Breakfast Facts
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? Consider these facts… ♣ Quality Nutrition. Breakfast has nutritional benefits. Individuals who eat breakfast on a regular basis are more likely to have higher daily intakes of many vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, and overall have more healthful diets compared to breakfast skippers.1,2 ♣ Nutrient-Rich. Breakfast is high in nutrient density – that is, it provides a high amount of nutrients relative to calories. Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years, breakfast contributes from 15% to 18% toward daily energy intake yet provides from 15% to almost 40% of the daily intake for various vitamins and minerals, and dietary fiber.3 ♣ Healthy Weight. While many factors can contribute to overweight and obesity, breakfast may be one important lifestyle habit that may help people maintain a healthy weight.4,5 In adults enrolled in the National Weight Loss Registry who had maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for one year or more, over 78% indicated that they consume breakfast every day suggesting that breakfast may be helpful when trying to maintain weight loss.6 ♣ Fuel for School. In children, breakfast may benefit cognitive abilities including memory, attention, and problem solving.2,7 Eating breakfast more often has been associated with better test scores8 as well as better grades and school attendance in students who improved their nutritional status by participating in a school breakfast program.9 Breakfast also may benefit memory function10 and mood11 in adults. ♣ Build Better Health. Careful and healthful food choices at breakfast provide an opportunity to help meet nutrient, food, or food group recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Ready-to-eat cereals, a common breakfast item,1 can be a source of whole grains and have been associated with higher intakes of milk.12 One hundred percent fruit juice, another common breakfast item, can help contribute to fruit intake. ♣ Help Meet Your Nutrition Needs. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans call out calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E as nutrients that both children and adults lack in their daily diets.13 Nutrient-rich breakfast foods such as whole grains, lower-fat dairy, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables are often key food sources of these nutrients. For the full white paper please click here. References
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