Do you skip breakfast or are you an avid defender of the meal? When I think about my own food journey, as a kid, breakfast was the best meal of the day. I could choose what I wanted to eat (based on what was in the pantry, of course), I didn’t have my parents hassling me to finish my meal (because, hey how good is breakfast cereal!), and the joy of weetbix and milk with a large spoonful of milo on top was something to behold! Flash forward into teenage years and early 20’s though, waking during respectable breakfast hours was an unusual occurrence and heading straight into a lunch meal, and skipping breakfast became the norm… although I could argue that having lunch was breakfast because breakfast is all about ‘breaking the fast’… but I digress.
Being educated about nutrition and healthy eating generally, and breakfast specifically, should allow us to make more informed decisions as to what we eat, how much we eat, and equally when to eat it. However, food and diet fads tend to overshadow the evidence-based literature (just think of all the diet ads on social media, in your browser, even your local gym trainer has their perfect designer plan for you), confusing the careful eater, who finds themselves never knowing which way is best. While there is dispute as to what type of food is best to eat for breakfast, the physiological effects of breaking the fast are not in doubt. These include increased mental function, increased mood and energy levels – check out this very informative video on “How the food you eat affects your brain”:
I only have to reflect on my children’s behaviour in the morning to detect whether or not they have eaten breakfast. Cue tantrums, tears, angry outbursts, and downright grumpiness.
School breakfast programs such as the Foodbank program run in various schools across Australia as a means to address food insecurity many children face, but the benefits have shown to be much greater than just addressing this one aspect. If you have a child that skips breakfast, take note – when the children in the Foodbank program had breakfast at the start of the day, their concentration levels in the classroom increased and it improved their moods; teachers reported the students were less disruptive in the classroom and for those quite malnourished, it improved their nutritional intake. The schools also provided a learning program about nutrition and food choices for the whole school community, giving all the students the opportunity to make more informed choices with food as they grow.
The research tells us that food choices are often made based on emotional and cognitive influences. The good news about that is that these influences are not solely automated but deliberate too so it is possible to change (bad) habits and choose to eat well. When our dilemma is only on what to eat, finding the best breakfast choice for your personal situation can be tricky. Everyone’s needs are different. But if you research evidence-based approaches, even consult a qualified nutritionist and learn more about food, you will find the path that works for you.