Healthy Breakfasts for Kids

Caroline Metzner
Nov 19, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Feb 23

Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better at school. They concentrate for longer, do well in tests, have fewer behavioural problems and more energy.

But how many children are actually eating a healthy breakfast?

73% of children eat cereal for breakfast. For decades we have been told that cereal is a good way to start the day, but the people who set the guidelines, don’t agree and rightly so.

Let’s take a closer look.

The food standards agency, whose responsibility it is to protect public health, say that any food containing 15% or more of sugar should be limited to a special treat.

The NHS advises we should aim to eat foods that contain less than 5% sugar.

With this in mind, how are Froot Loops, which contain a whopping 30% sugar, Coco Pops (17% sugar) and Honey Nut Cheerios (32% sugar!!) allowed to be marketed at children?

Even cereals touted ‘healthy’, like Special K and Bran Flakes contain 14% sugar.

The McDonalds apple pie contains half the sugar of Froot loops

If you consider that the equivalent serving of a Mcdonalds apple pie contains 15% sugar, one could argue that it would make as good a breakfast as Froot loops; well at least it contains some fruit!

Just for comparison, a 30g bowl of porridge, sweetened with stewed apple or berries plus a tsp of maple syrup, contains 5g of added sugar, not to mention healthy fibre and many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.

Packaged cereals, on the other hand, have their nutrient and fibre content destroyed by the manufacturing process.

“Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It’s made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!” ― Roald Dahl

Traditional breakfasts from around the world

The Traditional Breakfast

In 1900, just before cereal was invented, it was considered sensible to eat a hearty breakfast before starting a day of taxing mental or physical labour. Traditional breakfasts around the world reflect this theory.

Black beans, corn tortillas and eggs in Mexico. Rice and stew, or kimchi eggs in Korea. Meats, cheese and dark rye bread in Germany. Lentil pancakes (Dosa) or Rice dumplings (Idli) with vegetable curry (Samba) and coconut chutney in South India.

A full English, Scottish or American breakfast containing eggs, bacon, sausage and oatmeal amongst other things is no exception to the rule. And cooked correctly is the breakfast of Kings and Queens.

Everyday foods should contain less than 5% sugar

So why is it that the majority of children are eating sugary cereals?

Please don’t be fooled by the word ‘fortified’. This is simply clever marketing.

It means the cereal has been spray painted with a poor-quality vitamin, because the manufacturing process killed any that were present in the original ingredients.

Surely this is not the breakfast to build healthy, strong, vibrant, intelligent children?

So, what is a healthy breakfast?

It’s impractical and uneconomical to think that we should all cook a full English every day and when on a budget, toast and cereal can seem the only viable option. After all, with 20 servings in a box costing around £3, and a loaf of supermarket bread costing only 50p, I do understand.

So, what’s the answer? Oats!

Oats are a modest grain yet highly nutritious! One cup of oats will supply nearly 70% of your daily needs for manganese, a mineral that helps enzymes in bone formation. You’ll also get a generous helping of vitamin B1, magnesium and potassium. Among all grains, oats have the highest proportion of soluble fibre.

The fibre in oats sweeps like a broom through the intestines, moving food along, helping to prevent constipation and lower cholesterol. Oats are a wonder, and we love them.

In the winter we may eat porridge with natural yoghurt and fruit, or mixed in some peanut butter. In the summer overnight oats, soaked in natural yoghurt, fruit and honey are delicious (see recipe). If you’re not a porridge fan try these other oaty ‘good enough for breakfast’ recipes.