Of course, every child would love to have a sweet and fatty chocolate hazelnut spread, gooey cornflakes and sugary strawberries for breakfast.
And admittedly, when you're in a rush in the morning and there's no time to sit down and eat together, a slice of toast with sugary jam is an enticingly quick solution.
However, carbohydrates and fat alone are not enough to get a child through the day and in the long run, large amounts are even rather harmful.
So it's not what you'd call a healthy breakfast for kids. Find out why less sugar in children's diets makes sense in this article!
Healthy breakfast for kids - read more!
What does a low-sugar diet for children mean?
To promote growth, children need sufficient nutrients, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Since sweet and fatty foods quickly satisfy hunger, they initially appear to provide a quick energy boost, but in retrospect they turn out to be rather low in nutrients.
For children who want to play happily in kindergarten or need to concentrate at school, a balanced diet with lots of nutrients and immune-boosting vitamins is much healthier in the long term.
Sugar-free wholemeal products, lots of fruit and vegetables, animal protein and sufficient fluids should not be missing under any circumstances and should be available in sufficient quantities. As is so often the case, children copy the behaviour of adults:
For children whose parents avoid sugary coffee and chocolate spread and instead eat muesli with apple pieces and fresh orange juice, fresh fruit and wholemeal bread are naturally part of a delicious, healthy breakfast.
Our VERIVAL breakfast products for children can contribute to a healthy breakfast with less sugar.
What are the effects of too much sugar?
We learn to love sweet tastes with our mother's milk. But sugar is addictive – even for adults, because it activates the same area of the brain as drugs do.
It is particularly disastrous if children regularly consume sugar in the early years of life, because it is during this time that their sense of taste develops and they get used to the idea that everything has to taste sweet.
Excessive consumption of sugar can quickly cause children to build up more body fat and become overweight. This can have long-term health consequences such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.
What's more, too much sugar can disrupt digestion and intestinal flora, leading to bloating and weakening of the immune system.
Many packaged foods in the supermarket contain industrially produced sugars used as sweeteners or flavour enhancers.
However, there are types of sugar that are already naturally present in many of our foods, such as lactose in dairy products or fructose in fruit.
This amount of natural carbohydrates in a balanced diet already covers our daily energy needs, so additional sugar is not needed and can even be harmful in the long term. It is therefore better to choose foods without added sugar.
Breakfast without sugar for children – ideas
To ensure that children start the day well fortified and don't become unfocused, listless and whiny later on, it's important to offer them a balanced breakfast – and that's possible without added sugars. To ensure an adequate energy supply for the day, you should pay attention to these four important components:
- Breakfast should contain enough fluids: a warm herbal or fruit tea stimulates circulation, while a juice spritzer provides vitamins and strengthens the immune system.
- The tea can be sweetened with a little honey. For the juice spritzer, we recommend freshly squeezed orange juice or fruit juice, as these are sugar-free. Fruit nectar, on the other hand, contains added sugar.
- Carbohydrates for sufficient energy: wholemeal products such as strengthening wholemeal bread, muesli with oat flakes or one of our delicious porridges made from oats provide long-lasting satiation through natural carbohydrates.
- Vitamins in the form of fruit or vegetables: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ as the saying goes. An apple, a banana or some cucumber and peppers for those who prefer a savoury breakfast strengthen the immune system with their vitamins and provide important fibre for digestion.
- Dairy products for sufficient animal protein: Animal protein is particularly important for the brain and body during the growth phase. That's why a glass of milk, some yoghurt or cheese for breakfast supports a child's long-term development.
It's not always easy to keep all this in mind in the hectic pace of everyday life. That's why we've put together a few tips and ideas on how you can quickly and easily prepare a wholesome and varied breakfast for your children using these ingredients.
Less stress with VERIVAL products – find out more!
Bread with mashed banana
A slice of wholegrain bread is the basis for this delicious breakfast, which almost every child likes. It is spread with a little butter – because the body needs a little fat to help it process vitamins better. Now a banana is cut into thin slices, placed on the bread and squashed a little.
A glass of milk and a cup of warm tea will transform this fruity sandwich into a full breakfast in no time. For something extra special, add two spoonfuls of yoghurt, a few raspberries or blueberries or one of our delicious and nutritious Verival toppings, such as the ‘Good Morning Organic Energy Kick’ with crunchy nuts and dried fruits.
Sugar-free pancakes for breakfast
Pancakes are delicious and easy to prepare in a variety of ways. With flour, eggs, baking powder and milk, they can be made in just a few minutes. Instead of sugar, you can add a banana or a little honey to the dough or use a little less milk.
For particularly nutritious pancakes, replace some of the flour with Verival organic oat or spelt flakes. Fresh pancakes go well with fresh yoghurt or quark, a little honey spread on top or a homemade fruit puree.
With special toppings such as Verival chia seeds, raisins or dried cranberries, you can create an exciting taste experience that your children won't be able to get enough of. And if you have any pancakes left over, they make a great snack for the big break when combined with a mix of fresh fruit.
Children's breakfast from VERIVAL
With our VERIVAL products, you can easily put together the ingredients for an ideal breakfast for children. Fruity and organic porridge varieties with no added sugar, such as our Organic Porridge Cocoa-Banana or our Bircher Porridge, can be wonderfully spiced up with fresh fruit and replenish energy stores in the morning – for an active start to the school or kindergarten day.
Depending on your taste, you can also easily mix a sugar-free muesli from our various muesli components, for example with our organic spelt pops sweetened with honey, our Verival Bio Cornflakes unsweetened, our organic 5-grain flakes and various nut mixes.
Together with yoghurt or milk, fresh fruit and a glass of juice, breakfast without sugar is on the table in no time. For us, healthy nutrition, sustainable consumption and climate-friendly economic activity go hand in hand. That is why our products are often not only sugar-free but also consist of organically grown raw materials.
