parents have recently been pulling up to my table to ask me whether it is normal for their children to want last night’s left-over pizza for breakfast. This week, let me toast any child who eats a breakfast before school and provide a few tips to make sure that their breakfast – which I believe is the most important meal of the day to get the brain and body going – contains the right nutrients.
First, while it would be great for all children to want the traditional breakfast foods of juice, cereal with fruit, some toast and milk, most kids in a hurry to catch the school bus and head out the door simply open the refrigerator door and grab leftovers from the night before, such as spaghetti and meatballs or a cold pizza slice. The good news is that these foods, though unusual for breakfast, do provide your child with some healthy carbohydrates and protein, which are a lot healthier than high-sugar, high-fat food items, such as brownies and cake, that they might otherwise want.
If you are worried that your child may not have time to sit down for that bowl of cereal and there is no pizza left over, grains can be provided by giving them a packet of cheese or peanut butter crackers or a single size serving box of dry cereal, which can even give them some added protein.
As to getting in the vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, offering children fruits in a muffin or a container of vegetables such as raw carrots or celery to eat on the way to school can also meet their nutritional needs.
If your children don’t want milk as a means of getting their vitamin D or calcium, they can get their dairy requirements met just as well through yogurt or cheese sticks as they head out the door.
If you would prefer to have a sit down breakfast before school with your children, offer them some limited choices the night before or offer to have them help you prepare the meal—since children are more apt to eat that which they choose or have helped prepare.
And if you are in a position where you cannot afford to provide a daily breakfast to your family, be reassured that the schools in your neighborhood most likely do, often for free, as part of the National School Breakfast Program so your children can still get some nutrients once they get to school.
Remember that any breakfast is better than no breakfast. Putting something in your child’s stomach before their brain needs to start working leads to a better school performance for the rest of that day. That goes for parents in their jobs, too, who should also be sure to eat breakfast every morning!
Hopefully, tips like this will allow your child to make a more nutritious fast break out of breakfast even if it means eating last night’s pizza.
Lewis First, M.D., is chief of Pediatrics at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. You can also catch "First with Kids" weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and WPTZ Channel 5, or visit the First with Kids video archives at www.FletcherAllen.org/firstwithkids.