NUTRITION

Breakfast'sstarting the day

with a morning mealgives your body a

lost. í

SAT/ACTWORDS

18 C H O I C E S SEPTEMBER 2011

Frequency:rate of occurrence

showing impatienceor ill temper, withlittle provocation

to make full orcomplete againby supplyingwhat is lacking

Bene'^ ^ ^ ^ o u ' v e prob-

^^L ^m ably heard it^ ^ ^ ^ many times:

^^f BreakfastH is the mostH important meal

of the day. Yet accordingto the American DieteticAssociation, more than half ofmale teenagers and more thantwo thirds of female teens donot regularly eat breakfast.

Skipping a morningmeal means missing out onmore than you might think.Several studies have shownthat eating breakfast canhelp control weight, boostbrainpower, and benefitoverall health. Here arereasons you should makebreakfast a part of youreveryday routine:

It Fuels Your BrainEating breakfast doesn't

just fill your stomach, it fuelsyour brain too. While yousleep, your brain drains itsmain energy source, calledglucose, from the food youate the night before. Amorning meal replenishesthat energy supply. If youskip breakfast, you are leftfeeling tired and irritable.

"Usually you haven'teaten for quite a consider-able amount of time, andyour brain needs glucose, orblood sugar, to function,"says Marilyn Tanner-Blasiar,a pédiatrie dietitian from St.Louis, Missouri. "If you don'teat breakfast and give your-self at least some type of foodin the morning, you're not

going to be thinking as wellas you would."

In fact, several studieshave shown that students whoeat breakfast perform betteron tests, have better grades,and are better behaved thanthose who don't eat breakfast.

It Maintains WeightPeople often skip break-

fast in an effort to curb theirdaily calorie intake. Whatthey don't realize is thatthey're usually doing moreharm than good.

A recent study by theUniversity of MinnesotaSchool of Public Health'sEating Among Teens(EAT) project looked atthe link between breakfastfrequency and weightchange in more than 2,200adolescents. According tothe study, teens who atebreakfast daily typicallygained less weight than thosewho skipped the morning meal.

One reason for the weightgain among breakfast skip-pers is that they tend to eatmore often between meals.Furthermore, once they getreally hungry, they're morelikely to make impulsive,unhealthy food choices.

"Based on a lot of stud-ies, it seems like people arecraving and reaching for thehigh-salt, high-fat, high-calorie foods, because it's ourbody's way of saying, 'Webetter store up these caloriesbecause she might fast foranother 12 to 16 hours,'" says

Story continues on next page.

Skippingbreakfast meansmissing out onimportant healthgains. Here'show to ensureyour body getsthe morningnutrition it needs.

BREAKFAST BASNow that you know why youeat breakfast, here's how to maka healthy and nutritious one. Try tochoose one or two items from eachof the following groups to round outa healthy breakfast. Together, they'llprovide the health benefits you need,while leaving you feeling full for hour;

WHOLE GRAINSProvide: carbohydrates and fiberfor energy, and vitamins and mineralsTry: whole-grain toast or bagels,whole-grain cereals, granóla, oatmeal,low-fat bran muffins

ng-lasting energy, helpsbuild muscle, skin, hair, and nailsTry: peanut butter, eggs, walnuts,pecans, almonds, lean meats,poultry, or fish

DAIRY:Provides: protein, and calciumand vitamin D for buildingstrong teeth and bonesTry: milk, yogurt, cottagecheese, natural cheeses

nde: fiber for energy, and essentialmins and minerals to help your

body fight off illnesses and infectionsTry: 100-percent-juice beverages .¿without added sugar, fruit orvegetable smoothies, fresh fruitSjjand vegetables, or dried fruits

áC H O I C E S SEPTEMBER 19

NUTRITION

Sarah Krieger, a pédiatriedietitian in St. Petersburg,Florida.

The breakfast eaters inthe study also consumed ahealthier overall diet and weremore physically active thanthose who skipped breakfast.

It Provides NeededNutrition

According to the AmericanDietetic Association, childrenand teens who eat a healthybreakfast are more likely tomeet their overall nutrientrequirements. "Breakfastfoods tend to be very highin nutrients," Tanner-Blasiarsays. For example, manycereals are fortified with vita-mins and minerals, includingcalcium, vitamin D, iron, andfolie acid. "Those vitamins

and minerals are importantand pivotal at that point intheir lives, especially to meettheir peak growth ability,"Tanner-Blasiar says.

Eating breakfast also laysthe foundation for lifelonghealth benefits. Studies haveshown that kids who skipbreakfast consume less cal-cium than those who don't.Osteoporosis—a diseasethat results in easy-to-breakbones in old age—starts inchildhood. Eating calcium-rich foods, such as milk, canhelp prevent the disease."We don't think about ituntil we're 65 and have poorbone health that we shouldhave been drinking our milkwhen we were 10 to 16,"Tanner-Blasiar says.

—Natalie Smith

RISE AND RUSHhealthy

breakfaf• S e t o u t : n e D i e ^

night before, including any bowls orpots and pans you might need.

• If you don't like traditional breakfastfoods, reheat last night's dinner.

• Make breakfast ahead of time, oreven plan for the whole week. Forinstance, cook several hard-boiledeggs, or make a few peanut butterand jelly sandwiches.

• Pack something that's easy to eaton the go, such as yogurt with fruitand a bag of dry cereal.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONSA Based on what you read in this article,1 why do you think breakfast has beenshown to help kids perform better onstandardized tests?

2Why do you think your eating habitsas a teen can affect your health as

an adult?

Having fruitas part ofbreakfast

helps keepyou healthy.

TEST YOURSELFAre these statements trueor false? Answers arein the Teacher's Edition.

A Skipping breakfast1 helps a person avoid

gaining weight.(True) (False)

2Eating breakfast hasbeen proved to helpstudents do betterin school.( True ) ( False )

fT Eating breakfastL J regularly as kids helps

young people develophealthy eating habitsfor the rest of their lives.( True ) í False )

10ICES

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