Your mother was right: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The problem is, however, most adults aren’t heeding their mother’s advice.
In fact, 35 per cent of American adults don’t consume breakfast on a regular basis. Not American? Statistics out of the United Kingdom show that up to 57 per cent of adults with children don’t eat breakfast regularly.
Canadians, you aren’t off the hook either. A 2006 study shows 40 per cent of Canadians skip breakfast at least once per week and 15 per cent don’t eat breakfast at all.
Not American, British or Canadian? You’re still not off the hook. These trends apply here in Cayman: take a look around your office, ask your friends, evaluate your own eating habits and you’ll find there aren’t too many regular breakfast eaters.
Why is breakfast so important and why all the concern? A study by the American Heart Association showed that people who ate a regular well-balanced breakfast had half the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Breakfast also has a direct effect on weight management. In fact, people who skip breakfast regularly are four times more likely to be obese compared to people who eat breakfast regularly according to research published by the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Breakfast helps to regulate appetite and gives your metabolism that energy boost it needs after not eating for a long period of time, hence the name ‘breaking the fast’.
People who skip breakfast also tend to overeat later in the day on foods high in calories and fat and low in nutritional value and are less likely to meet their daily nutrient requirements.
Typical breakfast foods, such as whole grain cereals and oatmeal, are high fibre. The average adult consumes 15 grams of fibre per day, well below the recommended 25 to 35 grams per day. Some cereals have as much as 13 grams of fibre per one serving so breakfast is a great opportunity to get in a large proportion of your daily fibre requirements.
Other common breakfast foods such as milk and fruits are also high in essential vitamins and minerals and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Most concerning is the impact skipping breakfast can have on children. As we know, children model their behaviour on that of their parents’. Not surprising, there has been an increase in the amount of children skipping breakfast.
A study published last week shows that 45 per cent of Grade 9 students do not eat breakfast regularly. There is clear evidence to show that a child’s academic performance suffers when they go to school on an empty stomach.
So, break the current trend and listen to the message of past generations: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Easy Breakfast Ideas:
• Cereal with milk and berries
• Yogurt with granola and fruit
• Egg on whole grain toast with an orange
• Oatmeal with berries and a glass of milk
• Toasted frozen waffles with yogurt and fruit
• Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana
• Cereal bar with a banana and glass of milk
• Bran muffin, orange juice and a slice of cheese
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