Quick breakfast ideas

Don't give in to temptation

It's so convenient to buy sugar-laden breakfast bars for yourself and your kids as you rush to work and get them off to school -- but try not to be tempted. It's worth it to wake a little earlier and prepare a balanced meal than to send the kids to school with a couple of hundred empty calories in their stomach. Choose wisely, and your smart, healthy kids will be your reward.

Rather than reaching for a quick and easy Pop-Tart or donut, take a moment to consider the nutritional value of the first meal of the day. You've heard it for years, but breakfast is indeed the most important meal -- it's when the body refuels and replenishes, and it sets the pace for what types of food you'll gravitate toward for lunch and dinner. Eating breakfast provides fuel for the body to generate, refills glucose level and feeds the brain.

No more excuses

Just as you do, your kids need the right fuel to function properly throughout the day and a good, balanced breakfast is just the right brainfood they'll need for a healthy start to their day. Children who eat breakfast in the morning have a better chance at fighting obesity. How? Going to school with a full stomach ensures they won't binge on junk food later, which can lead to picking up bad habits as they get older.

Don't let your kids to make excuses for skipping breakfast. If they're sleeping in too late and not allowing time for a sit-down meal, try setting their alarms earlier or put a piece of fresh fruit, a cereal bar or a whole-wheat muffin by their backpack. If they are skipping breakfast thinking that it's a way to stay thin, make sure you let them know that studies show that people who skip breakfast tend to eat more calories throughout the day!

ideas for a Quick balanced breakfast:

• Single-serve yogurt with a little oat bran or wheat germ sprinkled on top and some fresh fruit.
• Waffles topped with peanut butter or melon.  
• Instant oatmeal with fruit.  
• A healthy cereal (one without lots of sugars and dyes) topped with raisins, blueberries, strawberries or banana slices.  
• Scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, cheese and wheat toast.  
• A breakfast burrito or pita with scrambled eggs, cheese and ham.

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Keeping your kids on healthy diets while at school
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