Year 9 Pastoral Guardian

Welcome to Term 4.

It amazes me every day the number of students I talk to admitting that they do not eat breakfast.  I am always presented with a variety of reasons: “I got up too late”, “I don’t like breakfast”,” I’m not hungry”, “I couldn’t be bothered”, “There’s nothing for me to eat”, or, “I had to catch the bus”.  I can normally identify these students as they look and sound exhausted by Period 2.  Unfortunately for these students, their ability to be attentive, motivated, and active in their morning classes is a challenge and therefore their capacity to learn suffers significantly.  Dr Shelia Cook for Queensland Government Health outlines that: “Skipping breakfast affects how well your brain works and increases your body’s stress hormones.  It makes you hungry for sugary snack foods later in the day and increases your chances of being overweight and having high blood pressure, particularly in women.”

The students have been informed of the importance of breakfast many times during their schooling, yet they still opt to skip it.  Why is that?  Is it just out of bad habit or laziness, or is there more to it?  Whatever the situation is in your household, it is worth having the conversation on the behaviour and attitudes towards eating breakfast.  It can be a topic that can be easily dismissed, but I encourage you to not back down and to explore solutions that will ultimately greatly benefit your daughter in many ways, particularly academically.

This topic can be further extended as it is not just the act of eating breakfast but what is eaten that will improve brain function and satisfy the appetite.   These are foods packed with protein and essential fats such as eggs and avocados.  The link provided below identifies the ideal breakfast.  It is important for each student to come to school re-fuelled and energised so they can learn, engage, and achieve. Success in the classroom could be as simple as eating the right breakfast.

The Nutrition Australian website is an excellent resource for you to refer to and I encourage you to sit with your daughter to explore breakfast options. https://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/breakfast

Some other breakfast options (for those on the go or running late) include:

1. In a sealed container soak overnight oats, chia seeds, honey, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, sultanas, and frozen berries in milk of your choice.  Before eating you can add fresh fruit and yoghurt.
2. Cook zucchini slice/quiche on the weekend and portion pieces up for breakfast during the week.
3. Cook this incredible banana loaf http://www.appletozucchini.com.au/power-nutrient-banana-loaf/
4. Smoothie – consisting of milk, yoghurt, chia seeds, banana, and honey (can include other fruit).

If you would like further advice or information on ways to encourage your daughter to eat breakfast and other healthy meals, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tamara Richardson

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Conversation Starters

Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow morning; what should we have?

Do you remember your favourite breakfast when you were little?

What would you like for breakfast?