Farmhouse Breakfast Week 24-30 January 2010

http://www.hgca.com/breakfast/

Breakfast is widely considered to be the most important meal of the day for the whole family and to highlight this next week is national Farmhouse Breakfast week.

Regular consumption of breakfast, particularly one that includes breakfast cereals, has a multitude of health benefits. It is important for the overall nutritional quality of the diet and is associated with a reduced likelihood of being overweight or obese.

A recent meta-analysis of nine studies involving both adults and children found that people who eat breakfast cereals regularly tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI) and are less likely to be overweight than those who do not eat breakfast cereals regularly.1 A more recent study, in this case involving 700 children aged 10-12 years old, found that boys who consumed breakfast cereal were 46% less likely to be obese or overweight and the risk of obesity and overweight in girls who ate breakfast cereals was reduced by 59%.2

Having regular breakfast can also improve cognition and learning in children. Research done by the Cardiff University School of Psychology showed that eating breakfast helps children function better in school than those who skip the first meal of the day.3 The results revealed children who have breakfast cereal are more alert, less tired, less anxious and less likely to suffer memory and attention span difficulties, than those that have no breakfast

A study published last year shed even more light on why breakfast cereal, in particular, is the best way to start the day.4 This was a 10-year study conducted by researchers at the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute which found that those who eat cereal also eat less fatty foods, meat, eggs and sugary drinks throughout the rest of the day and are more likely to take physical exercise.

A spokesperson from the Breakfast Cereal Information Service commented: “The importance of eating a healthy breakfast has been well recognised by experts for a number of years. Initiatives such as Farmhouse Breakfast Week help to raise the awareness of the fantastic health benefits of a healthy breakfast and how simple food options such as breakfast cereal have the potential to significantly improve our health.”