| Welcome! This page on the MDA website spotlights childhood
health and nutrition. We will be offering tips for both parents and health
professionals. In the future we'll be expanding our list of references and
resources. Thanks for visiting, and for helping MDA give ALL children
a healthier future!
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| BREAKFAST BOOSTS BRAIN POWER!
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Tips for Parents
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| Have you ever heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of
the day? Studies show that children learn and behave better in school on a full
stomach. Eating breakfast can help prevent overeating later in the day.
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- Be a role model and eat breakfast with your kids.
- Keep breakfast foods on hand and in easy to see,
easy to reach places for kids to grab.
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Even if your mornings are busy, there are simple ways to ensure your child
eats a healthy breakfast:
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- Find out if your school is involved in the School Breakfast
Program. Your child can eat healthy before classes start.
- Bake healthy muffins or put together trail mix on the weekend for
an easy grab-and-go breakfast during the week. Take a 100%
juice or low-fat milk carton for the ride to school.
- Heat up leftovers. Even a slice of pizza, a small dish of macaroni
and cheese or beans and rice, can make for a filling breakfast. Add a
piece of fresh fruit or 100% juice and a low-fat milk or yogurt, and
you have a healthy meal.
- Have single serve breakfast bars on hand. Add a low fat and whole
or sliced fruit or cheese cubes and a 100% juice box for a well-rounded
meal.
- Resources:
kidshealth.org
- Resources:
quakeroats.com
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Tips for Health Professionals
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Children have been on a 10-hour fast by the time they wake up in the morning.
If they don’t eat breakfast by the time classes start, hunger strikes. This
discomfort can cause lack of concentration, poor behavior, and even absence from
class if the child asks to see the school nurse because they “feel sick.”
- Nutrition is important for children to reach their optimum growth
potential. Studies are showing that nutrition, especially breakfast;
helps ensure that kids have the nutrients needed to grow and the
energy to think clearly, concentrate on learning, and behave
appropriately in class.
- Breakfast can provide many essential nutrients and should
involve foods from at least three of the food groups. If
a child skips this meal, they are missing out on an easy way to add
calcium and fiber to their diet. Children who do not eat breakfast
may not be getting enough key nutrients for growth such as vitamin D,
zinc, and iron.
- Rising blood glucose levels resulting from ingestion of food
have been associated with enhanced learning ability. 1,2
- Eating breakfast helps regulate food intake throughout the day.
By “jump-starting” their metabolism in the morning with breakfast,
children will be less likely to overeat later in the day and more
likely to make healthy choices for other meals and snacks.
- 1 Pollit,E, and Matthews, R. (1998) Breakfast and cognition:
An integrative summary. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67.
- 2 “The Effects of Breakfast Composition on Cognitive Processes
Critical to Learning,” The Quaker Oats Company and Tufts University, 2001.
- Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn.
- School Breakfast Program
- Nutrition Report 2003, No. 2. Participating in school
breakfast program helps relieve children’s hunger and improve their ability to
succeed in school.
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References/Links
Obesity Evaluation and Treatment: Expert Committee Recommendations-
an article from PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 3 September 1998.
Michigan Department of Community Health
National Institute on Child Health and Human Development
US Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control
United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
UDIM is the umbrella organization for the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of Michigan.
National Dairy Council.
Visit the Health Professionals link for the 3-A-Day campaign, Nutrition Library,
Newer Knowledge of Dairy Foods, Statements, and Consumer Education materials.
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