Getting children to happily eat a healthy breakfast may not be as difficult as you think! A new study found that children will gladly consume low-sugar cereals if they're given a selection of choices at breakfast, and many can compensate for missing sweetness by adding in fruit instead. Children from 5-12 years of age took part in the study and one group was given a choice between 3 high sugar cereals: fruit loops, frosted flakes, and cocoa pebbles, while the other group chose from cereals lower in sugar: cheerios, rice krispies, and corn flakes. They found that children in both groups were perfectly happy and that when given a choice between 3 cereals, most found an option they liked or loved. Many heavily marketed high-sugar cereals contain as much sugar as a glazed donut, in each serving. Kids in both groups ate a similar amount of calories at breakfast, but children in the high-sugar cereal group filled up more on cereal (consuming almost twice as much sugar) and ate less fruit. The concern is that children may fill up on sugary cereals and not have enough of an appetite left for important foods such as fruit, vegetables, dairy, whole grains and protein.
Although children can be difficult to deal with, and sleepy or cranky in the mornings, giving them options at breakfast and being creative, such as putting some strawberries and yougurt on top of whole-grain cheerios, may help you get more nutrients and less refined sugars into their growing bodies.
Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_106579.html
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