Many parents struggle when their children go through the very frustrating fussy eating phase. The stress of not knowing if their child is receiving enough nutrients can be hard enough, but the battle at every single mealtime, and excessive waste of food can really tip parents over the edge.

Children need to consume the right amounts and kinds of nutrients in order to:

• Grow well
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Prevent tooth decay
• Develop a strong immune system
• Avoid some developmental and behavior problems

Eating a nutritious breakfast every day can assist with fussy eating and help parents to set up positive food associations for their children, right from the very first mouthful.

Here are 5 good reasons why a decent breakfast for kids is so beneficial:

• After a long goodnight sleep and hours of fasting their little bodies need to be refueled.
• A nutritious breakfast provides a significant amount of the day’s vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, B vitamins, and fibre.
• Eating breakfast gives their metabolism a daily kick-start helping them to better use the food they eat for energy.
• Breakfast aids their concentration and helps them focus on playing, learning and remembering.
• Older children who eat breakfast every day tend to have better attendance at school, improved concentration and mental performance.

Some prepackaged cereals are better than others so it is a good idea to look at the ingredients list before making your decision. Alternatively there are some great homemade breakfast ideas you can try from One Handed Cooks, such as homemade toasted muesli.

Recipe – Pick ‘n’ Mix Toasted Muesli

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup nuts chopped (we used macadamias and flaked almonds)

½ cup seeds (we used sunflower, linseed and sesame seeds)

¼ cup desiccated coconut

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons macadamia oil (alternative: sunflower, canola, vegetable)

3 tablespoons honey

125ml pure apple juice

1 cup dried fruit

Pick ‘n’ Mix options

Nuts – e.g pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazlenuts, macadamias

Seeds – e.g. linseeds, sunflower, chia, sesame, pepitas

Dried fruit – e.g. sultanas, chopped apricots or apple, dates, raisins,

sultanas, cranberries, dried cherries or blueberries

Note: choose age appropriate fruit and nuts for your child. Whole nuts pose a choking risk.

Method

Step 1: Heat your oven to 170°C.

Step 2: Combine oats, nuts, seeds and coconut in a large bowl. Stir through oil, honey and apple juice. Spread evenly over a large baking tray.

Step 3: Bake for 10 minutes, remove and stir.

Step 4: Bake for a further 20-30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes until golden.

Step 5: Remove from the oven, stir through the sultanas and leave to cool. Store muesli in an airtight container.

Step 6: Serve with milk and/or yoghurt and fresh fruit.