In the News - August 2009
Back to School: Breakfast makes better students, studies show
LITTLE ROCK - Studies show breakfast makes better students, according to Dr.
Rosemary Rodibaugh, extension nutrition specialist with the University of
Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School in
1998 found that children who eat breakfast showed significant gains in math
scores, decreased rates of tardiness and fewer discipline problems when compared
with three control schools.
Breakfast also has a positive effect on a child's body mass index - an
indicator of obesity.
"A 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association
found that children who eat breakfast tend to have lower BMI than children who
skip breakfast," she said. The study also found that "children who skipped
breakfast showed an increase in BMI as they grew older, indicating there are
long term, negative effects from making a habit of skipping breakfast."
Rodibaugh said children who skip breakfast, usually don't make up for the
lost nutrients during other meals. Instead, "they snack on low-nutrient,
high-fat foods," which compounds diet-related health issues.
For most families, time pressure is the chief reason for skipping breakfast.
Rodibaugh said families have a couple of options: the School Breakfast
Program, which is widely available at Arkansas' public schools, or some fast
prep foods.
"Breakfast on the run can include something as simple as peanut butter toast
made from whole grain bread, and 100 percent juice or low-fat milk in a travel
cup," she said.
Other quick options:
- Bake up a make-ahead omelet by mixing eggs, cheese, veggies
or other add-in and pour into a muffin pan sprayed with oil.
Bake at 375 degrees until a knife inserted comes out clean -
around 15-20 minutes. When done, the omelets can be frozen and
reheated and popped into a pita or other breakfast bread
- Yogurt and granola are an easy, portable choice
- Cold cereal works with milk or as a snack dry
"When parents take the time to eat with their children, modeling good
breakfast habits, children tend to carry that good habit forward," Rodibaugh
said.
For more information on nutrition, contact your county extension office or
visit
www.arfamilies.org/health_nutrition/nutrition/ or to learn more about
nutrition for children, visit
www.arfamilies.org/health_nutrition/nutrition/kids/.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
August 7, 2009
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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