ANSWERS
1. TRUE
Eating breakfast helps to jumpstart the brain, so to speak! Breakfast literally breaks the fast that occurs while we’re sleeping. When a child wakes up after a good, long night’s sleep, her mind and body are hungry for fuel. A balanced breakfast provides that fuel and nourishment. Growing evidence suggests that when children eat breakfast, either at home or at a school breakfast program, they are less hungry and score better on math, reading and memory tests. Attendance rates, alertness and behaviour are also improved among kids who have eaten breakfast.
2. TRUE
Kids who miss breakfast miss out on needed nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, folacin, zinc, phosphorus and iron. What’s more, breakfast skippers don’t make up for these missing nutrients in other meals throughout the day, potentially leading to dietary “shortages” or deficiencies.
A nutritious, well-balanced breakfast helps kids reach their daily quota for the energy, vitamins and minerals they need. Breakfast eaters, especially those who consume a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, also get more fibre than breakfast skippers.
3. FALSE
Skipping breakfast is not a good way to lose weight. Dieting and concerns about weight, especially among teenaged girls, strongly affect whether or not breakfast is eaten. Research published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found that almost 70% of girls in grades 9 and 10 who were concerned about gaining weight did not eat breakfast on a daily basis.
In fact, eating breakfast may actually play a role in preventing obesity in children. When comparing the breakfast habits of overweight/obese versus normal weight school children, researchers noted that overweight/obese kids skipped breakfast more often. Another study found that children aged 4-12 who ate 8 or more servings of ready-to-eat cereal over two weeks had a significantly lower Body Mass Index (a measure of healthy weight) compared to kids who ate 3 or fewer servings. Further research on students in grades 7, 9 and 11, observed that students who ate breakfast regularly had a 30% lower chance of being either overweight and/or obese.
It’s possible that breakfast skippers may generally have less healthy habits. They likely exercise less, snack more, and pick less nutritious foods throughout the rest of the day, which in the long run, may increase their risk of becoming overweight or obese.
4. TRUE
A nutritious, balanced breakfast should include foods from at least 3 of the following 4 food groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating:
- Grain Products.
- Vegetables and Fruit.
- Milk Products.
- Meat and Alternatives.
Cereal, milk, bread and juice are the most common foods eaten for breakfast. But, when it comes to fitting in breakfast, remember that anything goes! Some fast and easy breakfast ideas are:
- Leftover slice of pizza and glass of orange juice.
- Whole grain cereal with milk and apple slices.
- Peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread with glass of milk.
- Scrambled eggs, whole grain toast and glass of milk.
- Cheese, whole grain crackers and glass of apple juice.
- Cereal bar, banana and glass of milk.
- Waffles, berries and glass of milk.
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