nutrition zone Let’s sort out this problem with breakfast!

Breakfast is the meal that gives us a ‘kick start’ to our day, providing us with the energy and nutrients. But are we giving breakfast the respect it deserves, especially with regard to growing children? The answer of researchers and the medical professionals to this question is a resounding ‘NO’. According to research one in every three Sri Lankan children doesn’t have a proper breakfast. So, in today’s Health Capsule we are exploring on how to rethink our breakfast, on behalf of our readers.   

Unlike in the past, when at least one parent stayed at home and children attended schools which were a walking distance from their residences, most of us are busy with the never-ending race to succeed in life. Parents don’t have time to prepare a sufficient breakfast, a meal which the older generation refer to as a preparation fit for a king. And on the other hand children are also too busy to have a sufficient meal in the morning. So with regard to most present day children, breakfast consists of a glass of milk and a short eat (Junk food) hastily forced on them. Is this healthy for kids? We contacted Dr. Renuka Jayatissa, Consultant Medical Nutritionist at the Medical Research Institute and the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association, to obtain more information on the topic.  

The first meal of the day

“While all three meals of the day are important, breakfast is even more special. This is because it’s the first meal for the day which is taken after a long fast. This is why this meal must offer protein, vitamins and minerals,” explained Dr. Jayatissa.   

With regard to children, it’s even more so, because their bodies are still growing. The nutrient components in breakfast will aid their muscles and bones grow. This is vital for achieving the optimum height in relation to age, she explained.   

Breakfast is important not only for physical growth, but also for mental development as well, said the doctor. “Studies have shown that breakfast affects a child’s concentration and memory at school. Students who did not have a proper breakfast fared poorly when in aspects  like mathematical skills and the performance at competitive exams when compared with their peers,” she explained.   

In addition, such children have poorer immune systems, making them more susceptible to diseases. Even children from families with good socio economic status are suffering from diseases like malnutrition and anaemia, largely due to the lack of a proper breakfast, Dr. Jayatissa continued.   

Skipping breakfast will not only reduce your child’s school performances, but it is also likely to affect your child negatively in the future. Dr. Jayatissa spoke extensively on the large scale research which has revealed that skipping breakfast increases the risk of heart diseases in old age.   

Is preparing a nutritious breakfast a hard task?  

 With the parents having a busy day juggling family and jobs, the easier option seems to be buying children a bun or a sandwich from the pastry shop, rather than taking the hassle to prepare breakfast in the morning. But does it have to be so?   

Despite the myths, a nutritious breakfast doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair. Fruits and a yogurt, for example can be considered a good example for a healthy breakfast. According to the doctor an ideal breakfast should be rich in proteins, have vitamins and minerals and provide an adequate amount of carbohydrate and fats. Another way to prepare a nutritious breakfast is to add two parts fruits and vegetables, one part fats and one part carbohydrate to the meal. This leaves the parents a wide margin to assemble a quick nutritious breakfast whilst being creative so as to tempt the taste buds, may it be cereals and fruits, boiled cow peas with scraped coconut and ‘lunu miris’, an egg and string hoppers with ‘pol sambol’ or some ‘habala pethi’ with fruits or nuts. Vegetables again don’t have to be expensive and elaborate, instead may consist of cheap and easy to find things like ‘kesel muwa’ and some green leaves.

 

We do everything that we do for the future betterment and the happiness of our children

A glass of milk only doesn’t suffice  

 “Most children today travel for longer periods to reach school. This leaves them with less time to concentrate on having a proper meal in the morning. So they skip breakfast, opting for a glass of milk,” stated Dr. Jayatissa. This is even more unhealthy because in addition to the adverse effects from the skipped breakfast, it result in them developing hunger pangs as early as 9.30 or 10.00 am. The easiest unhealthy option is to have short eats and sugary drinks. These meals contain unhealthy carbohydrates and fats in abundance. This will again give rise to long- term consequences like obesity, fatty liver, diabetes and ischemic heart diseases at a very young age.   

“A glass of milk has only a few components of nutrients essential for a kid. By giving it in the morning, it leaves the child full and unable to have breakfast. So give the child breakfast in the morning and postpone the glass of milk until evening tea when the child is back from school, which leaves plenty of time until dinner to digest the milk,” she advised.   

A glass of milk has only a few components of nutrients essential for a kid. By giving it in the morning, it leaves the child full and unable to have breakfast

Message to parents 

  Before concluding the interview, Dr. Jayatissa left a message to our readers who are parents of young children.   

 “We do everything that we do for the future betterment and the happiness of our children. But in the process, we tend to forget some very important areas that have a major impact on their future, like their nutritional needs. Rather than filling the child’s lunch box with a pastry or a packet of biscuits, it’s time to rethink our children’s meals. This will help in their studies as well as help them to maintain good health throughout their adulthood, which in the end, is every parent’s dream”. 

 

Most children today travel for longer periods to reach school. This leaves them with less time to concentrate on having a proper meal in the morning