It’s that time of year. New crayons, pencils, notebooks…
But have your thought about keeping your kiddos fueled up for school and activities?
Youth can spend 8-12 hours or more in school. If they aren’t getting a steady supply of nutritients, their performance can take a hit.
Even if your kids each school lunch, you as a parent or caregiver can impact their day with a well-balanced breakfast and snacks for after school or between activities.
No, this doesn’t mean you have to cook every day but our active kids need more than a bowl of cereal.
Choose at least three of the five food groups for breakfast and incorporate some protein to keep kids full, thinking and performing at their highest level all day! A simple meal plan repeated week after week, can make knowing what to buy and having it ready for breakfast a snap. Here is simple school week breakfast meal plan:
- Monday: Quick oats with chopped apples (or applesauce), walnuts and cinnamon
- Tuesday: Microwave breakfast sandwich (cook 1 egg for 1 minute in microwave in cofee cup, add to whole grain English muffin and top with cheese).
- Wednesday: Greek yogurt topped with frozen fruit and dry cereal for crunch.
- Thursday: Frozen whole grain waffle with peanut butter and banana slices.
- Friday: Breakfast trail mix (dried whole grain cereal, dried fruit, nuts), glass of milk
For that time between school and practice, think about quick, easy-to-digest snacks.
It is easy to reach for prepackaged sports drinks and bars but they are costly and can have added sugar and saturated fat. It’s better to go for yogurt, cheese sticks, chocolate milk, apple sauce, squeeze packets, dried fruit, nuts, sandwiches or wraps, hummus, veggies or fruit dipped in peanut butter.