The Importance of Breakfast in Child Development
In research conducted to establish the benefits of breakfast, it was found that the IQ test results of children who do not eat breakfast were generally lower compared to those who ate a well-balanced meal for breakfast.
Another good reason to ensure that children should eat a balanced breakfast is that 4 out 5 children do not get enough vitamins and minerals from their lunch and dinner meals. By adding breakfast, children are more likely to get the vitamins and minerals they need. Also, children who do not eat a good breakfast tend to eat more snacks that are rich in calories, fats and sugar.
Breakfast improves school performance and nutrition
Breakfast helps enhance mental performance and concentration during morning activities. Children who skip breakfast have slower reflexes, are less attentive and active in the morning. Educators observe that children who come to school hungry have learning difficulties as compared to those who eat well. Studies show that children who eat breakfast perform much better in school and have extra energy in sports and other physical activities. In addition to ensuring optimal development, it also has positive effects on alertness, attention, performance, and on other skills important for school success for those who eat breakfast on a daily basis.
What should the children's breakfast include?
- Carbohydrates & fiber: whole grains, whole wheat bread, fruit. Also, these specific foods are rich in potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin, which provide energy.
- Protein: Together with an amount of carbohydrates in breakfast, it is good to consume protein as well so as to keep you full. Protein-rich foods that could be eaten for breakfast are: semi-fat dairy products, eggs, unsalted nuts.
- Calcium: Calcium helps build bones and maintain bone strength. You should get about 1,000 mg of calcium a day. Excellent choices rich in calcium include yogurt, milk and cheese. In addition, it is important for children to combine calcium-rich foods with those that are high in vitamin D, which increases calcium absorption.
A good choice that is simultaneously one of the children’s favourite flavours is milk with whole grain cereals. This specific combination offers a triple benefit to the child's body because it:
- Provides vitamin D and calcium at the same time, resulting in further enhancement of bone and tooth health, due to the simultaneous intake of these specific nutrients.
- Dairy fat increases the absorption of vitamin D, since this substance is fat-soluble.
- Whole grains enriched with vitamin D are also rich in B vitamins, doubling the body's defences.
And do not forget: you set the example
Children imitate adults’ behaviour, so if they do not see their parents eating breakfast, they are likely to resist it themselves. Children are not only more likely to start eating breakfast if they see their parents doing it every morning, they are also more likely to develop healthier eating habits overall. Parents can encourage their children to eat breakfast and plan the weekly menu of the week, food should be immediately available by storing it in accessible places in the kitchen (low cupboards), so that children have direct access.
1. After reading the text, circle whether the following sentences are True (F) or False (F).
a. Eating breakfast makes children hungry at school. T F
b. Healthy eating is related to school performance. T F
c. Most children do not get nutrients from the meals they eat. T F
d. Carbohydrates are high in vitamin D. T F
e. Children should not have direct access to food cupboards so as not to choose unhealthy snacks. T F
2. Find and write a sentence of the text that has the following meaning:
a. Adults are children’s nutrition models. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
b. Eating breakfast leads to better school performance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c. Not eating breakfast reduces children's attention and energy in the morning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. What is the purpose of the text? More than one correct answers.
a. To highlight children’s bad eating habits.
b. To provide ideas for a healthy breakfast.
c. To emphasize the value of a good breakfast at school performance.
d. To force parents to take responsibility for their children's nutrition.
4. Find synonyms for the following words:
a. Get ---------------------------------------------------------
b. Improves -------------------------------------------------------
c. Observe ---------------------------------------------------------
d. Provide -------------------------------------------------------
e. Increases -------------------------------------------------------
5. Find antonyms for the following words:
a. Attentive -------------------------------------------------------
b. Success --------------------------------------------------------
c. Important ---------------------------------------------------------
d. Together --------------------------------------------------------
e. Encourage ---------------------------------------------------------
6. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below to give the correct meaning.
a. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------gives simultaneously vitamin D and calcium.
b. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- show that children who do not eat breakfast have lower intelligence.
c. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------causes a feeling of satiety.
d. Breakfast improves, among other things, the skills of--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
e. ------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- leads to the consumption of foods with more fat and sugar.
7. What are two of the main ideas in this article?
a. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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