A long night of fasting causes our glucose reserves to drop, which is why breakfast is so important for children in terms of its nutritional, functional and metabolic benefits. At the end of an overnight fast, breakfast serves to provide the necessary energy with which to take on the activities of the morning, and the day in general.
Breakfast is a fundamental meal for adults and children. Skipping breakfast results in a deterioration in performance in the early hours of the day, and this also applies to children. Little ones are less able to concentrate and demonstrate less stamina during physical activity for example. On the contrary, children who regularly eat a proper breakfast demonstrate better cognitive ability and greater levels of concentration at school. And these performance parameters are not just improved immediately after breakfast, but also during subsequent hours, and this is equally true for children and adults.
To be balanced and complete, a good breakfast for children and adults should contain roughly 20% of the day’s calories.
For children, there are at least two biological mechanisms via which breakfast can help brain function - by maintaining the supply of essential nutrients for the central nervous system and, in the long term, by improving the overall nutritional contribution of their diet.
For children, a breakfast that is part of a ‘pleasant’ routine in a ‘family environment’ is an essential requisite for their nourishment during childhood and adolescence, and is fundamental in preventing metabolic disorders and overweightness.
It is well-known that those who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to become obese. Those who skip it, particularly children, tend to get hungry mid-morning and will often eat ham sandwiches, salty snacks and foods that are too high in fat or sugar, unsuitable from a nutritional standpoint.
But what should the ideal child’s breakfast look like? Specialists agree in saying that, in order to be balanced and complete, a good breakfast for children and adults should contain roughly 20% of the day’s calories, and should mainly consist of complex carbohydrates, a few simple sugars, protein and a little fat. It should be varied and eaten regularly.
What foods to choose in order to satisfy these requirements? Examples would be natural yoghurt with muesli and seasonal fruit; soy milk whole wheat bread with nuts jam and honey; rice milk 4-5 whole wheat biscuits or cocoa biscuits (it is important to choose those with extra virgin olive oil and not palm oil or vegetable fats); bread with a little ricotta, barley coffee and a piece of fruit; a fruit smoothie with plant milk, a few nuts and a biscuit. All these examples provide energy and a prolonged sense of fullness. As a result, unsuitable mid-morning snacks can simply be replaced with a piece of fruit or a yoghurt, more than enough to ward off hunger.
Simply drinking a fruit juice is not recommended as these contain sugars that are easily burned or that stimulate the insulin hormone that immediately metabolises the simple sugars, resulting in a renewed sense of hunger. Getting the day off to a good start with a proper breakfast will teach children about the importance of this routine from a very young age, and will help them to avoid making nutritional mistakes in the future.
Renata Alleva graduated in Biological Sciences in 1990 and obtained her research doctorate from the Università degli Studi di Bologna. She started her career as a nutritionist in 2004 after completing a 2nd level Masters in Clinical Nutrition at the Università di Siena. In 2009, she completed her specialist qualification at the Università di Siena.
