From the School Nurse

THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST

Despite the importance of breakfast, approximately 15 per cent of teenagers and one-third of adults don’t eat breakfast. Eating breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period, replenishes your supply of nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. Extensive research in Australia and overseas has found: 

• Many children who skip breakfast are significantly heavier than those who eat breakfast. 
• Skipping breakfast can reduce mental performance. Breakfast helps learning, as you are better able to pay attention and are more interested in learning. 
• Eating high fibre breakfast cereals reduces tiredness. 
• Children who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to make poor food choices for the rest of the day and in the long term. 
• People who eat breakfast have healthier diets than people who skip breakfast. They also have better eating habits as they are less likely to be hungry for snacks during the day.

Some common reasons for skipping breakfast include: 

• Not enough time 
• Too tired to bother 
• Wanting to spend the extra time dozing in bed 
• No readily available breakfast foods in the house.

Health Implications

People who skip breakfast tend to nibble on snacks during the mid-morning. This can be a problem if those snacks are low in fibre, vitamins and minerals but high in fat and salt. Without the extra energy that breakfast can offer, some breakfast skippers feel tired and turn to coffee or high sugar foods to get them through the morning. If you do skip breakfast, try a nutritious snack such as fresh fruit, yoghurt, a low fat muffin or a wholemeal sandwich to help you through that mid-morning hunger.

Breakfast foods

Research has shown that schoolchildren are more likely to eat breakfast if easy-to-prepare breakfast foods are readily available at home. Some quick suggestions include: 

• Whole-wheat or wholegrain breakfast cereals such as wheat biscuits, muesli or bran cereals 
• Porridge – use quick oats 
• Fresh fruits 
• Wholemeal or multigrain bread to toast 
• Muffins or crumpets 
• Toast toppings, such as baked beans, eggs, cheese or spreads 
• Fruit or plain yoghurts 
• Fresh fruit juices 

DON’T FORGET THAT THE SCHOOL BREAKFAST CLUB IS AN OPTION ON MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.