Why Breakfast Is Good For You
Breakfast - in association with Panasonic
The first meal of the day is also one of the most important
Breakfast literally means 'breaking the fast'. For some , especially younger children, this fast can be as long as 16 hours! In the morning, the body is low on energy reserves and needs fuel to get going. Nutritionists recommend that breakfast should provide 25% of daily nutrient requirements. Studies have shown that people who skip breakfast miss out on many vital nutrients. They are unlikely to make-up for this during the rest of the day.1 This means that missing breakfast can have a negative effect on general health, both in the short and long term.
Breakfast is good for the brain
Children who skip breakfast were not as efficient in the selection of critical information in problem solving as those who had eaten breakfast.2 Eating breakfast helps children to perform better in school, in both mathematical and creative tasks.3 This is thought to be due to the fact that breakfast, especially if it is high in carbohydrate, provides glucose – the preferred fuel of the brain.
Breakfast eaters are healthier
Studies have shown that adults and children who skip breakfast tend to have higher cholesterol levels and, consequently, are at a greater risk of developing heart disease.4,5 Other studies have found that children and adults, who regularly eat breakfast cereals, are more likely to have healthier diets overall and that teenagers who regularly consume breakfast cereal are more likely to meet dietary guidelines for several important micronutrients.6 Results from more recent research have revealed that eating breakfast, particularly a cereal one, may reduce the incidence and severity of the common cold.7
Breakfast eaters are slimmer
As well as a lack of time in the morning, attempting to lose weight is one of the most common reasons given for missing breakfast. However, evidence suggests that skipping breakfast results in the opposite - making it harder to lose weight and keep it off.6,7 Eating breakfast helps to balance the food intake throughout the day, making overeating less likely. Research also shows that both children and adults who eat breakfast, particularly a cereal one, are less likely to be overweight than their counterparts who skip breakfast. 8,9
Breakfast eaters are happier
It's true! A high carbohydrate breakfast can positively influence one's morning mood. Taking as little as five minutes to relax and prepare for the day with a good breakfast and milk really ensures a positive start. Scientific research supports this, demonstrating that breakfast eaters are less stressed than those who skip it are.10
Footnotes
1 Mathews R (1996). Importance of breakfast to cognitive performance and health. Perspectives in Applied Nutrition, 3 (3): 204-212.
2 Pollitt et al (1981). Brief fasting, stress and cognition in children. Am. J. of Clin. Nutr. 34: 1526-1533; Pollitt et al (1982). Fasting and cognitive performance. Journal of Psychiatric Research 17: 169-174.
3 Wyon D.P. et al (1997). An experimental study of the effects of energy intake at breakfast on the test performance of 10 year old children in school. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 48: 5-12
4 Stanton and Keast (1989). Serum cholesterol, fat intake and breakfast consumption in the United States adult population. J Am Coll Nutr 8: 567-572.
5 Resnicow K,. J School Health (1991) 64: 81-85. In: Breakfast Matters: benefits of breakfast to cognitive performance and health. Rebecca Mathews (1996) Kellogg Canada.
6 Crawley (1993). The role of breakfast cereals in the diets of 16-17 yeqr old teenagers in Britain. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 6: 205-216
7 Smith and Rees (2000). Stress, breakfast cereal consumption and susceptibility ton upper respiratory tract illness. Nutritional Neuroscience, 3, pp. 339-343.
8 Gibson and O'Sullivan (1995). Breakfast cereal consumption patterns and nutrient intakes in British schoolchildren. Journal of Royal Society of Health 115 (6): 366-370.
9 Haines et al (1996). Trends in breakfast consumption of US adults between 1965-1991. JADA 96: 464-470
10 Smith A, (1998). Breakfast and mental health. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
