Weekday mornings can be hectic around the house. Parents get
ready for work and hustle reluctant children out of bed to go to school.
Time is a precious commodity so you make choices that require the least
effort to get the best result. For many families, this means putting a
box of cereal, a bowl and a carton milk in front of your child for
breakfast. Concerned about the lack of nutritious food at school, many
parents also throw a fortified snack bar into the child's lunch box.
Nobody wants to send their child to school with no food in his or her belly. Getting the day off to a good nutritious start helps the child meet the demands of the school day and supports their growing and very active bodies. The cereal box proudly displays healthy messages indicating that the product is fortified with vitamins, rich in fiber and it is therefore a healthy choice for your child's breakfast. Unfortunately, this expedient option may be doing your child more harm than good.
First, let's discuss those vitamins. No one argues with the need for vitamins as an essential component of a nutritious diet. The best vitamin sources are those we get from vegetables and fruits, where they are supplied in sufficient quantities along with phytonutrients and minerals all beneficial to our bodies. Cereals and snack bars fortified with vitamins often supply very high amounts of these vitamins resulting in a harmful cocktail for young children. Many cereals include harmful amounts of vitamin A, zinc and niacin. Children are not the only ones affected by this. Pregnant women and seniors may also experience harmful effects from over consumption.
Next, take a look at the amount of sugar in one bowl of cereal. The package label may suggest that one serving includes as much as 9 grams of sugar. Then you notice that a serving size looks rather small, so you pour a heartier looking helping into the bowl, looking more like the picture on the front of the box or the commercial you saw on television. Now you have increased the sugar load to around 18 grams, not to mention doubling the dose of vitamins. In addition to added sugar, many cereals are made from highly refined grains, which convert to glucose in the body almost immediately.
The poor child's little body has no way to metabolize that much sugar and the insulin cycle begins. The child's ability to concentrate and stay focused on schoolwork is severely impaired. Long-term, the effects of too much sugar in the diet are numerous, including obesity, diabetes, inflammation, heart disease and cancer. The combination of too much sugar and an overdose of vitamins stresses your child's metabolism and immune systems.
You can make major improvements to your child's breakfast nutrition and school performance with a few simple changes. Look carefully at the labels of the cereal boxes on the supermarket shelf and select cereals with lower sugar content. Avoid wheat products as they provide refined starch, and they are recognized by the Consumer Protection Agency as a food allergen. You may see warnings on the package indicating that the product was processed in a facility that also handles wheat. Switch to whole grains like steel-cut or rolled oats and muesli. Whole grains that are not highly refined are nutritious sources of fiber, protein and vitamin B along with several important minerals. Add some sunflower seeds and you will add more protein and minerals. For another nutritious choice, try adding plain yogurt with some chopped berries to the breakfast table.
Nobody wants to send their child to school with no food in his or her belly. Getting the day off to a good nutritious start helps the child meet the demands of the school day and supports their growing and very active bodies. The cereal box proudly displays healthy messages indicating that the product is fortified with vitamins, rich in fiber and it is therefore a healthy choice for your child's breakfast. Unfortunately, this expedient option may be doing your child more harm than good.
First, let's discuss those vitamins. No one argues with the need for vitamins as an essential component of a nutritious diet. The best vitamin sources are those we get from vegetables and fruits, where they are supplied in sufficient quantities along with phytonutrients and minerals all beneficial to our bodies. Cereals and snack bars fortified with vitamins often supply very high amounts of these vitamins resulting in a harmful cocktail for young children. Many cereals include harmful amounts of vitamin A, zinc and niacin. Children are not the only ones affected by this. Pregnant women and seniors may also experience harmful effects from over consumption.
Next, take a look at the amount of sugar in one bowl of cereal. The package label may suggest that one serving includes as much as 9 grams of sugar. Then you notice that a serving size looks rather small, so you pour a heartier looking helping into the bowl, looking more like the picture on the front of the box or the commercial you saw on television. Now you have increased the sugar load to around 18 grams, not to mention doubling the dose of vitamins. In addition to added sugar, many cereals are made from highly refined grains, which convert to glucose in the body almost immediately.
The poor child's little body has no way to metabolize that much sugar and the insulin cycle begins. The child's ability to concentrate and stay focused on schoolwork is severely impaired. Long-term, the effects of too much sugar in the diet are numerous, including obesity, diabetes, inflammation, heart disease and cancer. The combination of too much sugar and an overdose of vitamins stresses your child's metabolism and immune systems.
You can make major improvements to your child's breakfast nutrition and school performance with a few simple changes. Look carefully at the labels of the cereal boxes on the supermarket shelf and select cereals with lower sugar content. Avoid wheat products as they provide refined starch, and they are recognized by the Consumer Protection Agency as a food allergen. You may see warnings on the package indicating that the product was processed in a facility that also handles wheat. Switch to whole grains like steel-cut or rolled oats and muesli. Whole grains that are not highly refined are nutritious sources of fiber, protein and vitamin B along with several important minerals. Add some sunflower seeds and you will add more protein and minerals. For another nutritious choice, try adding plain yogurt with some chopped berries to the breakfast table.
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