Weekdays are when time is at its scarcest in the morning. Every extra task on the to-do list throws the schedule off. Yet the time for a healthy breakfast for children is the most important.
Because a balanced and high-fiber breakfast gets every child off to a happier, more concentrated and, above all, healthier start to the day.
What does healthy eating actually look like for children?
As adults, we can understand and implement sentences like “you are what you eat”. Maybe sometimes more and sometimes less well, but still. If, on the other hand, children hear it, you can expect far less understanding – and that's absolutely fine. After all, the little ones are only concerned with whether it tastes good. And adults in their daily lives are more concerned with whether it's quick.
Healthy breakfast for children - read more!
Healthy and tasty? Healthy and quick? The best recipes!
Faced with this dilemma, you could despair. But to ensure that children eat and enjoy breakfast healthily without the need for creative persuasion, we at VERIVAL sought help from “both parties” - that is, from adults and children - when developing our children's products:
On the one hand, through extensive scientific input from nutrition experts, and on the other hand, through practical tastings with children aged 6-10. “This enabled us to ensure that the products contain only as little sugar as necessary, but still clearly meet the taste of the little ones,” says Wolfgang Fojtl. And it can also be quick: the nutrient-rich VERIVAL breakfast with no added sugar is ideal for children. The porridge is also suitable as a hot breakfast option and takes just three minutes to prepare.
Five meals a day make sense for children
Children have less storage capacity than adults. A regular meal rhythm is therefore very important. Water can be served with every meal to ensure that the fluid requirement is covered.
Child nutrition experts also recommend three main meals and two snacks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ideally, these snacks should consist of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and whole grain products.
Sweets – in moderation. Not in masses.
Because children learn from their parents, it is always good when adults set a good example. This is not to say that no one is allowed to snack anymore. But it is a fact that most sweets are high in sugar and fat, and an unbalanced sweet diet can lead to a drop in performance and a lack of concentration in children.
Sweets may contain calories, but they contain no vitamins, and these are absolutely essential for the ability to concentrate. In addition to poor concentration, the serious consequences of an unbalanced sweet diet include tooth decay, diabetes, high blood pressure and increased cholesterol levels.
In Austria, one in three children is overweight – and there is a direct link to excessive sugar consumption and a body mass index (BMI) that is usually too high. To counteract this, we have deliberately developed our VERIVAL products with reduced sugar. Because we have a clear goal: to make healthy nutrition and a healthy breakfast that children also like accessible to everyone.
Sugar in the morning brings worries.
But good heavens, it's not that easy to ensure a child-friendly and balanced breakfast in the hectic morning rush. However, it can often help to identify the hidden sugar traps.
Many children drink cocoa in the morning. And if they also have sweetened breakfast cereals or bread with chocolate spread, they start the day with a good sugar surplus. Unfortunately, this wreaks havoc on a child's body. A high-sugar breakfast causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, but it drops just as quickly. During the first lesson or in the first hours of kindergarten, this up and down can lead to a significant lack of concentration. And often children also have a croissant with them as a snack – and goodbye – healthy eating!
Often it is the hidden sources of sugar that cause excessive sugar consumption. So sweetened drinks, fruit yoghurts, sugary crunchy muesli or children's cereals are not suitable for a healthy first meal of the day. But how about trying out new breakfast ideas with the sugar-reduced versions of VERIVAL Cerials, Granola and Muesli ?
Healthy breakfast for children from VERIVAL
TIP for snacks from home
Instead of a sweet bar or sweetened fruit yoghurt as a highlight, oat flakes muesli muffins for children could be a nice snack for their lunch box.
Healthy eating for children starts with a healthy breakfast
It is often said that a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But why is that?
During the night, the body uses up a lot of reserves, and breakfast replenishes children's energy stores. It also activates the muscles and the brain, switching them to “receive”. The metabolism is boosted and the tired child's body is supplied with energy.
Children who leave the house without breakfast have trouble concentrating and cannot think properly. They are often nervous and get irritated more quickly. By contrast, children who have had breakfast start the day in a better mood. They also move much more safely and carefully on the way to school or kindergarten.
Unfortunately, breakfast is often skipped on weekdays simply because there is no time. According to a study, one in three children in Austria goes to school without a meal in the morning. We have three tips for you on how to give your children a healthy breakfast – it's not difficult and the whole family benefits – no stress – healthy food – good mood!
3 practical tips for a successful children's breakfast in the morning
- Tip 1: prepare the breakfast table the night before (set out plates and glasses) – this saves time and serves as a reminder of this pleasant ritual in the morning 🙂
- Tip 2: even 15 minutes more can be enough to have a healthy breakfast together – so why not set the alarm a little earlier?
- Tip 3: try out simple recipes for delicious overnight oats! Chia seeds, nuts or berries are ideal as a topping and for decoration!
Overnight oats from VERIVAL - discover them now!
Healthy breakfasts that taste good – suggestions and breakfast recipes for little ones
At the weekend you can take all the time in the world for breakfast, but during the week you need simple breakfast ideas. Many children are not even hungry so early in the morning or are real “breakfast grouches”. It's best to accept this and not to force them to eat a lavish breakfast. But a cup of warm tea, a glass of milk or water and a few lovingly cut banana slices are all it takes to get the day off to a healthy start.
Children's porridge (oat porridge) with no added sugar, a delicious oat shake or muesli with oat flakes can entice morning grouches to the table. And for those with a real sweet tooth, oat flake muesli biscuits or oat flake muffins are a great idea. We have created lots of healthy breakfast ideas and recipes for you.
Oat porridge is extremely quick to prepare: you mix 250 ml of milk with a pinch of salt and 50 g of oats in a pot and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes. Always stir – remove from the stove, pour into a bowl and add almond butter, fruit, a little cinnamon, honey, grated coconut, a small dollop of peanut butter or a few nuts to refine. As for the dairy products, you can of course also use plant-based milk here (oat milk, rice milk, etc.). A few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt also taste delicious.
You can find delicious recipes at porridge recipe – the best taste from oats.
In any case, oat flakes are a quick way to prepare a healthy and tasty breakfast for children. Hot or better cold? Delicate, small-leaved oat flakes or the coarser version? It's best to look and try out together with the children what could become the new breakfast hit.
By the way: waffles made from oat flakes are also a great way to use the healthy grain at breakfast time.
P.S. Under our VERIVAL children's brand Yanick & Fee, there are three further balanced, nutritious organic products made from whole grain cereals with a low sugar content to choose from: chocolate and fruit cereals and a berry crunchy with a greatly reduced sugar content.
Breakfast ideas: hot, colorful and healthy. We say: bye bye mid-morning slump
Getting enough vitamins in the morning is important: fruit and vegetables provide valuable dietary fiber that helps keep children feeling full. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. It's best to eat a variety of colorful, seasonal foods. This ensures that a variety of vitamins and minerals are on the table.
Speaking of variety: some children prefer a warm breakfast, or at least every now and then. This doesn't have to be complicated. A simple porridge or muesli with warm milk is very digestible. What's more, the body needs less energy to digest warm food. This stored energy helps children stay motivated and at a constant energy level throughout the morning. And not only that. A warm breakfast in the morning also strengthens your children's immune system and gently boosts their metabolism.
Complex carbohydrates in the morning – why are they so important for children?
Fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain products contain valuable dietary fiber, especially long-chain carbohydrates, and have a particularly positive effect on the body. A combination of all these components is ideal for breakfast. A scrambled egg or a spread made from cream cheese with carrot and apple added from time to time is a valuable source of protein.
Carbohydrates are the main suppliers of energy for our body. They drive our brain to work. Unlike fats, for example, carbohydrates can be utilized relatively quickly by our body. Most of the carbohydrate energy is used up by our body's basal metabolic rate (such as breathing, heartbeat, brain activity and metabolism). Without carbohydrates, it would be much more difficult to meet this important energy requirement.
Complex carbohydrates with polysaccharides – such as whole grain products – are particularly good and sustainable, for example, whole grain bread. The molecular structure of carbohydrates with polysaccharides is longer than that of simple sugars. This means that the body needs more time to break them down and gain energy from them. This process keeps the blood sugar level more constant and provides better satiation.
This curbs cravings and stops the appetite for unnecessary and unhealthy snacks in between meals. To keep things not only complex but also creative, you can vary the whole grain products and, for example, alternate between spelt, wheat and rye – or prepare the cereals and porridge with different components and toppings.
Healthy eating should not just be about energy intake, even for the youngest, but should above all be fun and enjoyable. We want our packaging to reflect this too. Our VERIVAL children's products are all about the cheeky siblings Yanick and Fee. Their funny adventures in the Tyrolean mountains put you in a good mood – and who wouldn't want to enjoy the same breakfast as the two rascals on the packet?
Perhaps we have sparked your interest in doing good for your children over breakfast and you will try out and perhaps soon create your own new recipes for the family breakfast table.
Buy healthy breakfast for children
Frequently asked questions
What can you make for children for breakfast?
A really healthy breakfast for our children should be balanced and high in fiber. During the night, the body uses up a lot of reserves, and breakfast replenishes children's energy stores. It activates the muscles and the brain, switching them on. It boosts the metabolism and supplies energy to the tired child's body. It should therefore contain valuable (complex) carbohydrates, fruit or possibly vegetables. Everyone has different preferences. If your child likes to eat something warm, then maybe an oat bar with nuts, fruit and honey is the right choice. The other child might prefer a slice of cheese on wholegrain bread. It is important to drink enough fluids, preferably unsweetened tea (or if you do sweeten it, then with honey), a glass of milk or water.
What does a toddler eat for breakfast?
Children have less storage capacity than adults. A regular meal rhythm is therefore very important. Water can be given with every meal to ensure that the child's fluid needs are met. Nutrition experts for children also recommend three main meals and two snacks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These snacks should ideally consist of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and whole grain products. An ideal breakfast would be a combination of whole grain products, fruit, vegetables, sources of protein (milk, quark, cream cheese, etc.) and unsweetened fluids.
What should you feed a one-year-old for breakfast?
Breakfast should consist of the following components: whole grain cereals (bread, muesli, porridge...), fruit (banana, apple,...) and vegetables (carrot, cucumber,...) dairy products (milk, yoghurt, quark (curd cheese) or cheese) liquid, such as water, herbal and fruit tea (preferably unsweetened, of course). It is especially important to note what the child can already chew well. This varies greatly at this age, depending on the development of the teeth.
What should be included in a breakfast?
Fruit, vegetables and whole grain products contain valuable fiber, i.e. particularly long-chain carbohydrates, and have a particularly positive effect on the body. A combination of all these components is ideal for breakfast. Scrambled eggs or a spread made from cream cheese and refined with carrot and apple is a valuable source of protein. Of course, you can also eat pancakes or waffles. Then it's best to make them yourself with oats, whole grain cereals and as little sweetness as possible.
What makes a healthy school breakfast?
Sweets contain calories, but no vitamins, and vitamins are absolutely essential for the ability to concentrate. In addition to poor concentration, the serious consequences of an unbalanced sweet diet include tooth decay, diabetes, high blood pressure and increased cholesterol levels. Many children drink cocoa in the morning. If they also have sweetened breakfast cereals or bread with chocolate spread, they start the day with a good sugar surplus. Unfortunately, this wreaks havoc on a child's body. A high-sugar breakfast causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, but these drop just as quickly. During the first lesson or in the first hours of the kindergarten day, this up and down can lead to a significant lack of concentration. And often children also have a croissant with them as a snack - and goodbye - healthy eating! SO: whole grain bread in the snack! Fruit and vegetables provide crisp freshness. Raw vegetables such as peppers, carrots, apples or pears or bananas, cut into bite-sized pieces, are a valuable and tasty addition to a school breakfast. Dairy products such as a slice of bread with quark and chives, a hard-boiled egg or natural yoghurt with a little honey and nuts are also perfect.
What should I do if my child doesn't want breakfast?
Many children are not hungry early in the morning or are real “breakfast grouches”. You should accept this and not push them to have a lavish breakfast. But a cup of warm tea, a glass of milk with a little honey or water and a few lovingly sliced banana slices or apple pieces will already ensure a healthy start to the day. Perhaps an oat porridge with berries or homemade pancakes would be the right thing. You also have to try different things.
What is the healthiest breakfast for children?
A truly healthy breakfast for our children should be well-balanced and high in fiber. Children who leave home without breakfast have trouble concentrating and thinking clearly. They are often nervous and irritable. By contrast, children who have had breakfast start the day in a better mood. They also move much more safely and cautiously on their way to school or kindergarten. A mix of whole grains (bread, muesli, porridge...), fruits (banana, apple,...) and vegetables (carrot, cucumber,...) as well as dairy products (milk, yogurt, quark (curd cheese) or cheese) would be ideal.
What should children drink in the morning?
Many children drink cocoa in the morning. If they also have sweetened breakfast cereals or bread with chocolate spread, they start the day with a lot of excess sugar. There is nothing wrong with cocoa, but then you should use real cocoa (unsweetened) and not the sugary instant drinks. Even better would be a warm glass of milk (cow's milk, rice milk, oat milk, etc.), a cup of tea or just water.
What can you offer children who don't want breakfast?
Some children are not hungry early in the morning or are just not big breakfast fans. You should accept this and not force them to eat a big breakfast. However, you should always offer them something and tempt them with little delicacies. A cup of warm tea, a glass of milk or water and a few lovingly cut banana slices are enough to get the day off to a healthy start.
