Mornings can be a hectic time for busy moms – trying to feed the kids (and yourself) and get everyone out the door is not a task for the faint of heart.
While it’s tempting to resort to a quick sugary treat, it’s critical you resist the urge.
In fact, certain breakfast foods should be avoided altogether, as they lack no nutritional value, and even worse, many are downright dangerous. Here are 4 breakfast foods you should stop serving right away:
- Sugary Cereal: Put down the bright colored cereal! Don’t let your child anywhere near it.
Marketers know your child will be drawn to the bright colored cereal packaged in a box with cute characters.
But these artificial/high fructose corn syrup cereals aren’t only unhealthy, they are dangerous.
Forbes reported:
“When you exclude obviously sugar-heavy foods like candy, cookies, ice cream, soft and fruit drinks, breakfast cereals are the single greatest source of added sugars in the diets of children under the age of eight,” said nutritionist Dawn Undurraga, who coauthored the new report, Children’s Cereals: Sugar by the Pound. “Cereals that pack in as much sugar as junk food should not be considered part of a healthy breakfast or diet. Kids already eat two to three times the amount of sugar experts recommend.”
Of the 181 children’s cereals the EWG tested, just 10 met their criteria for “low sugar.”
“We need to get real about food in this country, and that starts with using smart tools like this analysis from EWG,” Laurie David, producer of the documentary FED UP. “It’s time to rethink breakfast so that we don’t send our kids off to start their day already over the daily maximum amount of sugar they can safely consume.” Many of the cereals have in one serving as much as three Chips Ahoy! cookies. And if kids are eating a couple of servings of cereal for breakfast, they’re leaving for school with a lot of sugar in their systems.”
- Prepackaged Breakfast Muffins:Full of gluten, and sugar, prepackaged breakfast muffins are a poor breakfast choice.
Not only are they full of carbs, consuming them can cause your body to feel sluggish, as you are eating basically straight sugar.
Even worse, they won’t fully satisfy you, so you’ll be hungry just a few hours later.
- Pop Tarts:Pop Tarts may seem like a simple breakfast treat, but don’t be fooled.
These iced pastries are coated in icing (sugar) and contain high fructose corn syrup, which causes a myriad of health issues. Each wrapped package contains two Pop-Tarts, and while the serving size is only one, most end up eating both.
If you feed these to your kids, they are consuming a scary 78 grams of carbohydrates, just in breakfast alone.
Just say no!
- Sweet Drinks:From sugary juices to prepackaged smoothies, many busy families drink half their daily sugar limit during breakfast alone.
Even more scary, some children even drink soda with their breakfast!
Parents reported on this dangerous trend:
“You might be surprised that so many kids drink soda with their breakfasts. Not as surprising: 71 percent of kids have fruit juice in the morning, which can also provide a lot of sugar.
Sweet drinks can also quickly fill kids up so they’re not hungry for food. And though a little bit of 100 percent juice is okay and contains all natural sugars, you should still watch portions.
In new guidelines, the American Academy of Pediatrics says children ages 4-6 should have no more than 4-6 ounces a day and children ages 7-18 no more than 8 ounces.
Instead of a straight-up glass of juice, use a little bit of juice in a smoothie along with frozen fruit, milk (dairy or non-dairy), and yogurt, and your child will be getting a lot more nutrition.”
Looking for healthy breakfast items? The possibilities are endless.
Cage-free eggs are a great source of protein, and easy to make. You can scramble them up in the morning with fresh veggies, or boil some the night before.
If you’re feeling ambitious, try taking raw eggs, veggies, and baking them in a muffin tin the night before. You can freeze these mini quiches, and simply heat them up in the morning for a hot treat!
Not much of a breakfast eater? Try making your own homemade smoothie.Simply chop up fresh fruit and add ice or coconut milk, which is a much healthier option than the pre-packaged sugar-filled options.
If you really want to wow your family, try making your own breakfast sandwiches. Just use Ezekiel bread, with eggs and a slice of bacon.
Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, and it’s crucial you start your children off on the right foot.
What are your favorite healthy breakfast options?
Have you found an item that is not only healthybut easy to make too?
Tell us your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below.