Five reasons why cereals are a great choice for kids
All the benefits of giving your child cereal for breakfast!
By Dr Gina Levy
Senior nutrition manager at Kellogg’s Australia / July 03 2018
Breakfast is a great opportunity to give young kids a head start. Children who don't eat breakfast find it hard to catch up nutritionally and can struggle to meet their fibre, calcium and iron needs, especially kids who don’t eat breakfast cereal. Yes, breakfast cereal has some pretty impressive credentials and there are lots of healthy choices on shelves. Dr Gina Levy, senior nutrition manager at Kellogg’s Australia, gives us five reasons why cereals are a great choice for kids:
1. CONVENIENCE Cereal is quick and easy. It takes less than a minute before it’s on the table, with a dash of milk and some sliced fruit. Busy mornings: tick!
2. IT’S NUTRITIOUS Many contain essential vitamins and minerals, which is why people who eat cereal are more likely to meet their nutrient requirements than those who don’t.
3. IT’S PACKED WITH FIBRE In fact, breakfast cereal is one of the top contributors of fibre, which helps with filling the kids up and getting them regular. Plus a bowl of wholegrain cereal is a great way to get the kids on their way to meeting their daily wholegrain target.
4. IT’S LOADED WITH IRON Cereal is the number one source of iron in kids’ diets, especially young kids, who can struggle to meet their iron and calcium requirements. A bowl of cereal and milk gives them about 30 per cent of their daily needs.
5. IT SUPPORTS A HEALTHY BMI Studies show children who eat cereal regularly have lower BMIs (Body Mass Index) than kids who skip or eat other breakfast foods. What’s the perfect balance for breakfast? The rule of thumb is to combine grain + dairy + fruit – a serve of grain (cereal or toast) plus a serve of dairy (milk or milk alternative, cheese or yoghurt) and a piece of fruit. You can replace the fruit with a serve of protein if your little ones love egg or fish.
