At Horner Barrow Orthodontics, Dr. Kevin Horner and Dr. Keri Barrow understand how hard it can be to get your child to eat the recommended daily allowance of healthy grains, fruits and vegetables. As many parents already know, kids can be finicky eaters. How many times has your child hid their serving of broccoli under a dollop of mashed potatoes, or tried to sneak their green beans to the family dog?
The task of providing fun, nutritious meals becomes even more challenging when your child is wearing braces. It’s a well-known fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for all of us. A healthy breakfast provides our bodies with the necessary fuel to start our day off on a positive note. The following braces-friendly breakfast food suggestions are not only nutritious, but also delicious.
• A healthy breakfast provides energy to start the day and it also revs up the body’s metabolism. A smoothie can be a good source of fruit, protein and fiber, and it’s also gentle on braces. Plus, smoothies are fun to make. You can toss anything in the blender (plain, low-fat Greek yogurt, bananas, strawberries, and spinach to name a few) and create a drink that’s loaded with protein, vitamins and antioxidants.
• Scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs are soft, and therefore, easy to eat if you have braces. If covered in ketchup (which many kids like to do), eggs become even softer. Minimal chewing is needed, and that’s the key to a braces-friendly recipe.
• Hard, crunchy cereals or granola for breakfast is not a good choice if you wear braces. Bite down on a hard chunk, and you could loosen a bracket, or break a wire. You can, however, get a serving of whole grains by replacing that crunchy cereal with cooked oatmeal. This soft, easy-to-chew breakfast treat has plenty of health benefits. The best option is quick-cook oats that you can add your choice of nuts and berries to, rather than those presweetened packets of instant oats. A time-saver for your busy mornings is to make the oatmeal ahead of time, in the evening. Do an online search for overnight oats; you’ll be pleasantly surprised at all of the tasty suggestions that come up for easy-to-assemble recipes that will be ready to eat the next morning!
• Pancakes may NOT be the most healthy option for breakfast. However, this weekend breakfast favorite IS braces-friendly. Strive to make your pancakes healthier by adding blueberries in the pancake batter.
• All-bran, whole-grain (or multi-grain) pumpkin, banana, blueberry or apple muffins are another good way to start the day. Pull out your favorite recipe and bake a batch of homemade muffins on the weekend, and you’ll have a quick, handy breakfast for several weekday mornings. Just remember to omit the nuts!
• Toast (lightly-browned) is an acceptable option, but start by using healthy, whole-wheat or whole-grain bread. Up the protein factor by spreading your toast with a little bit of creamy (not chunky) peanut or almond butter, and just say no to that overly-sweet jelly. Instead, add a bit of a natural, all-fruit jam to cut down on the sugar. When wearing braces, the best course of action is to avoid foods that are hard or chewy. These types of foods can break wires. Some kids might think that toast isn’t the most exciting breakfast food, but it IS braces-friendly.
At Horner Barrow Orthodontics, we are committed to delivering excellent quality orthodontic treatment to each and every patient in the Sioux Falls, SD area. To provide a friendly, caring, and pleasant atmosphere that will ensure our patients feel relaxed and confident about placing their orthodontic care in our hands.