The top choices for breakfast are ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and bread/toast with spread. These provide a wide range of important nutrients. Wholegrain and seeded breads, fruits and wholegrain cereals provide fibre. Breakfast cereals can be additionally fortified with vitamins and minerals (including iron) and are good sources of zinc.

These foods also act as a ´vehicle´ for other nutrient-rich foods. Breakfast cereals are commonly eaten with calcium-providing milk or yoghurt. Fruit (e.g. fresh like strawberries or grated apple, dried like raisins) can be added to provide important antioxidants and vitamins. As only 30% of people, eat their 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily, breakfast is an ideal opportunity to increase this.

Mashed banana, poached egg, baked beans or melted cheese (which is rich in calcium), can be served on bread or toast. Other healthy ideas for breakfast are porridge or grilled tomatoes and low fat sausages. Breakfast should also include fluid, such as pure fruit juice, water or low fat milk.

The reasons they give for not having anything to eat are: “not hungry”, “didn’t have time” or “always in a rush”. This can encourage high fat and high sugar snack foods to be eaten later in the day.

These foods provide ´empty´ calories in the form of saturated fats and sugars. They do not provide nutrients like vitamins, or much needed minerals such as iron and zinc. Add to this the number of adults who stock up on similar snacks from newsagents, coffee shops, vending machines and canteens and the problem becomes enormous.

Although breakfast is seen as important, it is only eaten together by children and adults in 50% of households. Many adults are aware that they are the main role models for their children, but the awareness of the importance of breakfast does not always encourage it to be eaten.

They are more likely to consume 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day and are less likely to eat unhealthy snack foods.

Although people who eat breakfast tend to consume more energy overall throughout the day, they are less likely to be overweight. Other lifestyle factors have a role to play in this. For example those who tend to eat breakfast may:
• also take more exercise
• have more regular eating patterns
• have better overall food choices
As the evidence is inconsistent, skipping breakfast cannot be claimed to cause people to become overweight.

Tests in visual memory, problem solving, reaction time and arithmetic have shown that children who miss breakfast, can have poorer results. A detrimental effect on cognition in the late morning in school can be the result. This may be due to hunger, which has been associated with emotional, behavioural and academic problems in school-aged children. Positive effects of eating breakfast have been shown on memory function and having breakfast has generally shown benefits in school grades and achievements.

Large amounts of ‘Fruit & Vegetables’ and foods from the ‘Bread, Rice, Potatoes & other Starchy Foods’ group should be consumed every day, along with moderate amounts of ‘Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans & other non-dairy sources of Protein’ and foods from the ‘Milk & Dairy’ group. Minimal amounts of ‘Foods and Drinks Containing High Levels of Fat and/or Sugar’ should be consumed for good health.

It is not essential that all food groups are available in each meal in the quantities recommended above, as a balanced diet is made up of foods from all meals and snacks consumed in a day. A balanced diet is more likely to be achieved, however, if meals contain foods from as many as possible of the 4 nutrient-providing groups, and very little from the final group containing high levels of Fat and/or Sugar.

To explore food groups and balanced diets in depth, we strongly recommend use of our main packs, in particular the entry level pack; which also has breakfast as its theme.