Breakfast is essential and it is not advisable to skip, a nutritionist has said. Dr Folake Samuel of the Department of Human Nutrition, Univeristy of Ibadan (UI), said it is dangerous to skip breakfast or eat just anything to replace breakfast. In an inteerview with The Nation,Dr Samuel said: “Skipping breakfast can make both children and adults feel tired, restless, or irritable. Imagine you are a car. After a long night of sleeping, your fuel tank is empty. Breakfast is the fuel that gets you going so you can hit the road. You need to provide enough new energy for your body to get started and to keep you functioning until lunch.
“Breakfast provides the body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast – that’s where its name originates, breaking the fast! Without breakfast you are effectively running on empty, like trying to start the car with no petrol. We nutritionists advise that breakfast should be eaten within two hours of waking. A six-year study compared the mental and physical efficiency of a group of adults throughout the day, some of whom ate healthy nutritious breakfasts while others did not. When compared to those who ate breakfast, the people who did not became less efficient as the day went on. Their productivity improved after eating lunch, but by the end of the day, their work completion was slower than those who had eaten breakfast.
“For children, a good breakfast is even more important. Children who do not eat a good breakfast become tired in school and have shorter attention spans, especially late in the morning. In one study, test scores of children who did not eat breakfast were generally lower than those who had eaten a well-balanced morning meal. Another good reason to make sure that children have a balanced breakfast is that four out of five children do not get enough vitamins and minerals from lunch and dinner alone. By adding good breakfast, children are more likely to get the vitamins and minerals they need. Also, children who don’t eat a good breakfast tend to eat more junk food during the day such as snacks that are high in fat and sugar and low in nutritional value.”
Dr Samuel said: “The point of breakfast is to feed your child’s body the protein and energy it needs to start the day and to carry him through to lunch. Of course, children often learn most by example, so it’s important for parents to set a good example and have a nutritious breakfast each day too.
“The morning meal does not have to be a headache, as there are excellent resources, such as cereals within our local environment that Nigerians can utilise to make up nutritious golden breakfast meals that can be prepared quickly, eaten and even enjoyed before leaving for school, work or any business for the day. They include maize, millet, cow pea and sorghum.”
She explained that cereals make a nutritious and filling breakfast. “Breakfast cereals are high fibre when made of whole grains and contain nutrients such as iron and vitamin A when fortified. Breakfast cereals when fortified with nutrients such as iron and vitamin A are good for children. Children usually like the taste of breakfast cereals and they can easily prepare by themselves. A good breakfast gives a good start to your day and provides energy for work and play. Children remain active during school and play. When you give a golden start to your day with a nutritious breakfast, you have energy for work and play. Children remain active during school and play.
“Apart from providing adults too with energy, eating a good breakfast makes it more likely for them to meet their daily nutritional needs. Breakfast has various health benefits. It helps to maintain an ideal body weight as those who eat breakfast are more likely to be within their ideal weight range compared with those who regularly skip breakfast.”
