Better Behavior May Be In Your Breakfast Bowl

Food As Fuel

The food-mood connection has long been established, but it seems as though talking about it is on the rise, bringing this issue to the forefront.  We recently had a guest post written by Angelle Batten, who wrote about this very issue: Rude? Bad Mood?  It Could Be the Food.  Then Shara Weiss at Mommy Perks asked me to weigh-in about the use of dairy in kids' diets (my own and the kids with whom I work).  When you think of food as fuel, the quality and kind of food ingested will obviously have a direct impact on performance (thinking, behavior, mood, attitude, performance, etc). 

Better Behavior May Be In Your Breakfast Bowl

If you have child with concerning behaviors, one of the first places you might want to examine is what's in her breakfast bowl.  A sugary, high-carb breakfast may fill up your child's tank, but it won't get her very far.  The wrong kinds of foods can translate into a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day (a'la Alexander).  Only in this scenario, it may not be the situations that cause the problem, as much as your child's reaction.  What if you could temper that reaction with how she started her day?  That's right, the answer to better behavior may well be right in your child's breakfast bowl.

What the Brain Needs: 1, 2, 3

Follow the rule of 1, 2, 3 and see if that makes a difference.  It has been said that the best breakfast for our brain is:

1) Whole Grains
2) Produce
3) Dairy

Read more at prevention.com.  But breakfast is just the beginning.  There are two more meals and snacks for the day.  Make every meal count.  Each morsel your child puts in her mouth may be the ticket to a calmer, happier child. 

Growing Great Brains

Food is one important part of the equation in behavior change, but there are many more components that can help change brains, and thereby help change behavior.  You will find it all in, BLOOM: 50 Things to Say, Think and Do with Anxious, Angry and Over-the-Top Kids, written by Dr. Lynne Kenney and me.  This invaluable guide to raising children gives you some of the best approaches to help your child flourish, while pulling out the weeds. 

Let us know, what do your kids like to eat for breakfast?  Click below!

What do you kids like to eat for breakfast?
	Pancakes or waffles
	Cereal and milk
	Fruit, healthy lite fare
	Spaghetti, pizza, chicken & rice, the hearty dinner stuff
	Eggs and bacon, traditional fare
	We skip breakfast
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