Teens often skip breakfast because they are in a hurry or not yet hungry. By making a healthy breakfast quick and easy for your teenager to eat, you can encourage this good dietary habit. If your adolescent doesn't care for traditional breakfast foods, try preparing some alternative but healthy dishes.
Significance
A healthy breakfast helps a teenager perform better in school and concentrate on her studies. Teens who miss breakfast are much more likely to be iron-deficient, reports the Baylor College of Medicine. Choosing healthy foods for the first meal of the day helps an adolescent meet her nutritional needs for vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber.
Components
Breakfast can include foods from any of the food groups, including milk products, protein, grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy oils. Avoid sugary cereals and cereals that are not made with whole grains. Limit foods that are high in fat, such as pork sausage, pork bacon, gravy, biscuits and pancakes with syrup.
Traditional Breakfast Foods
Your teen should be eating a variety of breakfast foods, rather than the same food each day. Oatmeal, whole-grain cereal, low-fat yogurt, skim milk and fresh fruit are all good traditional choices. An omelet prepared with vegetables, such as mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach or tomatoes, helps an adolescent meet her protein and vegetable needs. A smoothie made with skim milk, low-fat yogurt, banana and blueberries puts her well on her way to meeting her dairy product and fruit needs. A slice of whole-grain toast with almond butter helps her meet her grain and protein needs.
Nontraditional Breakfast Foods
Your teen may prefer a bowl of vegetarian chili, a rye-bread grilled cheese sandwich or a slice of veggie pizza for breakfast. Offer leftovers from a dinner he enjoyed, a turkey sandwich or a bowl of fresh fruit salad with pecans if he refuses traditional foods. If he refuses to eat because he's running late, give him a bag of homemade trail mix, a vegetable wrap or a cup of tomato soup for the road.
Tips
Teenagers are more likely to eat breakfast if you do the same, suggests KeepKidsHealthy.com, a pediatrician-guided informational website. Set your adolescent's alarm clock to allow her time to eat breakfast without rushing. Serve foods that are interesting to teens by adding nuts, berries, cinnamon or other toppings. Offer small food portions if your child claims she isn't hungry in the morning.
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