As the nation celebrates School Breakfast Week, we thought it might be a timely occasion to share two new science papers that have revealed that children just having breakfast is not enough – it must be a quality breakfast – and it’s important to introduce this from a young age.
Higher-quality breakfasts were associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance, particularly in boys. Dr Emma Derbyshire shares berries as one fun and healthy addition to the breakfast table, which can boost concentration and leave kids feeling fuller for longer.
Breakfast has long been regarded as one of the most important meals of the day, but new research has revealed just how important it is to eat the right kind of breakfast, especially for children.
New research1 carried out with 832 Spanish schoolchildren (8-13 years) measured the influence of breakfast quality on insulin resistance (when cells do not respond to insulin and can’t take up glucose from the blood as easily).
The Breakfast Quality Index was used to evaluate their breakfast quality – an index comprising 10 items, including whole fruit. Higher-quality breakfasts were associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance, particularly in boys.
The study encouraged the inclusion of whole fruits (such as berries), dairy products and cereals (ideally wholegrain) at breakfast, but advised excluding foods rich in simple sugars and butter.
The study comes in the same month as another2, which finds that it is important to establish a healthy association with breakfast from an early age. For example, understanding that sugary cereal is not a regular occurrence whereas fresh berries are a tasty, healthy and refreshing start to the day.
Creating positive thematic associations with healthy breakfast options from an early age could help children develop positive lifelong breakfast habits.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, Public Health Nutritionist and adviser to British Berry Growers commented: “Berries are a perfect food for children to associate with healthy and fun breakfasts. They’re colourful, sweet and you can be really creative with how they are included within breakfasts to make them even more appealing. They provide fibre which could help to plug dietary gaps and help children to feel fuller for longer. They also provide antioxidants which in some studies has been linked to improved concentration and memory, making them perfect to eat before the start of a school day”.
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