Skipping breakfast will make you fat! Must-have high-quality protein + carbohydrates

Breakfast is the source of energy to start the day! Do your children eat breakfast every day? Does your child have a nutritious breakfast? Nutritionists have long observed the way school children order breakfast at breakfast shops and discovered that the nutrients in breakfast are all high in carbohydrates or fat, but low in dietary fiber, and they often even eat processed meat products.

Most studies have shown that schoolchildren who eat breakfast every day have better academic performance and are also less likely to become obese. According to a 2016 study by New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy, schoolchildren who do not have a regular breakfast habit or whose breakfast is nutritionally unbalanced have a negative impact on their learning ability and obesity.

The Cancer Care Foundation once conducted a questionnaire survey on the breakfast eating habits of elementary school children in northern Taiwan and found that 18% of the children did not eat breakfast every day and 2% of the children did not eat breakfast at all. The main reasons for not eating breakfast were not having enough time to eat breakfast and not being hungry.

Children who skip breakfast may have poorer development

Nutritionist You Weiming said that according to research, children in their developmental period will secrete a variety of hormones during their sleep at night, including growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), leptin, etc. Among them, leptin hormone will suppress hunger. Therefore, children will not feel hungry when they just wake up, but will feel hungry and want to eat after a period of time. For children who stay in bed, they always eat casually and even miss the important breakfast.

The hormones secreted by school-age children during sleep contribute to their physical growth and development, which require adequate calories and nutrients from breakfast to help. Therefore, it is worth noting that those who skip breakfast may develop poorly and be more susceptible to hunger, which reduces their attention and learning abilities.

Breakfast needs to include sufficient high-quality protein + carbohydrate staple food

Since breakfast is so important, how can we eat it healthily? Nutritionist You Weiming recommends that breakfast needs to include sufficient high-quality protein and carbohydrate staples. High-quality proteins include: salmon, mackerel, fresh milk, pork, chicken, eggs, etc.; as for high-quality carbohydrate staples, they include: whole-grain rice, whole-wheat toast, multi-grain steamed buns, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, taro, etc. The main source of energy for the brain is the glucose in carbohydrate staples, and the main source of energy for physical development is the amino acids in high-quality protein.

Therefore, getting sufficient calories, high-quality protein and carbohydrate staples for breakfast can help the development of the brain and body of children in their growth and development period, as well as increase their learning ability and concentration. Many studies have also found that children who eat a healthy breakfast also perform better in academics.

Reduce intake of NG protein and sugar

Many parents allow their children to buy breakfast at will. When children eat NG proteins such as hamburger patties, ham, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets, they are actually processed combination meats. Not only are they high in calories and low in nutritional value, they may also contain chemical additives and excessive seasonings. Eating too much can cause slow digestion and slow thinking. The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that long-term consumption of processed meats can cause cancer and is not conducive to intestinal health.

As for the drinks commonly consumed for breakfast, including flavored fruit juice, cola, soda, milk tea, black tea, soy milk, flavored dairy products, etc., all of them have extra sugar added. Long-term excessive consumption of these sugary drinks will cause schoolchildren to consume too many calories and develop problems such as obesity, emotional instability, poor memory, decreased stress resistance, and diabetes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) particularly emphasizes that sugar intake should be less than 5% of the total daily calorie requirement. Considering that the recommended daily calorie intake for lower grade schoolchildren is about 1,800 calories, this is about 22 grams of sugar, and a 700ml cup of sugar-sweetened beverage contains 70 grams of sugar. For growing children who must take in all kinds of nutrients, the unnecessary calories brought by sugar-sweetened beverages will hinder their physical and mental development.

Schoolchildren eating healthy breakfast

For lower grade students: 450 kcal for boys and 400 kcal for girls; for higher grade students: 550 kcal for boys and 500 kcal for girls. Breakfast must be nutritionally balanced and have a variety of ingredients, including different high-quality proteins (2~3 servings) and carbohydrate staples (2~4 servings) with vegetables (0.5~1 serving) and fruits (0.5~1 serving). Parents should let their children help make breakfast or help buy breakfast for the family, and then the whole family can chat and enjoy a wonderful breakfast time together. This opportunity allows children to learn the ability to cook and prepare meals independently, which will be of great benefit to their future dietary health.

Nutritionist You Weiming specifically reminds that school children should consume "4 servings of vegetables" and "3 servings of fruits" every day. Since they eat less vegetables and fruits for breakfast, they must eat enough vegetables and fruits at lunch, dinner and snack time.