Fuel for school

Tips for getting your kids back in the swing of fall

For nearly three months, they’ve slept in, grabbed donuts for breakfast, run around in shorts and bare feet, eaten hot dogs for lunch and popsicles in the afternoon, bathed at the beach or pool, and stayed up late.

But all too soon, it’s time for them to get up early, eat oatmeal for breakfast, wear real clothes and sturdy shoes, eat what’s packed in their lunchbox, take a bath before bed, and tuck in by 8 p.m. School’s starting, and it’s time to get back into the healthy routine that will help your kids make the most of their day.

“For starters, kids have got to eat a balanced breakfast to help with their achievement and performance in school,” says Community Hospital clinical dietitian Katy Kinninger. “They tend to fall asleep or lose concentration in school when they don’t have the energy provided by good nutrition. Besides, they’ve just slept all night, hopefully eight hours. Without food, their bodies lack reserves and their metabolisms slow down. The brain uses a lot of energy, so the whole body starts fighting for nutrition.”

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (November 2001), glucose (energy) enhances learning and memory. For schoolchildren, this implies that the contents and timing of meals may need to be coordinated to have the most beneficial cognitive effects.

Kinninger suggests a balanced breakfast — something that draws from all the basic food groups — to provide sufficient nutrition to fuel the day. Perhaps a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, cereal with yogurt, a fruit smoothie, or a breakfast burrito with eggs, meat, vegetables, and cheese. She also recommends a piece of fruit or juice and milk in the morning.

“If children can take the time to sit down and eat their breakfast instead of being shoved out the door with a snack in hand,” she says, “it sets a pattern of valuing meals. We all tend to pick up poor eating habits if we don’t establish a schedule or
routine.”

Kinninger recognizes that it’s sometimes harder to impose a healthy pattern on teenagers, especially as they become busier, more independent, and exposed to more food choices. Still, if you established healthy habits and food choices when they were young, they will be more likely to make their own healthy choices and take time for that all-important breakfast.

“When kids skip breakfast,” says Kinninger, “by the time lunch comes around, they will grab the first thing that sounds good, which is usually something sugary or fatty, such as soda, candy, or cookies. In the afternoon, if they haven’t eaten well — maybe skipping lunch entirely or settling merely for an apple — their stomach won’t be full enough to sustain them. They’ll get sleepy or become disinterested in their afternoon classes. We tend to lose students if they’re hungry. They become listless, irritable, or absent. Behavioral problems can result.”

Lunch might consist of sandwich rolls using pita bread or tortillas instead of bread, fruit kabobs to keep it interesting, and trail mix. Consider a green salad and soup or chili in a thermos, a peanut butterand-banana sandwich, or cream cheese and crackers.

“A balanced lunch is important because it maintains a balance of energy throughout the day,” Kinninger says. “We always encourage five fruits and vegetables a day, and a balance of proteins and carbohydrates. If you make the meal fun or interesting and nutritious, kids are more likely to eat it. It may take a little more time, but it’s worth it.”

After school, kids are ready to refuel. Once again, they will grab whatever is within reach, so make it a bowl of cereal with milk, crackers and cheese, trail mix, or a glass of milk and half a sandwich. Consider dedicating a drawer or shelf in the kitchen to healthy snack foods, where kids can help themselves when they’re hungry. If the cookies and chips aren’t there, they’ll have to find something else.

“If parents think ahead,” says Kinninger, “they can pack extra snacks, such as granola bars. This is especially important for kids with after-school sports and other activities. Dinner is a long way from lunch, but they’re continuing to be active, both mentally and physically.”

The evening meal should follow the same guidelines as breakfast. Include the basic food groups, introduce kids to new and healthy or “growing foods,” and limit the sugary options, especially close to bedtime, so their metabolisms can slow down and they’re ready for sleep.