With a colorfully filled school cone and a wholesome school breakfast, ABC children start their school day with fun and vigor. When filling the school cone, there are no limits to the imagination of parents. In addition to selected sweets that the child particularly likes, a variety of utensils such as unusual stationery, an upbeat lunch box and water bottle for the break, a small umbrella, an alarm clock or colorful light reflectors for the school bag can “sweeten” the start of school. As an alternative or supplement to sweets, pressure-resistant fruit such as apples can also be placed inside. Furthermore, small toys or coloring books bring joy to the school beginners, as well as a skipping rope or a rubber band, which can animate to “moving” breaks.
A healthy school breakfast
For performance in the upcoming school day, a balanced diet with a wholesome school breakfast is a crucial factor. The German Society for Nutrition e. V. (DGE) advises parents to eat breakfast with their children in the morning, if possible, and to give them a wholesome snack between meals, rather than simply handing them money.
An ideal snack for the break consists, for example, of whole-grain bread, thinly spread with butter, margarine or cream cheese and topped with lean ham, low-fat sausage, cheese or vegetarian spread. Also include fresh fruit and vegetable crudités, preferably cut into bite-size “finger foods.”
For variety, a dairy product such as yogurt, quark or a milk drink can be given instead of bread. Water, unsweetened herbal or fruit tea or a fruit juice spritzer should always be available to children as a thirst quencher.
Why is a healthy snack so important?
Low performance and poor concentration during class can be avoided if children eat breakfast and drink plenty of fluids in between. But not every break snack is beneficial. Sweet bars, croissants, Danish pastries and the like are not recommended, nor are sweetened drinks. They provide too many “empty calories,” i.e., they contain a lot of energy in the form of fat and sugar, but few vitamins, minerals and fiber. High-sugar products cause the blood sugar level to rise very quickly, but it then drops again rapidly and ends up below normal, resulting in a performance slump.
With whole grain products, on the other hand, a more constant blood sugar level is achieved. This means that the brain is supplied with glucose (dextrose) more evenly and for longer, from which it can obtain the energy it needs for its performance. In addition, whole-grain products provide important vitamins, minerals, satiating fiber and secondary plant compounds that contribute to maintaining good health.
Fruits and vegetables also contain the above-mentioned health promoters, which is why, depending on the season, strawberries, apple slices, cherries and cucumber slices, tomato pieces, carrot slices or radishes, for example, can be part of the break snack. Milk, cheese and other dairy products provide important protein and calcium for growth, among other things. Milk and milkshake drinks are nutrient-rich foods and a suitable snack. They should not be drunk to quench thirst because of their energy content.
Basic building blocks for the ideal break snack
- Sandwiched whole-grain bread or roll, alternatively an unsweetened cereal, and 1 piece of fruit or vegetable.
- Or 1 dairy product and 1 piece of fruit or vegetable
- And sufficient liquid in the form of water, unsweetened herbal and fruit teas or fruit juice spritzers.
For these building blocks, there are numerous variations that can and should be used depending on individual preferences and depending on the age of the child in the preparation of the break. Because variety tastes better and promotes the fun of eating and thus also the academic performance!
