Breakfast week – start your day the healthy way, says HPA
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet around one in five people still don’t bother making time for it. As a result, the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) is supporting Breakfast week by highlighting the importance of starting your day the healthy way with a good, nutritious breakfast.
People skip breakfast because they feel they have no time in the morning to eat something before officially starting the day, so the theme for the week this year is ‘Breakfast - make time for it!’
Laura Donnelly, Health Development Officer for Nutrition at the HPA, said: “Breakfast is vitally important as it sets your body up for the day by replacing the energy it uses while sleeping. Evidence shows that eating breakfast boosts concentration and mental performance and that people who skip breakfast don’t perform as well at work or school. In fact, several studies have shown that children who skip breakfast perform less well in problem solving tasks. Adults who eat breakfast tend to work faster, make fewer mistakes in logic tests and have better memory recall compared to those who skip breakfast.¹
“People who eat breakfast are also more likely to meet the recommended intake of essential vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium and B group vitamins, necessary for good health.
“Another benefit of eating breakfast is that it kick-starts the metabolism, which helps with weight control. Filling up on a fibre rich breakfast at the start of the day will prevent hunger pangs and reduce cravings for high fat and high sugar snacks during the morning. Research shows that teenagers who eat breakfast cereals more than five times a week weigh less and have a smaller waist and lower blood sugar levels than those who rarely eat cereal.²”
Research carried out previously by the HPA highlighted a particular area of concern. Laura Donnelly continued: “Research conducted by the HPA showed that almost one third of 12-17 year old girls did not eat breakfast during the week. Studies show that girls in this age group avoid milk in the mistaken belief that it is fattening. However, eating breakfast cereal with milk is positively related to an adequate calcium intake in girls. This is essential to maximise bone development and prevent osteoporosis. Girls who miss the first meal of the day may be storing up problems for later life.³
“Breakfast, like other meals in a healthy diet, should be based around starchy foods such as cereals and bread. Also, starting the day with a glass of fruit juice is an easy way of incorporating one portion of the essential ‘five a day’ into your diet.”
The HPA is encouraging everyone to take a new look at their eating patterns and consider how to fit even a light breakfast into their daily routine. For busy parents many schools throughout Northern Ireland run breakfast clubs in an effort to ensure children get a healthy breakfast before they start the day.
END
Notes to the editor:
There will be a media facility at Holy Family Primary School on Tuesday 23 January from 8:30am during the school’s breakfast club when Laura Donnelly, Health Development Officer for Nutrition, will be available for interview.
¹ Study by Cognitive Drug Research in conjunction with Home Grown Cereal Association, 2004.
² Yungsheng M A et al. Association between Eating Patterns and Obesity in a free living US, 2003.
³ Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Eating for health? A survey of eating habits among children and young people in northern Ireland. Belfast: The Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, 2001.
For media enquiries contact:
Jenny Dougan or Rosie McGaughey on 028 9031 1611 / 9031 1514.
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