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With
students starting school, getting them back into
their routine might be a challenge. School
Wellness Committees and Team Nutrition
Committees could encourage children to include
breakfast in their back to school mornings
because of the benefits to health and learning.
That breakfast could be at home, on the way to
school, or at school, if a school breakfast
program is available.
According to the Mayo Clinic Website, “Breakfast
not only starts your day off right, but also
lays the foundation for lifelong health
benefits. People who eat a healthy breakfast are
more likely to:
-
Consume more vitamins and minerals and less
fat and cholesterol
-
Have better concentration and productivity
throughout the morning
-
Control their weight
-
Have lower cholesterol, which reduces the
risk of heart disease.”
In a survey by KidsHealth.org, 81% of kids said
they had breakfast, but 19% of kids said they
usually don't eat it at all. Here's what the
other kids said:
-
65% eat breakfast at home
-
9% eat it at school
-
7% eat it elsewhere.
The same survey reported that 33% of kids have
no vegetables and 20% had no fruit or fruit
juice in a day. Breakfast is a good way to get
the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies.
It is simple to add sliced bananas, blueberries,
or raisins to morning cereal or pancakes, add
chopped onions or peppers to scrambled eggs,
take along a small box or can of real
no-sugar-added fruit or vegetable juice on your
way to school, or add a single serving fruit cup
to a late riser’s backpack.
Also think nontraditionally:
-
leftover vegetable pizza
-
fresh fruit topped with low-fat yogurt and
crispy whole-grain cereal
-
vegetables and salsa with low-fat shredded
cheeses wrapped in a tortilla
-
smoothie blended from exotic fruits, low-fat
yogurt, and low-fat milk
-
some low-fat yogurt and a spoonful of wheat
germ
-
banana-raisin, pumpkin, or zucchini
mini-muffins
-
applesauce raisin pancakes
-
tortilla wrap with low-fat yogurt and fruit
Check out these websites for more breakfast
fruit and veggie recipes:
Schools that want to implement a breakfast
program or enhance an existing one can find
resources at the
USDA Healthy Meals Resource System. Among
the extensive list of materials is “School
Breakfasts for First Class Learning” and
“Discover Breakfast Toolkit”. Many resources
here include recipes and alternative ways to
serve breakfast such as “grab and go” and
breakfast in the classroom.
Contact:
Karlys
Wells
TEAM Nutrition / Nutrition Network
Cooperative Extension Service SDSU
SNF 212 Box 2275A
Brookings, SD 57007-0295
605-688-4039
FAX: 605-688-5603
karlys.wells@ces.sdstate.edu
http://extfcs.sdstate.edu/fnp/
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