Top 10 On-the-Go Breakfasts

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and unfortunately more than half of kids in the U.S. go to school each day without eating breakfast. I know how busy mornings can be trying to get everyone ready and out the door.

Here is my top ten list of ways to prepare a healthy breakfast for your kids that they can take on the go:

1. Yogurt and granola
2. Breakfast shakes
3. Bagel with peanut butter
4. Leftover pizza
5. Hard-boiled eggs
6. Portable fruits like bananas, apples, oranges, pears
7. Breakfast bars
8. Fruit and nut trail mixes
9. Sandwiches
10. Cinnamon raisin bread

Smoothies with a Twist

Smoothies are a great, healthy snack for your kids. And here's my little secret to make them even more nutritional for your kids (and you for that matter).



Just throw a handful of fresh spinach into the blender with your other smoothie ingredients. Even though it will turn the smoothie green, your kids will not be able to taste the difference. By adding spinach to your smoothies, your kids will get all the nutritional benefits of eating a large bowl of greens, which I know is hard to get most children to do.

Spinach is a super food: it is rich in antioxidants, a good source of iron, calcium, folic acid, vitamins A, C, E, K, B2, and B6 as well as magnesium, potassium, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are essential for keeping our kids healthy and happy.

Ask a Nurse: Is My Child Eating Enough?

How do I know if my child is eating enough?


As a general rule of thumb, children will eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full. If your child is growing well (progressing along the normal height and weight chart), he is probably getting adequate nutrition.


Here are two important things to remember when it comes to your child's eating habits:

1. Children have small stomachs and, therefore, need to eat small meals frequently. They should eat every three to four hours, which means about three meals and two or three healthy snacks every day.

2. Child-size portions are not the same as adult-size portions. Children need about 1/4 to 1/3 of an adult serving portion. An easy way to remember this is that a child portion is about 1 tablespoon for every year of life. For example, if you want to serve your 3-year-old toddler some peas, he only needs 3 tablespoons.

For the healthiest (and happiest) children, try to encourage your kids to eat a variety of foods from each food groups.

If you have a question you would like Nurse Brittany to answer, e-mail it to healthyhappychildren.blogspot.com.

Ask a Nurse: Calcium Intake

Today's question comes from Tiffany in Ithaca, New York:

My toddler doesn't like milk. I can only get her to drink it if I put flavoring in it. What else can I give her to make sure she is getting enough calcium?

When it comes to your child and nutrition, calcium is an area parents should be concerned about. Recent research shows that nearly half of the children in the U.S. are suffering from a calcium insufficiency. Calcium is essential for developing strong bones and teeth. Although milk is the best source of calcium, parents of children who don't like to drink milk have many other options for making sure their child gets the recommended daily calcium requirement:

• Low-fat milk products are the best sources of calcium. But besides plain milk, this category includes yogurt, cheese, and, yes, even ice cream! Like Tiffany is doing, parents can also try adding chocolate or strawberry flavoring to milk if it will get their child to drink a glass. (Although remember the flavoring adds calories and lots of sugar, so it should be limited to one glass a day.)

• Other foods that are good sources of calcium include dark green leafy vegetables and broccoli. Tofu, chickpeas, lentils, and split peas can also be added to favorite recipes to boost the calcium content.

• Many juices and other foods today, like cereals, are fortified with calcium. Check the labels. One cup of calcium-fortified orange juice has the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk

Spinach for Kids

Spinach is a super food—it is low in calories; rich in antioxidants; high in iron, calcium, and folic acid; and a good source of vitamins A, C, E, K, B2, and B6 as well as magnesium, potassium, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

But if your kids are like most I know, getting them to eat spinach is practically impossible. Adding spinach to juices is a fun and easy solution to incorporating spinach into your child’s diet without altering the taste of their favorite drinks (although it does turn the juice green). Add a handful of fresh spinach leaves to orange juice, apple juice, or any other 100-percent fruit juice and blend it in the blender. You can even put the nutrient-rich juice into your toddler’s sippy cup.

Another alternative for your kids (or for you busy parents) is to make a spinach and fruit smoothie. You can use whatever fruit you want in the smoothie, but I typically use frozen strawberries and blueberries, part of a banana, spinach, and orange juice. The result is a perfectly healthy treat for your family!