As a dietitian, I know that people are constantly scrutinizing what my family and I eat. I’m not complaining; I get it. It’s not unlike when I examine a personal stylist’s outfit or a dentist’s teeth. We all have to represent our brand. For me, though, it’s not always easy to categorize foods as “healthy” and “unhealthy.” Certain foods have certain meanings or connotations to different people and can easily be judged “bad” by one group and yet “good” by another. It can be so confusing!
I try not to judge people’s food choices (for the most part, I’m human), but I admit that sometimes I feel sad when I see the foods that children are accused of eating. I know that in many cases it just happens; some well-intentioned trips for Happy Meals become an in-demand lifestyle, for example. I well remember the WIC mom telling me that all her son would eat was chicken nuggets and fries from McDonalds. That must have required so many painful trips to the Golden Arches. But we as parents have a great deal of control over what our children eat. I think parents forget that. Heck, I even forget sometimes and let things slide that I’d rather not do. we all do
Now, I’ve had the benefit of a lot of training in the area of childhood nutrition, so I knew early on that when I had children I would introduce them to a variety of healthy, whole foods and avoid exposure to unhealthy things like as much as possible. That said, do we have sugar in our house? Surely. Do we drink sugary drinks from time to time? You better believe it. Today they had half an Odwalla shake and a dash of ginger beer. Okay, it’s been an unusually warm week here in Seattle, so we let in some cold drinks. But fortunately that is not the norm and children know it.
My point is this: children will eat healthy food with proper structure and parental example. I’m not talking about kids with clear texture aversions or other conditions that cause anxiety or distress around certain foods. I’m talking about “most” kids who simply take advantage of their parents’ lack of knowledge or willpower when it comes to diet.
So I know, you’re still wondering, what do MY kids eat for breakfast? First, let me tell you what we don’t eat. It’s pretty simple. We don’t eat cereal (yes, no Frosted Flakes around here), “white” bread products (bagels, English muffins, Wonder Bread, pancakes/waffles with white flour, etc.), sugary yogurts, anything with artificial sweeteners, bars cereal, Pop Tarts, and highly processed meats (sausage patties, cheap bacon, etc.). Another thing we don’t eat for breakfast? Vegetables. Oh I know! We just don’t eat vegetables in the morning. I pick my battles and forcing fritattas and savory quiches is not one of them. Believe me I have tried. It often works for lunch but not for breakfast. I try not to lose sleep over it.
Here is a list of what we DO eat:
• Whole wheat waffles. I make Coconut Oil Buckwheat Waffles almost every week. They keep very well in the fridge and we eat them for days. A little work up front and you’ll have quick and easy breakfasts for days.
• Whole grain pancakes. It is also usually made with buckwheat flour or a gluten-free cereal mix. For the record, we’re not gluten free or anything, I just like variety.
• Oatmeal with hemp and flax seeds, maybe with some blueberries. Oh yeah, I buy the packets, but I embellish them with these add-ons to boost protein and healthy fats. Costco often sells the jumbo pack of gluten-free oatmeal packets, just so you know.
• Organic Greek yogurt with fruit, hemp and/or flax seeds, plus nuts and/or granola. Again, add some protein and healthy fat in there, along with a dash of fiber.
• Another “yogurt”. Sometimes I make a large batch of coconut milk yogurt or cultured rice milk yogurt in my yogurt maker. This is mainly for me and the little one. He will eat anything. That said, I have nothing against alternative yogurts that are sold in stores. I just don’t like paying for it.
• Chia “yogurt”. This one is new to us, but me and the little one love it. Soak coconut milk overnight with chia seeds, then add toasted peaches and walnuts the next morning. So good. The older one screwed up, but whatever. Money-saving tip: Get your canned coconut milk at Trader Joe’s for ninety-nine cents. Can you make breakfast cheaper?
• Whole grain toast (usually Dave’s Killer Bread) with almond butter and jam.
• Eggs. We eat LOTS of eggs. We might be able to save a lot of money by raising chickens. Unfortunately I refuse to have animals. Isn’t childcare enough?
• Bacon! My husband usually finds good quality bacon at our local butcher and the kids love it. It’s more of a rarity, but certainly something we love to have from time to time.
• Fruit. Who doesn’t like fresh fruit in the morning?
So there is a sample of what we eat. We often create different combinations of the items listed above. It has become what my husband now calls a “breakfast extravaganza.” He’s pretty sure very few put as much time and effort into breakfast as we do (although I bet some of you do, right?), but clearly kids love it and need it. Breakfast is by far the most important meal of the day. It is satisfying to know that we are starting the day well. Did I mention my kids are in the 75th percentile for height? Maybe it’s due to breakfast… just a theory.
