Download Document

Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
Objectives



To understand the importance of the breakfast meal
To be familiar with the reasons why people skip breakfast
To show the benefits of eating a regular nutritious breakfast
INTRODUCTION
Breakfast means to break the fast of the night and offers a nutritious and healthy start
to the day. After 8 or so hours without food, your body’s systems have slowed right
down, and don’t pick up until something is eaten. In the morning, the body is in need
of nourishment more than at any other time of the day. Energy must be renewed,
and the body tissues furnished with nutrients for their special functions, as your body
is put into motion for the day8.
A proper breakfast will furnish all of this, but if you have no breakfast or a skimpy
one, your body must draw upon its reserves, which should be left for emergencies.
The body depends upon a daily supply of most nutrients. If there is a lack of these
important materials, there may be lessened energy, headache, excessive fatigue,
even dizziness, certainly a lower plane of physical, mental and emotional
performance8.
Breakfast is an important meal; it raises the metabolic rate4,12 (the rate at which your
body utilises or burns energy) and enables a person to be more alert and active
through the day. Fresh fruit, wholegrain cereal and wholegrain toast make an
excellent start to the day9.
THE BREAKFAST MEAL SHOULD:

Be Nutritious. A balance of nutrients may be obtained by including
wholegrain cereal, milk, or an adequate alternative like So Good soy drink.
Wholegrain or wholemeal bread with a spread and fresh fruit or fruit juice.
Such a breakfast provides a large proportion of your needs for energy,
complex carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre, plus many vitamins and
minerals8.
Complex Carbohydrates as found in wholegrain breads and cereals,
are the preferred source of energy. They release energy at a slower
rate than simple carbohydrates (simple sugars as found in refined
foods).
Simple carbohydrates release their energy very quickly into the blood
stream, which results in a peak blood glucose level, followed by a
sudden drop, which can cause fatigue, headaches and a loss of
concentration. The extended energy-release time related to the
digestion of a breakfast made up of wholegrains (such as Weet-Bix and
wholemeal toast) provides steady energy for the entire morning and
beyond8.
237
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
Protein. Breakfast foods are a good source of protein. A breakfast
which includes a serving of wholegrain cereal with 250ml of milk or So
Good, toast and peanut butter or a savoury breakfast with baked beans
or lentils on toast, supplies up to one third of the recommended dietary
intake of protein8.
Fibre. Cereal fibre (such as wheat fibre) increases the bulk of the meal
and helps to maintain a healthy and regular bowel. It actually speeds
up the travelling time of the food through the digestive system, and
thereby lowers the risk of irritating the intestinal walls8.
Fibre foods give a feeling of ‘fullness’ and so can aid in weight loss.
Soluble fibres, such as those found in oats, rice, barley, fruits,
vegetables and legumes, reduce high blood cholesterol levels by
carrying it out of the system8.
Vitamins and Minerals. Wholegrains contain significant amounts of
the B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin) and minerals such as
potassium, phosphorous and iron8.
Milk and adequate alternatives supply valuable quantities of the
minerals calcium, phosphorous and potassium, plus the B vitamins,
particularly riboflavin8.
Fresh fruit and fruit juice are rich In vitamins C and A8.

Be Appetising and Attractive. A well planned and attractively prepared
breakfast, presented on a well-set table in a cheerful atmosphere, will
encourage the family to eat a good breakfast8.

Be Simple and Easy to Prepare. Keep the breakfast menu simple, quick and
easy to prepare, but generous and nutritious8.

Be a Family Meal. It is so much nicer to eat with someone else than by
yourself. Enjoy family companionship while sitting around the breakfast table 8.
(If possible)
FOR YOUR HEALTH’S SAKE
Despite all the evidence in favour of a good, nutritious breakfast, there are still
objections. The most common are:
 Don’t feel like breakfast when I get up.
 Don’t have time for breakfast.
 I’m trying to lose weight.
 I’m bored with breakfast foods8.
Not Hungry Yet?
Some people skip breakfast because they say that they feel a greater hunger later in
the morning after eating breakfast, than if they ate nothing at all. This probably stems
from the fact that breakfast gets your metabolism going, but skipping breakfast
leaves the body in a slower mode8.
238
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
There is no rule that says you must eat something as soon as you get up. You can
always eat a little later, or just before you leave for school or work. Try not to eat too
much late at night - that way you will most likely feel hungrier in the morning8.
If you don’t eat breakfast because eating in the morning bothers you, start with
something light, like fruit juice, a piece of fruit, yoghurt or a milk drink. As your body
becomes more accustomed to your new eating habit, add bread and/or cereal 8.
It is never too late to begin a healthy habit of “breaking the fast”. At first, you may
find it difficult to enjoy eating in the morning. But keep trying. Soon you’ll love it8!
Weight Control and Breakfast
Many people concerned about their weight, skip breakfast with the mistaken idea that
it will help them lose weight. They think that if they eat breakfast they will gain
weight. But this is not true. In fact, eating a good breakfast will aid in the
maintenance of appropriate weight because it will alleviate ravenous hunger
throughout the day8.
If your energy level isn’t replenished at breakfast, you can’t function effectively. Your
body will crave an energy boost, and you will experience that ‘I must eat’ crisis. This
is where your resolve breaks down and you reach for a snack. Too often, the snack
is high in kilojoules, but low in nutrients. So it is these between-meal snacks, not
breakfast that most often result in excess weight8.
Skipping meals, particularly breakfast, is not the answer to a long-term, healthy
weight reduction program. Be sensible about dieting. Instead cut down on fats and
sugars, and increase your use of wholegrain cereals8.
Be sure to always start the day with a breakfast that supplies sound nutrition and
lasting energy, and begin an exercise routine to burn off more kilojoules 8.
ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A GOOD BREAKFAST
People who eat a good breakfast have been shown to

have less accidents5,

produce more work5,

have improved academic performance5,6,7,10,

have lower blood cholesterol levels5,11,

have better physical health3,5, and

have a lower risk of death than those who skipped breakfast 2,5.
WHAT ARE THE LATEST BREAKFAST TRENDS?9
More and more people skip breakfast:
1. a ‘slump’ in breakfast consumption in males aged 10 – 29 and 40 – 49.
2. at least 20% of adolescents skip breakfast.
3. people on weight control diets often skip breakfast9
239
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
Many “breakfast skippers” said they suffered lack of energy (71%), poor
concentration (59%), and nutrient deficiencies (52%).
Professor Ian Caterson of Sydney University’s Human Nutrition Unit analysed the
random national telephone poll of 1200 people over the age of 18 conducted in
December 1999 for the Sanitarium Health Food Company. Professor Caterson said
missing breakfast was linked to obesity and metabolic disorders and could contribute
to diabetes and heart disease. “Breakfast is a fairly convenient meal. You shake a
box of cereal over a bowl and pour some low-fat milk on it and put some bread in the
toaster. Even I can do that”13!
The following information is for your interest and resources:
BREAKFAST ‘ON THE GO’ - HOW DOES IT RATE9?
Home Breakfast
1 slice w/meal bread + 1tsp marg & marmite
Orange juice
2 Weet-Bix & low-fat milk or So Good Lite
energy
104 cal
62
169
fat
4.6g
0.4
3.1
fibre
2.9g
0
3.3
Total
335 cal
8.1g
6.2g
McDonalds Breakfast
Bacon & Egg McMuffin
Hash Brown (1)
Milk Shake
335 cal
180
337
20.4g
12.6
10.6
1.5g
1.0
0
Total
872 cal
43.6g
2.5g9
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT BREAKFAST OPTIONS1
How nutritious is a cereal breakfast compared with the alternatives? It depends on
what your cereal choice is to begin with, as well as what you add to it. When you
look at the nutritional value of the range of different breakfast options below, you’ll
see it is still hard to beat a healthy breakfast cereal to start your day. As you can see
from the fat and sodium count, a fry-up should definitely be an occasional rather than
an everyday event1.
Two Weet-Bix with half a cup of reduced-fat milk.
Energy:
170 calories.
Fat:
3 grams
Fibre:
3 grams
Sugar:
8 grams
Sodium:
159 milligrams1
240
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
A bowl of Fruit Loops with half a cup of full-cream milk.
Energy:
202 calories
Fat:
6 grams
Fibre:
1 gram
Sugar:
20 grams
Sodium:
194 milligrams1
Two slices of wholemeal toast with two teaspoons of reduced-fat margarine
and a smear of Vegemite.
Energy:
175 calories
Fat:
6 grams
Fibre:
4 grams
Sugar:
1 gram
Sodium:
404 milligrams1
Half a cup of baked beans on a slice of wholemeal toast with a teaspoon of
margarine.
Energy:
196 calories
Fat:
6 grams
Fibre:
8 grams
Sugar:
7 grams
Sodium:
724 milligrams1
A fried egg with two bacon rashers, half a fried tomato and one slice of
wholemeal toast with a scrape of margarine.
Energy:
314 calories
Fat:
17 grams
Fibre:
3 grams
Sugar:
3 grams
Sodium:
1678 milligrams1
A croissant with a teaspoon of margarine and a tablespoon of jam.
Energy:
363 calories
Fat:
19 grams
Fibre:
2 grams
Sugar:
22 grams
Sodium:
280 milligrams1
SUMMARY
Breakfast means you’ve been fasting all night and it is time to start refuelling your
body for the day ahead. Food is the fuel your body needs to keep going. Refuelling
at breakfast helps you to perform and feel better in the morning. In fact, the effects of
a good breakfast are more far-reaching than most imagine, determining not only your
sense of well-being, but also your ‘brain power’, your ability to concentrate, to
complete tasks and to carry out responsibilities8.
A nutritious, delicious breakfast supplies you with the energy you need to do your
best at work, school or sport. It’s the vital meal of the day for everyone in the family8.
241
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
REFERENCES:
1. Australian Consumers Association;
CHOICE MAGAZINE May 1997
2. Belloc N, Breslow L;
RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL HEALTH STATUS AND HEALTH
PRACTICES
Prev Med 1972;1: 409-421
3. Brock M, Haefner D, et al.;
ALAMEDA COUNTY REDUX: REPLICATION IN MICHIGAN
Prev Med 1988;19: 484-495
4. Butler T, Butler D, Stanton H;
VEGETARIAN COOKING DEMONSTRATOR’S MANUAL –
2nd EDITION
Adventist Health Department &
Sanitarium Nutrition Education Service, 1995: E109-E111
5. Craig W;
NUTRITION AND WELLNESS
Golden Harvest Books Berrien Springs Michigan 1999: 250-253
6. Lindemann A, Clancy K;
ASSESSMENT OF BREAKFAST HABITS AHD SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL
BEHAVIOUR OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
Journal of Nutrition Education 1990;22(5): 226-231
7. Meyers A, Sampson A, et al.;
SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
Am J Dis Child 1989;143: 1234-1239
8. Sanitarium Nutrition Education Service;
BREAKFAST – A SMART WAY TO START THE DAY
Sanitarium Health Food Company November 1992
9. Sanitarium Nutrition Education Service;
GOOD FOOD NEWS – June 1997, Vol 9, No. 2
HOPE YOU’VE HAD YOUR BREAKFAST
Sanitarium Health Food Company.
10. Simeon D, Grantham-McGregor S;
EFFECTS OF MISSING BREAKFAST ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS
OF SCHOOL CHILDREN OF DIFFERING NUTRITIONAL STATUS
Am J Clin Nutr 1989;49: 646-53
11. Stanton J. Jr, Keast D;
SERUM CHOLESTEROL, FAT INTAKE, AND BREAKFAST
CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES ADULT POPULATION
J Am Coll Nutr 1989;8: 567-572
242
Unit 17
THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST
12. Stanton R;
THE DIET DILEMMA
Allen & Unwin 1991: 118
13. Toy M;
Medical Reporter in Sydney paper
26th February 1998
243