- Speak to the children about the importance of breakfast before school
- Learn about breakfasts eaten around the world and breakfasts from long ago.
- Is there a system in place in the school for children who haven’t had breakfast such as a ‘breakfast club’?
- If this is not available think about allowing the children who haven’t eaten breakfast a chance to eat something from their lunchbox or introducing a ‘brain food’ breaktime with fruit shortly after school has started.
5 of Hearts
Breakfast is your brainpower!
Easy Level
Breakfast is your most important meal of the day.
Breakfast eaters have better brain function, memory and attention.
Make sure you always give yourself enough time each morning to eat breakfast.
If you are finding it difficult to fit in breakfast, wake up 10 minutes earlier or prepare it the night before. You can look at different options for breakfast such as cereals, smoothies, overnight oats, and scrambled eggs.
Healthy fats like nuts and avocados are also really good options (Reference 2)!
Be creative with breakfast foods that can fuel you for the day!
There are many benefits to starting your day with breakfast.
Your body uses most of your energy stores when it is sleeping at night and therefore needs these to be replenished at the start of your day.
This will help you think and focus better at school, have more energy to participate in activities and it gives your body the nutrition it needs.
There are many studies that have been carried out to determine the importance of eating breakfast.
A study carried out by Victoria State Government (Australia) and Deakin University key findings were:
- Breakfast replenishes your body’s energy and essential nutrients like glucose, which boosts your energy levels and alertness after sleeping.
- Regularly eating breakfast is linked to health benefits such as reduced risk of illnesses like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Breakfasts foods are rich in key nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fibre, helping you reach your daily needs.
- Eating breakfast can improve your metabolism and physical activity levels throughout the morning.
Skipping breakfast can affect how well your body functions! It can make you feel more tired and have less energy for your day, and reduce your attention, concentration and memory, making it harder to do your normal tasks. Missing out on breakfast can also make you feel unhappy or grumpy too (Reference 1).
Website
The importance of breakfast
https://www.chrichmond.org/services/gastroenterology-and-nutrition/feeding/the-importance-of-breakfast
Videos
Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast Around The World
- Encourage children to be responsible for creating their own breakfast and get into good habits to include it in their daily routine.
- Try some new breakfast recipes together. Be creative. Why not try some of these overnight oats and smoothie recipes:
https://toddlerfoodclub.com/overnight-oats/
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-smoothie-recipes
