Is it really the most important meal? {Info & Giveaway}

I have swung back and forth when it comes to breakfast and it's importance in my life. As a child I grew up always having breakfast, and usually 2-3 days a week a fairly large breakfast, that was flavorful yes, but healthy.. not so much. 

Then in college I skipped breakfast almost every day, I went to school in upstate New York, there was like 19 feet of snow on the ground, and negative degree wind chills, and the cafeteria was about 1/4 mile walk from my dorm building. Even missing a meal I still managed to gain {the freshmen 10} a few extra pounds.

Fast forward a few years, to the year right before I got pregnant with E and Hubs and I went on a major health, body, nutrition, workout 180...

It was then that I started to realize just how important breakfast is, and if done well can benefit your body in more ways then one. I realized that yes it is important to start the day with breakfast, however sausage skillet packed with crumbled biscuits, lots of cheese, and creamy gravy.. well that was not gonna cut it. 

Now that I have a child, I want her to understand how to treat her body, and by fueling it up correctly to properly energize herself.... actually she has alot of energy as it is.. but I could use some good refueling in the energy department these days.

I knew eating breakfast was good for me, but that got me to thinking was it just as beneficial for a child?

Recently General Mills conducted a survey of DC-area parents, regarding their children, and the healthy eating habits they do or don't feel are important.

97 % Believe it to be important for their child to eat breakfast and,

86% feel that cereal would be a healthy option for breakfast.

 What are they looking for in options for their family's breakfast?

• 81 percent cited good flavor as important
• 60 percent want a breakfast packed with vitamins and minerals
• 59 percent look for convenient options
• 40 percent want a breakfast option that is low in fat
• About a quarter said they were interested in breakfast options that had at least 8 grams of whole grains (24 percent)

The study also showed that a majority of children do eat breakfast every day, at home, and many of them are eating cereal.

Read more about the survey Here: DC Breakfast Survey

In our house we buy alot of cereal, my husband could eat it for all three meals and not complain, and since he works nights, when he gets home in the morning its quick and he shares a bowl of cereal w/ E. I love that they do this, I think it will create fond memories of havin breakfast with daddy, as well as teaching her that breakfast is an important part of the day, and having cereal is a very healthy option.

=//=

Did you know...

1 bowl of cereal  & skim milk {standard serving size} = 150 Calories

The average doughnut = approx 250 calories

Biscuit w/ sausage, egg & cheese =approx 580 calories

{The choice seems easy to me}

General Mills has over 30 nutritious cereals with 130 Calories or less per serving

=//=

When it comes to picking a cereal for my baby though, I really want to stick with something that includes whole grain.. It's important to me, especially since research has been done to show that including whole grain into your diet may help; Heart Health, Managing weight, reducing the risk of certain cancers, and reducing the risk of diabetes. 

Some of our favorite cereals:

I recently received this amazing gift pack from General Mills through My Blog Spark..

check out whats inside..

10 sample sized cereals and a milk pitcher how exciting is that....

Wanna hear something even more exciting? They want to give you one as well... actually one lucky winner will also receive this gift pack.

Its very easy to enter

~Share your love for cereal week 1~

{Mandatory} 

Leave a comment telling me what cereal benefits are most important to you and your family?

and 

Be a public follower of this blog.

{Additional Entries}

Tweet about this giveaway "I just entered to win a cereal gift pack #giveaway from @mrsstethoscope sponsored by General Mills and @myblogspark"

~Make sure you leave a comment letting me know you did this~

giveaway runs until Saturday June 4th at midnight, winner will be chosen using Random.org

General Mills provided me with the gift pack including free product, as well as some of the information included above, through MyBlogSpark. The things you have read here are my opinions and may end up being different from yours. Thank you General Mills & My Blog Spark for the gift pack, sponsoring this post, and providing a gift pack for one of my readers.