PhunkyNews

Breakfast - is it really the most important meal of the day?

This week an article entitled ‘Breakfast ‘Keeps Teenagers Lean’’ was posted on the BBC website. Its message came from a study from the University of Minnesota which showed that those who ate breakfast were, on average, lower weight than those who did not. The study was carried out by a team of researchers who specialise in eating habits and behaviours of teenagers and was entitled “Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents”.

The study examined the association between breakfast frequency and five-year body weight change in 2,200 adolescents (1,000 boys and 1,200 girls). This was done by the means of two questionnaires, the first in 1998 and the second in 2003, given to a group of students from middle and high schools in the Minneapolis and St Paul Minnesota metropolitan areas. Results showed that daily breakfast eaters tended to gain less weight and have lower body mass index levels (BMI is an indicator of how appropriate a person's weight is for their height) than those who had skipped breakfast. Results also indicated that daily breakfast eaters ate a healthier diet and were more physically active than breakfast skippers.

Whilst results are statistically conclusive it must be noted that the study population is not necessarily representative as racial background of participants was as follows: 63% white, 10% black, 18% Asian and 9% mixed or other. Moreover the participants of the study were more likely to be from high socioeconomic status which skews the results and their subsequent usefulness.

Everyone had heard the saying ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ but why is this? And how is this related to this study? When you wake up from a night’s sleep your body hasn’t had food for several hours meaning your energy levels are low. In order to start the day the best way possible you need to replenish your energy supplies to ensure you have sufficient energy for the morning; this is particularly true for children who may not have eaten for 10 – 12 hours. In the context of this study it has been shown that those who follow this principle, replenishing their energy supplies in the morning, tended to eat healthier and more balanced diets achieving an overall daily consumption of food richer in carbohydrate and fibre and lower in total fat; it is this combined with an active lifestyle which contributed to their maintenance of a healthy BMI.

PhunkyFoods:
With this in mind what should we be doing to encourage children to eat breakfast? It is important to encourage good ‘food’ behavioural patterns at a young age to ensure that as behaviours stabilize and continue into adulthood that they are good habits. Good ways of doing this include promoting healthy breakfasts in the classroom and at school breakfast clubs, providing parents with sound advice and encouraging children to choose healthy choice breakfasts.

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