HEALTHINFO
www.ualberta.ca/HealthInfo
Breakfast
The Most Important Meal of the Day? DId You Know? Only 12% of Canadians eat a balanced breakfast in the morning. Individuals who eat breakfast perform better at school, include more essential nutrients in their diets and have healthier weight. Fuel your body when it needs it most! Breakfast can be as traditional as pancakes and eggs or as simple as last night’s leftover pizza.
Top 6 Reasons to Start your Day with Breakfast
breakfast, you help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, which can reduce the risk of Type II diabetes.
Eating a balanced breakfast…
3. …boosts your brain power so you can stay alert in class and concentrate when studying. Fuel your brain! Breakfast will help you feel more energetic and can help improve learning ability and concentration. Consider this: how hard is it to pay attention in class when your stomach is growling?
1. …gives you the start-up fuel to begin your day. When you wake up in the morning, your body has been fasting all night and needs to be refuelled. Your breakfast should supply about a quarter (25%) of your energy and nutrients for the day. 2. …can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast have a lower risk of obesity and heart disease. By having
4. …will help you feel satisfied during the morning and can prevent snacking on less nutritious foods or overeating later in the day. People who skip breakfast often compensate by eating more later in
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the day. 5. …can enhance the quality of your diet and help you get enough key nutrients like iron, calcium, Bvitamins and fibre. Breakfast-skippers may not get the chance to make up for the missed nutrients later in the day. A balanced breakfast provides so much more than just energy! 6. …can help you to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Studies have shown that eating breakfast is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) and a decreased risk of obesity.
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Tips for Including Breakfast in your day: • For a balanced breakfast, include at least 3 out of the 4 food groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating (grains & cereals, fruits & vegetables, milk & milk products, meat & alternatives). • If you’re short on time, grab a glass of milk, muffin and a piece of fruit or make a breakfast smoothie to go. • Plan what you’re going to eat the night before. • Including sources of protein and fibre will help keep you feeling fuller longer. (eg. choose a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice)
www.ualberta.ca/HealthInfo Build a Better Breakfast! Mix & match! Choose foods you enjoy from at least 3 of the 4 groups for a healthy nutritious breakfast. Grain Products • hot or cold cereals • whole grain bread • whole grain bagel • pita bread • English muffin • waffle or pancake • muffin
• Make pancakes or waffles with milk/buttermilk. • Have a small glass (1/2 cup or 125 ml) of calcium-fortified orange juice.
• banana • grapefruit
• cream cheese • milk (or fortified soy beverage)
• pear • peach
• yogurt
• kiwi • dried fruit (raisins, apples, apricots, prunes, etc.)
• peanut or almond butter • lean ham • eggs (scrambled, omelette, sunny side up) • baked beans • fortified tofu
• peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes (mix into an omelette or scrambled eggs)
• Top your cereal or fruit with yogurt.
• Make your oatmeal w.ith milk instead of water
• cheese • cottage cheese
• fruit purées (applesauce, etc.)
• Have cheese with your toast or muffin.
• Choose a café latté instead of plain coffee.
• apple • orange
Meat & Alternates
• melon • berries (fresh or frozen)
• Choose milk or a fortified soy/rice beverage to drink.
• Add fortified soft tofu to your smoothie.
Milk Products
• 100% fruit juice • canned fruit
• Make it calcium-rich:
• Make a smoothie with milk and/or yogurt.
Veggies & Fruit
Try these combinations to get you started... Combo #1 - Egg on a bun • Lightly beat 2 eggs with a Tbsp of milk. Microwave on medium high for about 2 minutes (Stir after the first minute.) • Place hot egg on a toasted English muffin, bagel or bun add a slice of cheese and a piece of lean ham. • Enjoy with a juice box or bottle of milk (pour milk into your own container to save cash) as you walk to class. Combo #2 - Cereal with milk. • Pour a bowl of your favorite cereal. Add milk. • Top with you favorite fruit and enjoy with a glass of milk. Out of time? Pour dry cereal (Cheerios, Shreddies and Crispex work well) into a bag or container, add your favorite dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Mix well. Enjoy this munchie mix with a container of milk as you walk to class or as a quick snack between classes.
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Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Cereal Feel bewildered in the cereal aisle? Take a look at the Nutrition Facts label. First find the serving size on the label. Choose a cereal that has: • less than 5 grams of sugar per serving • 2 or more grams of fibre per serving (Note: 2 g per serving = a source of fiber, 4 g per serving = a good source of fibre and 6 g per serving = an excellent source of fiber.)
www.ualberta.ca/HealthInfo Muesli 1 cup
rolled oats
250 ml
2 cups
milk or fortified soy beverage
500 ml
1/2 cup
sunflower seeds
125 ml
1/2 cup
raisins or chopped dates
125 ml
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate overnight. You’ll have a delicious breakfast cereal in the morning. For extras add shredded coconut, cranberries etc. Try This...
• Prepare 1 serving of oatmeal, porridge oats or cream of wheat as per package directions.
Note: A low-fat breakfast cereal has 3 • Cut the fruit of your choice into bite sized pieces (apples, bananas, canned grams of fat or less per serving. or fresh pears or peaches, berries etc.). Keep in mind that there may be few • Combine cooked porridge with fruit. Top with milk, ground flax seed and a cereals that meet these criteria and small amount of brown sugar. your criteria for taste. To add interest, try topping your cereal with different • Enjoy! kinds of canned or dried fruit. (Cereals that come prepackaged with dried fruits often contain added sugar and References: unhealthy fats.) 1. Farshchi HR, Taylor MA & Macdonald IA. “Deleterious effects of omitBe flexible. These are guidelines. If a ting breakfast on insulin sensitivity and fasting lipid profiles in healthy cereal has 5 grams of fibre but 7 lean women” Am J Clin Nutr 2005; 81:388-96. grams of sugar, it is still an OK 2. Pollitt E & Mathews R. “Breakfast and cognition: an integrative sumchoice. If you have a favorite cereal mary” Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 67(suppl): 804S–13S. that doesn’t meet these criteria at all, keep it for an occasional treat or a 3. Chao E & Smit Vanderkooy P. “An overview of breakfast nutrition” J weekend food. Can Diet Assoc 1989 Apr; 50:225-228. 4. Registered Dietitians at Kellogg Canada Inc. “Blast off with breakfast” [pamphlet]. Kellogg Canada Inc.; 2002. 5. Fisher C. “Wake up to breakfast every day”. Peer Nutrition Educators booth questionnaire. University of Alberta; 2006.
For More Information: Student Health Resource Centre 2-300 SUB www.ualberta.ca/healthinfo
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