Another busy morning! I struggle out of bed by 5.30 a.m. each weekday.  Make coffee and pour the orange juice, get the boys out of bed, hurry to get dressed, gulp the coffee and orange juice, pack their lunch and rush off to work and school.

This is the normal routine we used to follow, until about a year ago when an article about the importance of breakfast caught my eye.  I realized that though I had been content with the so-called breakfast I had been giving the kids and myself, it was actually quite deficient.

Many people underestimate the value of breakfast. They may only have a glass of juice or a cup of coffee and eat nothing at all. However, research has shown that this type of routine is not the best habit to get into. Eating a substantial meal within the first few hours of waking up is much healthier for adults and kids.

The article further stated: A six-year study compared the mental and physical efficiency of a group of adults throughout the day, some of whom ate healthy nutritious breakfasts while others did not. When compared to those who ate breakfast, the people who did not became less efficient as the day went on. Their productivity improved after eating lunch, but by the end of the day their work completion was slower than those who had eaten breakfast.

For children, a good breakfast is even more important. Children who do not eat a good breakfast become tired in school and have shorter attention spans, especially late in the morning. In one study, test scores of children who did not eat breakfast were generally lower than those who had eaten a well-balanced morning meal. Another good reason to make sure that children have a balanced breakfast is that four out of five children do not get enough vitamins and minerals from lunch and dinner alone. By adding breakfast, children are more likely to get the vitamins and minerals they need. Also, children who don’t eat a good breakfast tend to eat more junk food during the day -- snacks that are high in fat and sugar and low in nutritional value.

I have now made a conscious effort to eat and provide the kids with a quick but wholesome breakfast.  It actually takes only a few extra minutes.

The kids help me plan what they would like to eat for breakfast throughout the week.  We do not have a traditional sit down breakfast, but have either fruit with yogurt, sandwiches with a variety of filling, etc.

We have ‘breakfast on the go’ - it is fun. I spend about five minutes before we walk out the door to get it organized, but I know that it is certainly worth it. Then the boys eat in the car on the way to school. We've all heard it before, but I needed the reminder: Breakfast is the must important meal of the day.