Charles Poliquin did the world a huge favor when he introduced the concept of having meat and nuts for breakfast. It’s one of the most effective nutritional approaches that you can employ. That holds true for adults and children, but most kids are not so keen to have meat in the morning. Good luck trying to get them to eat a chicken breast, pork chop, or some steak for breakfast. A much better proposition would be eggs, bacon, sausages, or burgers.

Most kids will give eggs or bacon a thumbs up. In our house, my son could eat eggs every morning and my daughters love bacon. Sausages and burgers make great choices for breakfast as well, and you can vary the sources (e.g., chicken, turkey, beef, bison, and pork).

Nuts are another great food choice to give your kids for breakfast. Here’s why:

Nuts are tasty, and kids love foods that are tasty.

Nuts are packed with all kinds of good nutrition, including macronutrients, micronutrients, phytonutrients, and fiber.

Nuts will provide your kids with plenty of sustained energy all morning long.

Most schools will not allow nuts, so it gives children an opportunity to have them before they go to school.

Nuts promote good health, and there’s plenty of research to prove it.

There’s so much research on the health benefits of nuts, you’d be “nuts” to ignore it! However, if your child happens to be allergic to nuts, low-glycemic fruit will do the trick. Berries are the best choice, but make sure you purchase organic berries (see EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce).

By the way, in the morning and any other time of the day, kids should drink water, not juice or milk. Contrary to popular belief, plant-based milks like almond, rice and soy milk are not healthy alternatives either. Just stick to water.

Take-Home Message: Think outside the box, the cereal box that is. Try the meat and nuts breakfast with your children. It may be just what they need to improve their learning at school, their behavior at home, and their health in general.