5 Reasons Breakfast Is a Must for Kids....

How many times have you heard "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"?

Kids who eat breakfast:
1. Do better in school
2. Have fewer behavioral problems
3. Have better concentration, more energy, and better hand-eye coordination
4. Are more likely to meet their nutritional needs overall
5. Have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight

Mornings can be hectic in any family, and getting kids -- So if you can't make the morning meal happen at home, send kids off with healthy on-the-go breakfasts to eat on the way," says Dr. Jen. "The night before, have them help you fill plastic zipper bags with things like nuts, raisins, and Os cereal; orange slices; low-fat granola; cheese and crackers; sliced apple ‘sandwich cookies’ filled with peanut butter . . . or anything else reasonably healthy that you know they'll eat, whether it's ‘breakfast food' or not. A chicken sandwich on whole wheat?

1. Plenty of fiber and protein -- it will keep kids full and energized until lunch.
2. Minimal sugar -- too much can send energy soaring up, and then crashing down, before the morning's half over.
3. Some healthful fat, especially omega-3s -- turns out that kids who eat more of these fats do better on short-term memory tests (and they ace pop quizzes!) than kids who eat more saturated fat (think butter, bacon, sausage, pastries, full-fat milk and cheese).

One easy way to get good omega-3 fats into your kids: Sprinkle walnuts or almonds on their cereal.