A survey shows that over 90% of mothers of elementary school students often give their children bread for breakfast. However, nutrition experts believe that from a nutritional balance perspective, a reasonable combination of staple foods (yellow), main dishes (red), and side dishes (green) should be adopted.
The survey was conducted among 200 mothers. The staple food most commonly eaten by children for breakfast was bread, chosen by 52.4% as the first choice and 40.4% as the second. The reasons were "liking it" and "convenience." Additionally, about 90% of mothers finished breakfast in less than 15 minutes, and 60% of elementary school students finished their breakfast in the same time. However, eating only bread may lead to an insufficient intake of essential nutrients, so it's advisable to add easily prepared side dishes.
Nutrition experts believe the importance of breakfast lies in several aspects: first, milk, juice, and other beverages that serve as a water source can replenish fluids lost during sleep; second, staple foods like bread and rice that serve as a source of energy meet the body's needs; third, protein serves as the body's building material; and fourth, it helps in the intake of vitamins and minerals, with it being ideal to have some vegetables and fruits. This can be summarized as a "yellow, red, green" menu, where yellow represents carbohydrates, red represents protein, and green represents vitamins and minerals.
For a nutritionally balanced and convenient breakfast, using processed foods like canned goods and vegetable juices is also a good method. For example, a mixture of tuna, finely chopped onions, and mayonnaise, or warm tomato juice, makes for a great soup.
Furthermore, starting preparations the night before when making dinner will make the next morning much easier. Specifically, you can keep vegetables like broccoli and asparagus on hand that only need to be heated in the microwave. Also, wash all ingredients that don't require heating, such as tomatoes and strawberries, in the evening and store them in the refrigerator so they are ready to eat immediately in the morning and are easy to preserve. In short, it's about combining cooking wisdom and clever methods with thoughtful meal planning.