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It is school health week (4-8 March) so I thought some nutritional tips for mothers with school going children may be useful.

Before your child is out the door and off to school, forgetting their packed lunch may not be the only thing they’re missing. Many studies suggest that breakfast is skipped more than any other meal of the day by school going children. So if you really do the math, it could mean that some kids may go as long as 15 hours or more without food. This could definitely affect their ability to learn.

Making sure your child fuels up in the morning will help improve focus and concentration in the classroom, allowing them to excel in areas such as math and reading. They will also be less likely to have behavioural problems or issues with being late or missing school days. Even if your child is well nourished, skipping breakfast may still pose a problem in the classroom and affect problem-solving and learning abilities.

Here are few simple suggestions to try if getting your child to eat breakfast is a challenge:

• Stop snacks at night. Tell your child that the kitchen is closed after supper and you might find them a lot hungrier in the morning.
• Mornings can get busy for most families, so why not set the breakfast table at night instead. And while you’re at it, put a few boxes of whole grain cereal for the kids to choose from so all they have to do in the morning is pour and add milk.
• If the family is not used to eating in the morning, it might take a while to develop the habit. Start with something small like a little helping of yoghurt topped with a sprinkle of granola or a small slice of whole wheat toast topped with sugar free peanut butter. This can help make the transition easier.
• Hectic mornings is what makes it difficult to find time for breakfast. Set the alarm for 10 minutes earlier to leave some time to squeeze in a quick morning meal.
• Children may feel hungry once they have had a chance to wake up. Let them get dressed first and then sit down to eat.
• If you have no time to cook, then that’s no problem. Make sure you are well stocked with a few quick-fix foods e.g. whole grain cereal, cheese slices/wedges, berries, yoghurt, whole wheat bread and bran muffins. These make for easy breakfasts on-the-go.
• Last but not least, remember that children mimic their parent’s behavior. So try be a good role model and make it a habit to sit down and eat breakfast with your kids every morning.

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