Ways to Boost Nutritional Value in Kids' Cereals

It doesn't take a genius to question the nutritional value in most kids' cereals. While children are reaching for the box with their favorite cartoon character, parents are hoping the nutritional label on the cereal is just as entertaining.

Breakfast is the most essential meal in a child's day. Breakfast fuels the majority of a child's school day (over half of which occurs before lunch). Yet, most parents are crunched for time with morning schedules and rely on childhood favorite cereals to fill their kids' stomachs before hitting the books at school.

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association recently released information showing how gram for gram children's cereals pack considerably more sugar, sodium, empty carbohydrates and calories than their adult cereal counterparts. And all that sugar leads to a mentally debilitating crash right in the middle of math class and empty calories filling those little bodies.

Adding nutritional value, such as fiber and protein, to sugary kids' cereals is not hard. Once it becomes part of your routine, your morning schedule will never miss the extra 10 seconds it will take you to make sure your child gets a healthy breakfast they will still want to eat.

First, try to find an adult cereal with high nutritional content (specifically look for cereals high in fiber and protein and fortified with essential vitamins) that your child will still eat. Special K's line of simple flakes with dried strawberries, blueberries or chocolates chunks is simple and very similar to Corn Flakes and other childhood cereals. Yet, Special K packs a powerful nutrition punch without the added calories. Try switching your child's cereal and see if the dried fruit or chocolate makes up for the loss of their favorite cartoon character on the box.

If your child is hesitant to switch cereals completely, do a little cereal mixing. Mix half of your child's favorite breakfast cereal with half of a nutritious adult brand, like Special K or Kashi. Add Special K chocolate chunks to Corn Flakes, GrapesNuts to Rice Krispies or Kashi multi-grain o's to Fruit Loops. This way you chop the calories and sugar in half while still adding some nutritional value.

Keep cereal friendly fruit available for a quick morning addition. Fresh fresh adds a third of your child's recommended daily fiber serving and more than half of the recommended vitamins. Fresh berries like blueberries, raspberries and blackberries require no slicing and add valuable antioxidants to your child's diet. They also add fun colors and bold tastes to your child's cereal. Strawberries and large grapes may require a quick slice for younger children to avoid choking but are well worth the few extra minutes.

Diced apples, bananas, figs, and mangos add taste to boring adult cereals or fiber to give your child's cereal more sustenance to get them through those morning classes.

Adding fruit to your child's diet early helps them develop a taste for the natural sugars. They are more likely to choose fruit for a snack as they develop their dieting knowledge than children who have always received processed sugar cereals and snacks.

Honey is a natural sweetener to brighten up boring, fiber-based adult cereals. A squirt of honey, raisins and brown sugar can transform an adult fiber cereal or hot oatmeal to a sweet, comfort food. However, never add honey or other natural sweeteners to already sweetened cereals.

Toss a handful of bran in your child's cereal to add a generous dose of fiber. Flax seed adds protein and natural fats to quick start your child's brain for school.