Why breakfast matters
From what I see and hear Malta is finally waking up to the breakfast culture. When you peer into people's shopping trolleys you are bound to find the odd box of breakfast cereal or the packet of muesli signifying that breakfast is making a comeback...
From what I see and hear Malta is finally waking up to the breakfast culture. When you peer into people's shopping trolleys you are bound to find the odd box of breakfast cereal or the packet of muesli signifying that breakfast is making a comeback locally whether its for children or adults alike.
Furthermore, as Malta has gradually become more conscious about its weight and more of us are giving our diets a good rethink, the issue of whether to find time for a simple nutritious breakfast or not is a choice many of us are starting to take seriously.
Missing out on breakfast is very likely to leave you starving by lunchtime, resulting in the temptation of indulging on high fat and high sugar foods to compensate for the lack of calories earlier in the day.
Benefits of having breakfast
Research clearly shows that adults and children who do eat breakfast regularly are less likely to be overweight than those who do not have breakfast. This happens because we are more likely to get hungry along the day and most often we snack on sugary foods or fatty foods. Another school of research states that children are less likely to perform well at school when they are sent to school with an empty stomach.
Many schools in Malta have taken the initiative to organise healthy breakfast days to encourage the parents and children in establishing this healthy activity as a family. Every effort should be made to ensure that our children are given their dose of healthy food whether at home, nursery, kindergarten or school. Healthy habits start from a young age and healthy eating is no exception.
What's in a healthy breakfast?
Eating breakfast is one step in the right direction of a healthy eating plan for life. Many do not realise that those odd
300-400 kCal eaten first thing in the morning can make such a difference to maintaining a healthy weight and kicking the brain into functional thinking mode.
A healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods, for example, whole grains, low-fat protein or dairy sources and fresh fruit or alternatively dried fruits. Nutritionally this package provides complex carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat plus reasonable amounts of calcium, vitamins C and D plus various B vitamins including many others.
Breakfast for the fast lane
For those of us who are in a rush in the mornings we can opt to have our breakfast at the office or else on the go. It does not require much to organise some handy foods for this purpose. The options are endless but here are some ideas to provide quick and convenient breakfasts:
• For the organised, a packed breakfast prepared from the night before can very easily consist of a cheese whole wheat sandwich and some fruit. • Minibags of dried fruits and nuts, cartons of unsweetened fruit juice and low-fat yoghurts. • At the office keep a box of wholegrain cereal and enjoy with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. • A fruit salad prepared at home and taken along to the office. • Low-fat and low-sugar breakfast bars are also an easy option. • Porridge oats prepared in the microwave are an excellent choice.
Look forward to your breakfast every day and you will most certainly see positive results over a period of time.
• Ms Ellul is public health nutritionist, Health Division.
Furthermore, as Malta has gradually become more conscious about its weight and more of us are giving our diets a good rethink, the issue of whether to find time for a simple nutritious breakfast or not is a choice many of us are starting to take seriously.
Missing out on breakfast is very likely to leave you starving by lunchtime, resulting in the temptation of indulging on high fat and high sugar foods to compensate for the lack of calories earlier in the day.
Benefits of having breakfast
Research clearly shows that adults and children who do eat breakfast regularly are less likely to be overweight than those who do not have breakfast. This happens because we are more likely to get hungry along the day and most often we snack on sugary foods or fatty foods. Another school of research states that children are less likely to perform well at school when they are sent to school with an empty stomach.
Many schools in Malta have taken the initiative to organise healthy breakfast days to encourage the parents and children in establishing this healthy activity as a family. Every effort should be made to ensure that our children are given their dose of healthy food whether at home, nursery, kindergarten or school. Healthy habits start from a young age and healthy eating is no exception.
What's in a healthy breakfast?
Eating breakfast is one step in the right direction of a healthy eating plan for life. Many do not realise that those odd
300-400 kCal eaten first thing in the morning can make such a difference to maintaining a healthy weight and kicking the brain into functional thinking mode.
A healthy breakfast should consist of a variety of foods, for example, whole grains, low-fat protein or dairy sources and fresh fruit or alternatively dried fruits. Nutritionally this package provides complex carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat plus reasonable amounts of calcium, vitamins C and D plus various B vitamins including many others.
Breakfast for the fast lane
For those of us who are in a rush in the mornings we can opt to have our breakfast at the office or else on the go. It does not require much to organise some handy foods for this purpose. The options are endless but here are some ideas to provide quick and convenient breakfasts:
• For the organised, a packed breakfast prepared from the night before can very easily consist of a cheese whole wheat sandwich and some fruit. • Minibags of dried fruits and nuts, cartons of unsweetened fruit juice and low-fat yoghurts. • At the office keep a box of wholegrain cereal and enjoy with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. • A fruit salad prepared at home and taken along to the office. • Low-fat and low-sugar breakfast bars are also an easy option. • Porridge oats prepared in the microwave are an excellent choice.
Look forward to your breakfast every day and you will most certainly see positive results over a period of time.
• Ms Ellul is public health nutritionist, Health Division.