From The Nurse's Office: Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day

As the nurse at , I can easily identify the two most frequent visits to the nursing office:  headache and stomach ache.

I check for an elevated temperature and it is usually within normal limits.  Then I start with the barrage of questions, the first being “Did you eat breakfast this morning?”  The startling answer is “no” more often than not.  Then I ask “Why not?”  The answers that follow are usually “I wasn’t hungry,” or “I am on a diet,” or “We eat lunch early,” and the number one answer of all is “I didn’t have time!”  My answer to that is “make time. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast has been identified as the most important meal of the day because breakfast gives you the energy you need to start the day and it is linked with many health benefits, including weight control and improved performance.

If you skip breakfast and have lunch around noon daily, look back and see when the last meal you had was.  Many times, it was dinner the night before and that was 18 hours ago.  You have sent a signal to your body that food does not come regularly so your body responds by switching to starvation mode. 

As the food comes into your body, instead of your body breaking it all down and converting it for energy as it is programmed to do, your body responds by storing a large amount of it in the fat stores of the body for use later on.

Skipping breakfast can also lead to binge eating of unhealthy foods.  Those who refrain from breakfast usually consume more calories throughout the day.  For all these reasons, skipping breakfast can result in excessive weight gain which leads to obesity. 

Obesity is the single greatest health threat our children face, because 85 percent of overweight children grow up to be overweight adults who then have a greater risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

Eating breakfast provides energy for brain function.  Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school and on standardized tests.  These students have increased concentration, increased memory and increased problem solving abilities all of which contribute to academic success.  Those who do not have breakfast operate at about 75 percent of their potential.

Students who do not eat breakfast have more physical and behavioral problems, including but not limited to headaches, sleeplessness, stomach aches, muscle fatigue, indecisiveness, anger, anxiety, irritability, unhappiness, nervousness, lethargy and hostility. 

Their immune systems are more vulnerable to sickness and disease and they have a greater risk of developing gastroenteritis and other digestive problems. 

A good breakfast is one that contains a variety of foods.  It is not about the amount, but more about the content of the meal.  You should have a variety of food including grains (bread and cereals), lean protein (meats, beans, nuts), fruits and vegetables and a good source of dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt).  In addition, a perfect breakfast should have very little sodium, salt and sugar.

Some examples of a healthy and nutritious breakfast would be

• whole grain English muffin with peanut butter and jelly with a glass of low-fat milk.

• whole grain low sugar cereal with low fat milk and a side of fresh fruit.

•  scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, turkey bacon or sausage with a side of fresh fruit.

•   low fat cheese melted on whole grain bread with a side of berry yogurt and granola.

•  whole grain English muffin with low fat cheese, turkey bacon or sausage, egg and a side of fortified orange juice.

•  breakfast burrito with a whole grain wrap containing turkey sausage, eggs, low fats,  cheese, peppers and onions with a side of fruit.

And, for those who just don’t have a lot of time or are running late:

• peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread and a glass of low fat milk.

• string cheese, whole wheat crackers and a glass of fortified orange juice.

• hard boiled eggs and fresh fruit with a glass of low fat milk.

• breakfast burrito with a whole grain wrap containing peanut butter and bananas and berries with a glass of low fat milk.

Dr. Ann Kulze, physician, nutritionist and advocate of good health says the single most important thing we can do for our children is to be a role model.  If our children see us skip breakfast, they will be inclined to do the same. 

She recommends we take the time each morning to fix a healthy breakfast and sit down with the kids to enjoy it.  Not only does is alleviate the morning chaos but it sets the tone for the rest of your day. 

In addition, you are sending your children out the door energized to learn and on the path to academic success.