Your kids may ask to be served their favorite cereals for breakfast, but some cereals have the quality of a sugary dessert. On the other hand, a cup of nutritious cereal for breakfast may give them half of their daily needs for important vitamins and minerals, says pediatric health website AskDrSears.com. There is no single best nutritional cereal for kids, but a few important qualities will help you find the healthiest contenders.
Nutrients
The best nutritional cereal for kids should contain whole grains, called "wheat bran" or "whole wheat" on the label rather than simply "wheat," according to AskDrSears.com. It should contain at least 3g of protein, 5g of fiber and under 5g of sugar. Its content of zinc, iron and other vitamins and minerals should be 25 to 40 percent of your child's recommended daily intake, says AskDrSears.com. The total carbohydrates should be no less than four times the amount of sugar in the cereal. That is, if the total carbohydrate count in the sugar is 24g, the sugars in the cereal should be 6g or under, says AskDrSears.com.
Benefits
If your kids eat a highly nutritional breakfast, they are more likely to have better concentration, better hand-eye coordination, more alertness, more creativity and better problem-solving abilities, says the American Dietetic Association. They are less likely to miss school and more likely to be physically active.
What to Avoid
Never purchase a cereal that contains chemical preservatives, artificial dyes, artificial colors or hydrogenated oils, says AskDrSears.com. Keep in mind that cereals that go by fruity names or cereals with dried fruit bits in them don't typically fit into the "nutritious" category, as they are either artificially flavored with sugar or very low in actual fruit, according to AskDrSears.com.
Tips
If your kids want say in what cereal they eat, screen cereals in advance and give them three to choose from; don't let them do all the decision making, says AskDrSears.com. They may push away a bowl of boring cereal, so add some sweetness and color to it by topping it with bananas, berries and almonds. Another option is to mix a small amount of their favorite cereals into highly nutritious cereals, says KidsHealth.
Healthy Breakfast Alternatives
Your kids may not always want to eat cereal for breakfast, but that doesn't mean you have to resort to butter and sugary syrup all over pancakes. Feed them a nutritious cereal bar and give them a piece of fruit and a small glass of milk or a cup of yogurt to top it off, suggests the Mayo Clinic. Other healthy breakfast options are oatmeal with fruit, whole-grain pancakes and waffles topped with fresh fruit and whole-wheat bagels or whole-wheat English muffins.
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