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Home > Portable Practical Pediatrics > 6 Reasons Your Children Need Breakfast (Pedcast)
Podcast: Portable Practical Pediatrics
Episode:

6 Reasons Your Children Need Breakfast (Pedcast)
Category: Kids & family
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2017-10-29 18:05:16
Description: Introduction I think this pedcast title speaks for itself. Today we are going to go over six reasons your children need breakfast and why all parents with young children should make providing breakfast a priority for their children. Stay tuned for this informative and important pedcast that's coming at you right now with me, your host, Dr. Paul Smolen. Musical Introduction Why did Grandma like us to eat breakfast? Why did grandma like breakfast for her kids so much and why did she think it was so important? I'm sure she would have preferred to sleep in rather than getting up and doing all that food preparation and clean up. But somehow, she knew that it was important and thank goodness she did. Her children were the beneficiaries of her efforts. What are these great six benefits of children eating breakfast you are wondering? Well here they are. Number 1- Having a nutritious breakfast has been shown to improve a child's ability to pay attention, enhance children's ability to make good decisions, and improve their short term memory when compared with children who are still fasting at the time of school starting. You want that for your kids, right? You want them at their cognitive best when that school bell rings and breakfast is one way to make sure that happens. Number 2- Breakfast got its name from the fact that sleeping is a fasting low energy state and eating breakfast, breaks that low energy state and revs up your kids metabolism so they can perform.  The day is waiting for them and breakfast primes the pump for them to turn on their energy production. You want them to make the most of each and every day. Breakfast gives them a running start at the day's challenges. Number 3-Some experts estimate that on average, children consume 40% of their calories outside the home with parents having little or no control of what their children are fed.  Providing a breakfast gives you complete control of what your children eat for this meal.  Don't give this opportunity away. Make breakfast a meal full of high quality food that will nourish your children. Number 4- having a breakfast time gives your children a chance to wake up before they are expected to perform and learn at school. Being awake long enough to eat breakfast ensures that they are fully awake by the time they reach school, tummy full and brain fully awake. Number 5- I know it is counter intuitive but research has shown that eating breakfast helps adults and children control their weight. A little more about this in a minute. Number 6- And this one is super important. Providing time for breakfast each morning gives you some quiet time to spend with your children and a chance to reinforce to them things that are important for their success.  "Jimmy, remember to take your time and do your best on that math test today, Alice, did you remember to pack your social studies project that you need to turn in today, and Billy, here is what you do if you get bullied at school." Breakfast time also gives you a chance to listen to your children's concerns and worries about the day. I always found my children more willing to talk about their feelings either very early or very late in the day. I got some of my best insights into what they were thinking at the edges of the day. I hope you will too.   Is there evidence that any of this was right? Well, yes. As for children learning better who eat breakfast (reason number 1)-Mothers, grandmothers, and teachers, have believed this to be true for a long time, based on their own observations. I don't need much more than this to be convinced that it is true.  Their observations are better than any double blind study since it reflects really million of observations and data points to use today's lingo. It also makes common sense.  A hungry sleepy child is not going to learn as well as one who is awake and has a full stomach. This is fact. There is a recent review article that summarized scientific articles on th...
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