The memories are so vivid in my mind—mother making it her business to see to it that my brother and I went to school on time each morning. However, one thing was more important to her. Occasionally, we would be late leaving for school, but that was never reason enough for her to let us out the front door without first feeding us a good breakfast.
I always wondered why she would go out of her way to make sure that we had something to eat each morning. Even on mornings when she was scheduled to work, she would not only wake up extra early to prepare breakfast for both of us to eat, but also she would call home from work to make sure that we ate before leaving the house.
Eating that first meal early in the morning is not a concern for just mothers like mine. Now, scientists and health care providers everywhere are urging people of all ages not to leave home without it.
What is breakfast? Why is it so important, anyway?
The first meal of the day is called breakfast. It actually means breaking one’s fast, because it breaks the fast that has lasted ten to twelve hours, since the last meal eaten the day before, usually dinner. Breakfast fuels a body with energy and nutrients that help both children and grown-ups meet the demands of a fast-paced lifestyle. It is comparable to filling the gas tank in your car before starting your trip.
Breakfast feeds the brain as well as the body. After a long night of sleep, and having gone all night without food, the brain needs energy. By breaking the fast from the night, the body is ready for fuel to get it going again.
How can eating breakfast be beneficial?
Everyone needs breakfast. According to Obesity Research, eating breakfast regularly is a common characteristic among those who lose weight and keep it off.1)Wyatt H, et al, Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. Obesity Research, 10:78-82, 2002. Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, and also less likely to become overweight later in life as adults.
Children who eat breakfast have a better attendance record in school. They are also less likely to be tardy, or report being sick compared with those children who miss the morning meal. Breakfast eaters also score higher on tests and have better concentration and muscle coordination.
What happens when breakfast is skipped?
Well, without breakfast the body just doesn’t have what it needs to operate properly. The body uses glucose or blood sugar for energy. When we eat, the body uses the amount of glucose that it needs and then the liver stores the excess as glycogen. That stored glycogen can later be utilized by the body as needed.
When breakfast is skipped, by midmorning glycogen stores are virtually depleted; as a result the body has very little quick energy available for it to perform optimally. Children who skip breakfast will lack adequate glycogen stores, which can cause them to be hungry and tired, thus lacking the ability to concentrate and learn well in school.2)School Breakfast Programs: Energizing the Classroom. St Paul, MN- Minnesota Dept of Children, Families, and Learning, 1998 3)Basiotis PP, et al., Eating Breakfast Greatly improves Schoolchildren’s Diet Quality. Nutrition insights; US Dept of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, insight 15, December 1999 Available at; http://www.usda gov/cnpp/insights.htm. Accessed August 3, 2000.
Children who do not eat breakfast have a hard time making it through the morning. Research studies show that the overall nutrient intake of those who eat breakfast is more adequate than that of breakfast skippers. Studies also show that students who do not eat breakfast have higher absenteeism rates, experience trouble with concentration, and have more behavioral problems.4)Gordon AR, et al., Dietary Effects of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Am J Clin Nutr, 61(suppl).221S-231$, 1995. 5)School Breakfast Programs: Energizing the Classroom. St Paul, MN- Minnesota Dept of Children, Families, and Learning, 1998 6)Basiotis PP, et al., Eating Breakfast Greatly improves Schoolchildren’s Diet Quality. Nutrition insights; US Dept of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, insight 15, December 1999 Available at; http://www.usda gov/cnpp/insights.htm. Accessed August 3, 2000.
Why do so many people skip breakfast?
As beneficial as it is to eat breakfast, many start the day and go about their daily routine without proper fuel to keep them going through the day. As a matter of fact, breakfast is the meal most often skipped by children and adults. A Gallup survey for The American Dietetic Association reported 57% of 4-8th graders skipped breakfast. Many children of all economic levels go to school without eating breakfast. More people leave home in the morning without breakfast simply because they don’t have time to prepare and eat before leaving. Other reasons and excuses include not being hungry so early in the morning, being too busy, not having a parent at home to prepare the meal, being on a diet, and of course, not having anything to eat.
Social and economic factors such as increased fragmentation of the family, more single-parent families, more dual income families, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and inadequate childcare have greatly influenced the eating patterns of children and also the lifestyles of families at all levels. These factors have increased the vulnerability of children to health and nutrition problems. As a result of these social and economic changes, more children are fending for themselves for meals. Moreover, more meals are consumed outside of the home. This is convenient, but meals away from home cost more than meals prepared at home and, they also tend to be high in fat and sodium.
How can we fit breakfast into our busy lives?
Making breakfast a family affair can be a fun activity for the entire family to enjoy together. On those rare days in which parents and children don’t have to rush out the door, the entire family getting together to prepare a healthy breakfast can truly benefit everyone. Even though eating breakfast as a family can offer an opportunity to spend some quality time together, that is not always possible. As a matter of fact, eating breakfast together as a family is just not an option for some people in this country.
On those busy mornings when it’s impossible to eat together, parents can provide their children with easy-to-prepare and nutritious foods. Some easy breakfast meals can even be made the day before. When this is not possible, parents can encourage their children to eat breakfast at school through the School Breakfast Program. The School Breakfast Program provides nutritious breakfast to all students regardless of family income.7)Coddington, R.M,, Schools Celebrate NSBW. School Food Service and Nutrition, pp 32-37, 1994.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Children’s Nutrition and Learning. ERIC Digest, Washington DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No 369 579), 1994.
Parents can create a positive attitude towards breakfast by showing their children how much they themselves enjoy the morning meal. It’s especially important for parents to eat a good breakfast every day, because parents are role models for their children. Often children do not do as their parent say, but more often do as their parents do. Children who see their parents eat breakfast are more likely to eat breakfast, too. So when parents eat breakfast, they eat for themselves and for their children.
What type of food is best to break the fast?
The worst thing to eat for breakfast is NOTHING. The best breakfast contains food from at least three different food groups of the food guide pyramid. Try these breakfast-in-a-minute ideas:
- Ready-to-eat cereal with fruit and soymilk
- Toasted whole-grain bagel with peanut butter and applesauce
- Fruit-filled whole-grain, naturally sweetened breakfast bar and soy yogurt
- Toasted whole-grain waffle topped with fruit
- Fruit smoothie (fruit and soymilk whirled in a blender. May add some nuts and/or sprinkle with crunchy cereal, once blended.)
- Peanut butter or avocado on wholewheat toast
Breakfast doesn’t have to be a dilemma anymore. All it takes is a scoop of effort and a dash of creativity to tastily greet the morning. So go ahead, break the fast, and jump-start your body for a new day.
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Recipes
Sugar Free Granola
Ingredients
- 5 bananas
- ½ cup peanuts or almonds
- ½ cup raisins
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 coconut
- 2 cups quick oats
- ½ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ cup ground sesame seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 4 apples
Instructions
- Put into a bowl the oats, with the ground sesame and flaxseed.
- Grate the coconut or shred it in the food processor.
- Blend 2 apples with a little bit of water and the 5 bananas. Mix with the rest of ingredients, so that the oats just get slightly damp.
- Spread out on 2 baking sheets, so that it results in a fine layer.
- Bake on low heat for about 1 hour until brown, stirring every 15 minutes. It may be still slightly humid, but after cooling down it gets crunchy.
- Cool down and add raisins and nuts. If desired, add some sugar free corn flakes.
- Keep in a jar with tight lid in order to maintain crunchy.
Practical Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 kg whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons wheat germ
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons ground sesame
- 1 heaped tablespoon of organic yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey optional
Instructions
- Mix the whole wheat flour, germ and salt in a bowl, then add the ground flaxseed and sesame, and finally add the yeast dissolved in warm water.
- Add the water and mix well, making the dough consistent, but so that you can stir it with a spoon without using your hands.
- Pour into a greased bread pan and fill it with the dough until halfway up.
- If you like, decorate with sesame seeds.
- Leave to rise until doubled in volume.
- Preheat the oven and bake over medium heat for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- Stick a knife or toothpick in to see if it’s baked, remove from the oven and place on a damp kitchen towel for about 10 minutes, remove from the tin so it doesn’t sweat, and leave wrapped in a cloth until cool, then store in a plastic bag.
Chia Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 4 tablespoon chia
- 1 small mango
- 1 chopped apple
- ¼ cup of raisins
Instructions
- Put the coconut milk into a container and stir in the chia until it is well mixed.
- Take to the refrigerator for 6 hours or until the next day.
- Afterward mix with sliced mango, apple and raisins.
- If you prefer, place in a bowl layers of chia yogurt interspersed with the fruit. Serve pure or with granola.
Banana Oat Mufffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 bananas
- 1 Tbs psyllium
- 1 Tbs dry yeast
- 2 Tbs honey
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in warm water and one spoon of honey for 10 minutes.
- Hydrate the psyllium seeds in warm water and stir until it dissolves.
- Mix the oat flour with the rest of ingredients, adding about 1 cup of water until reaching the desired consistency.
- Grease the muffin forms and pour the dough until half of the form.
- Let it rise until it doubles in size.
- Bake at medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Gluten Free Banana Oat Pancake
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of Grinded Gluten Free Rolled Oats OR Gluten Free Oat Flour
- ¼ -½ Cup Almond Milk
- 1 Ripened Banana
- 1 Tbsp. of Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1 Tsp. of Vanilla Powder or Vanilla Bean
Instructions
- Combine ALL the ingredients together in the Blender. Rest batter for about 2 -5 minutes.
- Pour into a heated non-stick pan and heat about 2-3 minutes until edges are about to fold up. Then flip over to the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add your favorite toppings and Enjoy!
Video
Marie Charles studied nutrition at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MG
References
| ↑1 | Wyatt H, et al, Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry. Obesity Research, 10:78-82, 2002. |
|---|---|
| ↑2, ↑5 | School Breakfast Programs: Energizing the Classroom. St Paul, MN- Minnesota Dept of Children, Families, and Learning, 1998 |
| ↑3, ↑6 | Basiotis PP, et al., Eating Breakfast Greatly improves Schoolchildren’s Diet Quality. Nutrition insights; US Dept of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, insight 15, December 1999 Available at; http://www.usda gov/cnpp/insights.htm. Accessed August 3, 2000. |
| ↑4 | Gordon AR, et al., Dietary Effects of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Am J Clin Nutr, 61(suppl).221S-231$, 1995. |
| ↑7 | Coddington, R.M,, Schools Celebrate NSBW. School Food Service and Nutrition, pp 32-37, 1994.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Children’s Nutrition and Learning. ERIC Digest, Washington DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No 369 579), 1994. |
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