Pour One More at Breakfast

There are many benefits to eating a nutritious breakfast, particularly a breakfast including milk. Breakfast is a great time to pour one more for you and your family. Read on for information about the benefits of breakfast.

• For Your Diet...
  • People who skip breakfast and miss out on a serving of milk in the morning often have a difficult time making up for the shortage later in the day. Milk is naturally nutrient-rich like no other beverage, packed with 9 essential nutrients. ¹
  • Kids who skip breakfast generally have lower intakes of nutrients than those who regularly consume breakfast and these low intakes are not compensated for at other meals. ^1-4
  • A review of nine studies found that breakfast eaters had higher daily intakes of micronutrients (including vitamins A and C, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, iron) and were more likely to meet nutrient intake recommendations compared to breakfast skippers. ⁵
  • Milk is one of the most commonly consumed foods by children at breakfast. And, including ready-to-eat cereals at breakfast is associated with higher intakes of important vitamins and minerals and increased milk intakes. ^2,5,6,7
• For a Healthy Weight...
  • Eating breakfast is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight. Research from the National Weight Control Registry suggests that eating breakfast, especially a cereal and milk breakfast, is an important strategy to maintain a healthy weight ⁸
  • Some studies have reported that people who skip breakfast often consume more calories over the course of the day and may gain weight by overcompensating with energy-dense, high-fat foods later in the day. ^9-11
  • Data from national government surveys suggest an inverse association between breakfast consumption and body mass index (BMI) in women. ¹²
  • For kids and adolescents, research has linked regularly eating breakfast with lower BMI and skipping breakfast with higher BMI, or greater weight gains throughout childhood. ^13-15
  • Breakfast offers an opportunity to get at least one-third of the daily recommendation for lowfat or fat free milk. Staying active, eating right and drinking three glasses of fat free or lowfat milk each day can help maintain a healthy weight. ^7,16-20
• For Kids at School...
  • Skipping breakfast can put kids at a disadvantage at school. Studies suggest that breakfast skippers have a harder time concentrating in the classroom, which could interfere with learning and school performance. ^{5, 21, 22}
  • Some research suggests that school breakfast eaters may do better on specific test scores, compared to kids who skip breakfast. In fact, one study found that kids who ate a complete breakfast made fewer math mistakes. ^{5, 23,24}
  • Milk provides nutrients kids needs to start the school day out right – with B vitamins for energy, protein for lean muscle and calcium and vitamin D for strong bones.

References:

1. Nicklas TA, O'Neil CE, Berenson GS. Nutrient contribution of breakfast, secular trends, and the role of ready-to-eat cereals: a review of data from the Bogalusa Heart Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1998;67: 757S-763S.
2. Nicklas TA, O'Neil C, Myers L. The importance of breakfast consumption to nutrition of children, adolescents, and young adults. Nutrition Today. 2004;39:30-39.
3. Affenito SG. Breakfast: A missed opportunity. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2007;107:565-569.
4. Sjoberg A, Hallberg L, Hoglund D, Hulthen L. Meal pattern, food choice, nutrient intake and lifestyle factors in The Goteborg Adolescence Study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2003;57:1569-1578.
5. Rampersaud GC, Pereira MA, Girard BL, Adams J, Metzl JD Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005;105:743-760.
6. Song WO, Chun OK, Kerver J, Cho S, Chung CE, Chung SJ. Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption enhances milk and calcium intake in the US population. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2006;106:1783-1789.
7. Deshmukh-Taskar PR, Nicklas TA, O’Neil CE, Keast DR, Radcliffe JD, Cho S. The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumption with nutrient intake and weight status in children and adolescents: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2010;110:869-878.
8. Wyatt HR, Grunwald GK, Mosca CL, Klem ML, Wing RR, Hill JO. Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the national weight control registry. Obesity Research. 2002;10:78-82.
9. Dubois L, Girard M, Potvin Kent M, Farmer A, Tatone-Tokuda F. Breakfast skipping is associated with differences in meal patterns, macronutrient intakes and overweight among pre-school children. Public Health Nutrition. 2009;12:19-28.
10. Keim NL, Van Loan MD, Horn WF, Barbieri TF, Mayclin PL. Weight loss is greater with consumption of large morning meals and fat-free mass is preserved with large evening meals in women on a controlled weight reduction regimen. Journal of Nutrition. 1997;127:75-82.
11. Silverstein LJ. The relationship of breakfast eating to body weight. Obesity Research. 1995:3:97.
12. Song WO, Chun OK, Obayashi S, Cho S, Chung CE. Is consumption of breakfast associated with body mass index in US adults? Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2005;105:1373-1382.
13. Albertson AM, Franko DL, Thompson D, Eldridge AL, Holschuh N, Affenito SG, Bauserman R, Striegel-Moore RH. Longitudinal patterns of breakfast eating in black and white adolescent girls. Obesity. 2007;15:2282-2292.
14. Fiore H, Travis S, Whalen A, Auinger P, Ryan S. Potentially protective factors association with healthful body mass index in adolescents with obese and nonobese parents: a secondary data analysis of the third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988-1994. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2006;106:55-64.
15. Timlin MT, Pereira MA, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Breakfast eating and weight change in a 5-year prospective analysis of adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). Pediatrics. 2008;121:e638-e645.
16. Barr SI, McCarron DA, Heaney RP, Dawson-Hughes B, Berga SL, Stern JS, Oparil S.. Effects of increased consumption of fluid milk on energy and nutrient intake, body weight, and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2000;100:810-817.
17. Eagan MS, Lyle RM, Gunther CW, Peacock M, Teegarden D.. Effect of 1-year dairy product intervention on fat mass in young women:6-month follow-up. Obesity. 2006;14:2242-2248.
18. Moore LL, Bradlee ML, Gao D, Singer MR. Low dairy intake in early childhood predicts excess body fat gain. Obesity. 2006;14:1010-1018.
19. Murphy MM, Douglass JS, Johnson RK, Spence LA. Drinking flavored or plain milk is positively associated with nutrient intake and is not associated with adverse effects on weight status in US children and adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;108:631-639.
20. Ochner CN, Lowe MR. Self-reported changes in dietary calcium and energy intake predict weight regain following a weight loss diet in obese women. Journal of Nutrition. 2007;137:2324-2328.
21. Wesnes KA, Pincock C, Richardson D, Helm G, Hails S. Breakfast reduces declines in attention and memory over the morning in schoolchildren. Appetite. 2003;41:329-331.
22. Bellisle F. Effects of diet on behaviour and cognition in children. British Journal of Nutrition 2004;92:S227-S232.
23. Murphy JM, Pagano M, Nachmani J, Sperling P, Kane S, Kleinman R. The relationship of school breakfast to psychosocial and academic functioning: cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in an inner-city sample. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 1998;152:899-907.
24. Wyon D, Abrahamsson L, Jartelius M, Fletcher R. An experimental study of the effects of energy intake at breakfast on the test performance of 10 year-old children in school. International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition. 1997;48:5-12.