Better Breakfast

• In a 2000 study of Boston Public School pilot breakfast programs, students who increased their breakfast participation rates increased their math grades, decreased their school absence and tardiness rate and were shown to have decreased emotional/behavioral problems. Nearly 60% of staff reported a positive change in student behavior and student attentiveness. (Dr. Michael Murphy and Ronald Kleinman, Massachusetts General Hospital)

• According to a 2002 study conducted by Theresa Nicklas of Baylor College of Medicine, adolescents who eat breakfast are two to five times more likely than breakfast-skippers to consume at least two-thirds of the daily recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, folacin, phosphorus,
iron and vitamins A, B6 and D. Nicklas found that the intake of other vitamins and minerals – including zinc and calcium – as well as of protein and carbohydrates, was much higher among those who ate breakfast. Also, fat consumption was lower. (Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 27, Issue 5)

• Studies have shown that adolescents who consume breakfast make better food choices throughout the day and those who skip breakfast fail to compensate for the missed vitamins and nutrients when they eat at other times.
(USDA/Agricultural Research Service – Alfredo Flores, June 21, 2002)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2002/020621.htm

• Breakfast consumption has declined in all age groups during the past 25 years, especially among female adolescents aged 15-18 years. For adolescents, skipping breakfast has been associated with a higher body mass index.
(USDA/Agricultural Research Service – Alfredo Flores, June 21, 2002)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2002/020621.htm

• As a start to a perfect weight-loss day, drink a cup or more of nonfat milk in the morning. In a study of 54 people, those who consumed at least 1,000 milligrams a day of calcium (3 cups per day total) gained 6 to 7 fewer pounds over 2 years than did those on low-calcium diets. (Mark Remy, “The Perfect Weight-Loss Day,” Runner’s World, February 2003)

• According to Dr. Theresa Nicklas of the Baylor College of Medicine, girls in particular skip breakfast to cut calories. This practice is rarely effective and skippers often eat more high-calorie, salty and low-fiber snacks.
(Nutrition & Your Child, Vol. 3, 2001)
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/nyc/vol3-01a.htm

• Americans who regularly skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be fat, according to a study which appeared in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. And what about the link between skipping breakfast and tipping
the scales? "You have not broken the fast soon enough to only need a moderate amount of calories," says Gail Frank, a professor of nutrition at California State University at Long Beach and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic
Association. "You are starving. How does the normal person respond? They eat, and they keep eating to compensate."
(Randy Dotinga, Health Day, July 11, 2003)
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/15670/skip_breakfast_get_fat/index.html

• Children who eat breakfast have been shown to get higher grades and are less likely to be described as depressed, anxious, fidgety, or irritable by parents and teachers," says Dr. Debby Demory-Luce, a registered dietitian with the
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center. They also think faster and more clearly, concentrate better, suffer less fatigue, and are less likely to end up in the nurse's office complaining of tummy aches and dizziness. Breakfast should provide one-fourth to one-third of the day's energy and nutrient needs. A balanced breakfast should provide some protein, fat and carbohydrate, as well as important nutrients that kids often miss, such as fiber, vitamin C, folate, iron and calcium. (Baylor College of Medicine, CNRC Consumer News)
http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/archives/breakfast-fuel.htm