Expert Opinion

Four Ways to Create a Balanced Breakfast for Your Child

30 Oct

We all know that breakfast is an important start to the day, but with busy mornings and fussy children, it can be hard to make sure our kids are having a balanced breakfast. It is just as important to give a balance of all macronutrients at breakfast as it is for lunch and dinner. Having a meal that has protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats will help to stabilise blood sugar levels and provide sustained energy. This helps our kids to have better moods and better concentration throughout the days, while supporting their growing bodies.

 

Here are some of my top tips to help you give your child a balanced breakfast.

1. Give protein at every meal

While it might be tempting to hand over a bowl of cereal or a piece of vegemite toast, these breakfast foods won’t keep your child full until morning tea. A boiled egg given alongside the toast or a smoothie with a spoonful of nut butter or tahini and some yoghurt added in are easy ways of boosting the protein content of these go-to breakfasts. Baked beans, savoury mince and scrambled eggs are all great, high-protein breakfast options.

2. Choose wholefood ingredients over highly refined carbohydrates and high sugar foods

Foods like white bread, jam and many cereals marketed to kids, provide little to no nutritional value. The sugar is quickly metabolised leading to a blood sugar spike and then crash. Switch the high sugar and highly processed foods and ingredients for whole foods like wholegrains, lean protein, fruit and vegetables. Think wholegrain wheat, oats, quinoa, sorghum, nuts and seeds and nut and seed butters, avocado and yoghurt. Try swapping the white bread for wholegrain or wholemeal bread and the high sugar cereal for an oat-based cereal. Muesli, porridge and overnight oats are all great options!

3. Prep ahead

Mornings can be really busy so having a breakfast already prepped that you can pull out of the fridge and serve straight away or warmed up is perfect. Great prep ahead breakfasts include baked oats, healthier pancakes, vegetable fritters, chia pudding and overnight oats.

4. Sneak in extra veggies

I love sneaking vegetables in at breakfast time as they provide vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates and fibre. These Almond Flour Pumpkin Pancakes are a great example of where you can sneak extra vegetables into your child’s diet.

Almond Flour Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves approximately 17

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour, or blanched almond meal
  • ½ cup buckwheat flour
  • ½ cup tapioca flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
  • 1 scoop Nature One Dairy Organic Milk Powder (optional)

To serve

  • strawberries, fresh, sliced, or other seasonal fruit
  • yoghurt of choice
  • pure maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Add the almond flour to a large mixing bowl. Sieve the buckwheat flour, tapioca flour and baking powder to the bowl. Add Nature One Dairy Organic Milk Powder, if using. Whisk to combine and create a well in the centre of the flour.
  2. Crack the eggs into the centre of the flour and add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Begin whisking while slowly pouring in the milk. Whisk into a smooth batter.
  3. Bring a large frying pan to a medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and then around ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Fry 2-3 pancakes at a time. Once bubbles start to form on the surface, use an egg flip to flip each pancake.
  4. Once golden brown on both sides, transfer pancakes to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel. Repeat this process until all batter has been used.
  5. Serve pancakes warm topped with berries and maple syrup. For small children, serve the pancakes cut up into bite sized pieces alongside some cut up fruit, vanilla yoghurt and a little maple syrup (optional).

About the author

Sarah Bell is a Bachelor qualified Nutritionist turned healthy recipe developer, mum of 3 and the creator of healthy recipes website, Our Nourishing Table. Sarah loves creating easy to make, nutrient-filled recipes that the whole family will love.