Kids' Nutrition: Weight Loss & Skipping Breakfast

No. In fact, the opposite is true. Research shows that skipping any meal—especially breakfast—tends to promote weight gain rather than weight loss. Because breakfast-skippers are more likely to give in to midmorning munching and extra-large lunches, they usually end up consuming far more calories throughout the day than they would if they had just eaten breakfast in the first place.

Breakfast doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming: Just splashing milk over a bowlful of cold cereal is all it takes to start the day off right. Cereal with milk gives the body lots of high-energy carbohydrates to get the brain and body going in the morning, as well as a variety of important vitamins and minerals that contribute to good health.

When your child is in a hurry and needs a grab-and-go breakfast, go for a granola bar, a piece of fresh fruit or a whole grain muffin or bagel to benefit your kid's nutrition. When your child is trying to lose weight and stay healthy in the process, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.