KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Getting off to a good start in school often begins hours before students set foot in the classroom. It begins with a healthy breakfast.
Beth Wallace, a Registered Dietitian at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia says it is possible to find foods your kids like that are both nutritious and easy to prepare.
Her personal favorite in the morning is the fruit smoothie. "I make mine usually with some sort of low fat yogurt, whatever frozen berries or fresh berries I have around and a little orange juice for some sweetness. You can put it in the freezer or refrigerator overnight and you're ready to go in the morning," Wallace said.
She says other good breakfast choices include low sugar oatmeal, whole wheat toast and fruits for the anti-oxidants and carbohydrates.
"The brain loves good sources of carbohydrates to get yourself moving for the day. It's an easy for your body to absorb, and it's going to give your brain a good amount of energy," Wallace said.
When lunch time rolls around, keep your child’s mind sharp and ready to learn by packing a simple, convenient and balanced meal.
"Let's start with a fruit, so we'll grab an apple, we'll have a nice source of dairy, so we'll take our cheese. Low fat string cheeses are really easy, fun things for the kids to have on hand. For a big piece of the meal, we'll have peanut butter and jelly. I need something a little bit sweet, so maybe we'll grab some dark chocolate pieces. Yes! Dark chocolate, we're ok. Absolutely," Wallace said.
Top it off with a bag of soy chips or pretzels and a bottle of water and this meal will have your child ready to learn all afternoon.
To refuel the brain before study time, “Carbohydrates is what's going to fuel your brain the best."
Wallace recommends a trail mix. Nut bars that are high in Omega 3’s or yogurt with some flax seed sprinkled on top, along with fresh fruit are good choices.
"Kids should be thinking about something that's going to fulfill their hunger and something that's going to be fun to eat and something that's quick and easy so they can get up on the go and get moving to where they're going to," Wallace said.
