Start with breakfast

Though some can sometimes say, if you choose fruit drinks and crackers, sada roti and vegetables or curry potatoes, bake and scrambled egg or even just a bowl of readyto- eat cereal with or without milk are okay food choices that will provide nutrients.

Yes, you will get some nutrients, but the focus should be on eating balanced meals. You should also keep in mind that in some cases, it might be obvious why people make these food choices; perhaps due to cultural dietary practices, insufficient funds to buy food, lack of knowledge about food nutrient content, busy schedules, and much more.

To ensure that you begin the day with good nutrition, the breakfast meal should comprise seasonal fruit, cereal with milk, staples, protein food, and beverage.

A quick evaluation indicates that the example of the breakfast meal pattern show that the Caribbean Food Groups are used as the guide in meal planning; the different food groups noted are fruits, staples, foods from animals, and legumes. The meal is balanced providing energy to start the day, along with adequate amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals and water.

Health benefits Studies show that making the choice to consume breakfast will add more benefits to your health as opposed to skipping this essential meal (which can negatively impact health), and trying to make up for it during the day. After fasting for long hours during the night, breaking the fast by eating a healthy meal is a good way to begin; it provides the body with energy and nutrients needed.

Eating breakfast can aid you in meeting the recommendation of fruit and vegetable intakes, improving mental alertness, memory, concentration, problem-solving skill, contributing to better academic performance (simply meaning boosts brain power) and school attendance, enhancing productivity in the workplace, weight management, increases in calcium and dietary fibre intakes, healthier lifestyle, and decreasing snacking are some advantages, just to list a few.

Whereas, skipping or omitting the breakfast from your daily meal plan, the negative effects are quite true, as you may have a lack energy to begin the day’s activities.

Other points to note include engaging in frequent snacking — moreso consuming unhealthy snacks, potential risk for weight gain leading to overweight and obesity, may contribute to poor academic performance, and difficulty in meeting recommendations for fruits and vegetables intakes.

According to researchers Timlin and Pereira (2007), adults who consume breakfast regularly may more than likely have better quality diets that include more dietary fibre, nutrients — calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A and C, and riboflavin, as well as fewer calories, and less dietary fat and cholesterol. In addition, a review of several studies showed that children and adolescents who eat breakfast, have higher intakes of similar nutrients mentioned previously – calcium, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, zinc and iron.

You will find that consumption of a healthy breakfast can aid persons in meeting some of their daily nutritional requirements, compared to breakfast skippers. Moreover, peer influence and media messaging may more than likely have a significant impact on adolescents’ dietary habits which include eating breakfast. Parents, caregivers and educators should encourage teens and their peers to consume breakfast daily which can aid in improving and/or maintaining their nutritional status.

What can you do? Perhaps, you might conclude that making the effort to eat a healthy breakfast daily is worth it, given the positive impact on maintaining health. A few helpful hints include: Take a few minutes to plan the weekly menu that should be well-balanced, and after doing an inventory in the pantry, add the needed items to the grocery shopping list.

Be sure to add to the menu, whole grains and whole grain products e.g. whole wheat sada roti, bake, muffins, wraps, etc, whole milk or low-fat milk and yoghurt, soy milk, almond milk, other food products rich in dietary fibre coconut bake, ground provision, and starchy fruits (breadfruit, plantain, green banana, bluggoe), fresh seasonal fruits and fortified orange fruit juice with no sugar added, and all types of vegetables.

Choose lean protein choices such as egg, sliced baked chicken –remove the skin, sardines, tuna, low-fat milk and milk products Plan wisely — prepare some food items the night before like cheese spread, salt fish buljol, veggie patties, home-made bread, bake, granola cereal, salads, chicken strips with vegetable pieces and so on Try the idea of having a breakfast club in the office two to three days per week, making available to colleagues some breakfast foods and beverages. Make the menu simple.

Nutrition take home message: eat breakfast daily, adding local produce to your meal plan.

Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD – assistant professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, School of Science, Technology, and Allied Health.