Are you Fueling Your Kids to Succeed?

With kids heading back to school, parents want their children to get good grades and succeed. One of the best ways to make that happen is to get them to eat right: good nutrition helps them do well, and even excel, in school.

Children who eat well and regularly eat breakfast have higher test scores, improved memory, better school attendance, and are less hyperactive.

But getting kids to eat healthy can be a challenge, especially when they’re at school all day. Like most parents, a lot of my clients don’t know how to deal with this so I’ll give you the same advice I give them.

BREAKFAST

In order to have the energy to stay alert throughout the morning, children need to have a good breakfast. Unfortunately, many breakfast foods for children are loaded with sugar and their natural nutrients have been stripped away. Research also shows that children who eat sugary breakfasts tend to eat more at lunch. In addition, eating sugary foods can cause your child to have erratic energy levels, just like we adults!

Here are some good choices:

• Oatmeal - either regular or instant oatmeal will do the trick. Just be sure to choose oatmeal that isn’t already pre-sweetened. Sweeten it yourself with fresh fruit, raisins, or honey.
• Smoothies - Blend fresh or frozen fruit & bananas with milk for a quick, tasty and nutritious smoothie.
• Whole grain breads - Toast 100% whole grain bread and add all-natural peanut butter (not the regular kind..there’s a lot of added sugar in them). If your kids are allergic to peanuts, try almond butter or cashew butter. If they’re allergic to tree nuts, then just add plain butter, cream cheese or jelly.
• Low-sugar cereals - Cereals like Cheerios (try their multi-grain!) or shredded wheat (not frosted) are good alternatives to the normal sugary cereals.
• Whole Wheat Pancakes - Make pancakes using whole wheat flour and your kids tummy will stay fuller longer and give them more energy than white flour ones.

LUNCH

Eating healthy at lunch will help keep your child’s mind sharp and ready to learn all afternoon. Unfortunately, most school cafeteria’s are filled with not-so-good choices like pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken nuggets.

Instead of having them eat at school, pack your child’s lunch. Packing a healthy lunch is a good way for them to get good nutrients and the energy to get through afternoon. Just be sure not to give them too many ‘convenience’ foods like soda, chips and cookies.

For the basics of a healthy lunch box, include:

• Protein - one serving of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, or peanut butter.
• Vegetables - cut up vegetables and pack a small container of hummus or ranch dressing which they can dip the veggies into. Or sneak veggies into sandwiches, cold pasta salads and other dishes.
• Pack some leftover soup and use a thermos to keep the it warm. They’ll love it in the cool weather!
• Avoid processed meats with nitrates when making sandwiches. Many stores now carry lunch meat choices without nitrates.
• A healthy drink such as water or 100% juice - just watch out for the drinks with added sugar!
• Other healthy items to pack- cubes of cheese (real cheese, not the string cheese), yogurt (just watch out for the added sugar those too), nuts, dried fruits and raisins are good choices.

AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS

Even with a good breakfast and healthy lunch, a light after-school snack is important to refuel a kid’s body, especially if they play sports or participate in an after-school activity. Good choices are:

• A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit
• Snack tray of vegetables and dips
• Whole wheat crackers and cheese
• Cottage cheese and cut up fruit
• Plain crackers or popcorn for something crunchy

The possibilities are endless. Just be sure to keep chips, sugary sodas, candy and other high-sugar items out. Eating these sugary foods will just make the kids hungrier.

So provide your children with good nutrition and they’ll do better in school and other after-school activities. The key is to teach them about the benefits of healthy foods and showing them too.

Adopting healthy eating habits YOURSELF will influence their eating habits forever. And that is more valuable than just good grades in school.

© Dinneen Diette, 2008