There’s a saying that you should breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. This is because a nourishing morning meal can set a positive tone for the day, and it’s super important for our school-aged children.

But many parents are balancing full-time work, rising living costs and the daily juggle, so breakfast for their kids easily slips down their priority list.

One teacher messaged me the other day asking “when did it become okay for a child to only eat a Wagon Wheel for breakfast?” She was genuinely up in arms, that some of her primary school pupils often come to school fuelled only by a couple of biscuits or a packet of crisps and an energy drink. It’s alarming, and she sees the direct effect that this has on their ability to concentrate, sit still and manage their emotions throughout the school day.

It is now well established through research that children have much better academic achievements when they eat a nutritious breakfast; and on the flip side they are much harder to teach when they are being influenced by the highs and lows of the sugar monster.

And when a breakfast packed with sugar and refined carbs becomes the norm, it’s not uncommon for a child to be flagged as having behavioural challenges. But if their brain simply isn’t being fuelled with the right nutrients, it’s not really their fault. Protein and healthy fats are also needed to sustain focus, concentration and mental stamina throughout the busy school day.

Many kids skip breakfast altogether, which means that they start the school day on empty. Not only does this mean there is no fuel in the tank to focus and concentrate during lessons, it is also well-established that breakfast skippers have greater odds of becoming depressed, stressed and anxious during adolescence and teen years. Research has also found that repeatedly skipping breakfast is linked to greater obesity and metabolic health problems when compared to those kids who eat a decent breakfast. So, there are very good short and long-term reasons to fill their tummies before they head for school and cultivate healthy feeding habits early on.

Even though as parents we are under so much time and financial pressure these days, it is vital that your child has a decent breakfast before they head to school. Remember your child has probably not eaten for over 12 hours by the time they wake up, and then it is likely another 6 hours until their lunch at school. Most of their academic learning happens in the morning, so this is exactly when their little brains need the right fuel to stay sharp, focused, and ready to perform at their best.

In my thirty years specialising in family nutrition, I also see feeding patterns where the kids who skips breakfast or only eats a very sugary breakfasts on the hoof, tend to be the ones who only choose the bread, chips and pudding over the more nutritious parts of the lunch. And they are the kids who will binge on the cookies and crisps when you pick them up from school. It is not just because they are hooked on the sweet stuff, it is as if the sugary start to the day sets off the rollercoaster of needing the sugary fix over the day. Research is now finding that this is backed up by science and breakfast skippers or sugary breakfast eaters tend to have unhealthier eating habits overall.

To counteract this, I often task parents to trial a savoury breakfast at the weekend instead of the normal sugary options and watch their child’s eating patterns over that day. They often see them chose more nutritious options if they have started their day on a savoury footing. And even better, the children say they feel so much better.

So, as you have learnt, what they eat for breakfast is vital, not only for providing the basic nutrients that they need to grow and thrive, but also for fuelling their brains. This means that they will enjoy their educational journey much more and get the most out of their day at school.

What gets in the way of eating a hearty breakfast – and how to find solutions to these barriers?

Some of you might be saying… “I try my hardest to feed them something decent before school, but they simply refuse and then it becomes such a rush, we run out of time”. So, in these scenarios many parents say they are just grateful that their child has eaten anything at all before school – whether it is sugar fuelled or not.

I hear you, and for years and years we needed to be out of house by 7.35am with three kids (and a mummy and a dog) well fed! Some mornings it can be super hard to get to school on time AND the kids to also have full tummies, but it is possible. And it is ok to feed them in the car on the way to school, if you really do run out of time at home.

There are many blocks to why kids do not eat a hearty breakfast before school. Here are some of the reasons why, and some of my tips about how to get around the issue!

Lack of morning hunger

Your child may simply not be hungry in the morning when they wake up, and their hunger may only kick in mid-morning. This often happens because we wake up in a high-cortisol fight-or-flight state, which can suppress appetite first thing in the morning and this is where a lick of salt and a little cup of liquorice tea can really help. These magic duo can help to support the adrenals at this crucial time of the day.

A poor morning appetite can also be a flag for low zinc and low iron levels, both of which affect appetite and hunger and may lead to a sore tongue and a sore tummy. Kids who are low in zinc tend to catch lots of colds and coughs, have a poor sense of smell and taste and can experience mood swings. Youngsters who are low in iron often do not eat red meat, have pale skin and are quite tired, sullen and withdrawn. It may be a good idea to prioritise high iron and zinc rich foods at supper time and reach for supplements if you don’t think they are getting enough through their diet overall or you know they have shortfalls.

Highly selective eating

If you have a fussy eater on your hands, then they may be very set in their ways in what they will and won’t eat and that might mean you are in a tricky food rut. Highly selective eating can be complex to unravel, and this is why we at NatureDoc specialise in helping extreme fussy eaters so you can get over this hurdle with patience and time. It is good to experiment with new foods at the weekends, when you are in less of a rush, and then if they like these you can roll them out during the week too.

Early starts

Sometimes, especially once they are going to secondary school, your child is on a school bus by 7am and so there has not been much time to feed them before they leave. They are often quite particular with what they will and won’t eat on the way to school, especially if it looks like a very different breakfast from their friends.

This is where preparing a breakfast box the night before, storing it in the fridge so it just needs to be grabbed as they run out of the door will be your saviour. Work out together what will be in the breakfast box, so there are no surprises in the morning. Smoothies tend to be very popular, especially as they can be slurped out a bottle with a straw, so no one on the school transport can see exactly what they are drinking.

Late waker

One of the reasons for skipping breakfast, is that your child may have slept badly and a few more minutes asleep will seem much more important than breakfast at the time. And this is where my sleep tips can really help everyone to have a better night’s sleep so your child finds it easier to get up in time. It may take time to build in more restful and refreshing sleep if they struggle to get to sleep or wake in the night but once you achieve it, then the morning routine will flow much more easily and they will be much keener to eat a hearty breakfast.

Appetite suppression from medications

Your child may be on medications such as ADHD stimulants which supress the daytime appetite. And if this is the case, it is vital to time the stimulant medication right, so that they take it after they have had their breakfast. This means that lunch is the only meal that is likely to be disrupted by the medication’s appetite suppressing effects.

Anxious about school

Feeling anxious can give you butterflies in your stomach and anxiety can put you right off your food. Many kids feel too anxious before school to eat. Sometimes leaving out a little snack by their bed for when they wake up before the anxiety kicks in can help, as this gives a little boost to their blood sugar and grounds them a little.

If they wake up anxious, I am a big fan of giving kids magnesium, saffron, theanine or passionflower the night before, which can help them wake up in a less anxious state. If the anxiety comes on between waking up and going to school, then you can give these supplements again on waking, and they can help to make the build up to the school day much more bearable, and it will be easier to leave the house with a full tummy.

What does a healthy breakfast look like?

Ideally breakfast would be a balanced meal containing protein, healthy fats and slow-release carbs with some sort of colour from fruit, salad or veg. Unfortunately, some of the most popular British breakfasts nowadays are a bowl of sweet cereal, with a splash of oat milk and a glass of apple juice on the side or a quick slice of toast with jam or a pastry – which are not at all balanced, as these foods are pretty much all carbohydrate.

So, if your child is hooked on this type of breakfast, then it is important to add in extra food containing a protein and a healthy fat. Luckily natural foods tend to contain both protein and healthy fats, whether it is an egg, some nuts and seeds or some yoghurt. So, you only need to think once if you have these ready in your fridge or store cupboard.

The protein and healthy fat boost might look like a couple of dippy eggs or a couple of slices of cheese on the side; or it could be cream cheese or nut butter on some toast or a handful of nuts. Baked beans contain some protein and are cheap if you are on a budget.

Breakfast eaten in other countries is often savoury and can included eggs, beans, pulses, hummus, smoked fish, ham, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes or avocado with fresh and dried fruits on the side – so you can remind your kids of all the wonderful options they had for breakfast whilst on holiday and then weave these into the habits at home all year round.

Cereals and porridges can be supercharged with a wide range of ground nuts, nut butter and seeds. Kids love a scattering of blueberries, raspberries or sliced banana to provide the colour. My top tip is to stir an egg into the oats when cooking the porridge, as the kids will rarely even notice!

Overnight oats and porridge can both be prepared the night before and stored in the fridge in little containers, so if your child has overslept or is not hungry first thing, they can eat it in the car on the way to school. These again can be supercharged with lots of healthy extras from grated carrot or apple to seeds to nuts to cinnamon. If you have a little more time, you can warm them through in the morning which is especially nice in the cooler autumn and winter months.

Smoothies can be a winner for many kids too. They are good for the kids who are not that hungry in the morning, and those that need to catch that early bus as you can prepare it the night before and they can slurp it on their long journey to school. You can add such a wide range of goodies to a smoothie from fruit and berries to whole milk or yoghurt, to ground chia, hulled hemp and flax seeds to avocado and even some veg, and your kids can get involved in preparing it the night before.

Round up

Feeding kids is hard at the best of times, especially on a busy morning when you are rushing off to work and the kids are heading off to school. I hope that this blog has given you even more reasons to make breakfast a priority. Hopefully no teacher will ask to have a quiet tactful word with you about what your child has eaten (or not eaten!) for breakfast.

You can find many of my breakfast recipes here or in my cookbooks I Can’t Believe It’s Baby Food, The Good Stuff and Brain Brilliance.

I hope my tips help you find speedy ways to fill their tummies in the morning. It might mean prepping more the night before (ideally by getting your kids involved) or waking up 10 minutes earlier yourself to get everyone well fed. But is it well worth it.

If you feel that your child’s sleeping and feeding patterns are a greater challenge to manage on your own and you need more help from a professional, then do get in touch with our NatureDoc kids nutrition clinical team.

References

• Breakfasts Higher in Protein Increase Postprandial Energy Expenditure, Increase Fat Oxidation, and Reduce Hunger in Overweight Children from 8 to 12 Years of Age.
• Breakfast and behavior in morning tasks: Facts or fads?
• The effect of breakfast composition and energy contribution on cognitive and academic performance: a systematic review
• How sugar affects our kids
• How much sugar in cereal do children eat?
• Healthy eating linked to kids’ happiness
• On carrots and curiosity: eating fruit and vegetables is associated with greater flourishing in daily life
• The link between breakfast skipping and overweigh/obesity in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of observational studies
• The Effects of Breakfast and Breakfast Composition on Cognition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
• Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents
• Prevalence of breakfast skipping among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study
• Breakfast consumption and mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies  
• Skipping breakfast is associated with lower diet quality in young US children
• Associations between insufficient sleep, skipping breakfast and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: A school-based cross-sectional study in China
• Skipping breakfast is detrimental for primary school children: cross-sectional analysis of determinants for targeted prevention
• Adolescent breakfast skipping is associated with poorer academic performance: a school-based study from Hidhabu Abote District, Ethiopia
• A systematic review of the effect of breakfast on the cognitive performance of children and adolescents
• Breakfast skipping and academic achievement at 8-16 years: a population study in South Australia