September 17, 2002	Tuesday	Rajab 9, 1423

LONDON: When I was growing up, I remember my father making sure that my four siblings and I got a decent breakfast inside us before leaving the house for school. Like a lot of parents, my dad believed that eating breakfast helped to set little bodies up for the day. A compliant child, I spent my formative years munching my way through Shredded Wheat, Alpen and Ready Brek, convinced that this must be doing me some good.

These days, I’m far less keen to swallow conventional nutritional wisdom without thinking, and recently resolved to discover if there is any real evidence of the benefits for kids of eating breakfast. As it happens, research suggests that a breakfast helps feed the brain and can actually boost a child’s learning at school.

The brain needs fuel to function properly, and gets the bulk of its requirements in this respect from food. The brain’s principle fuel is sugar, and maintaining adequate levels in the bloodstream is critical for normal mental function. Many children may go 10 or more hours between their last meal and the next morning. With such a long gap, it is not uncommon for blood-sugar levels to drop to sub-normal levels overnight. This can cause a child to be tired and grumpy in the morning, and can certainly take the edge off even the sharpest of minds.

One important benefit of eating breakfast is that it supplies ready fuel to the brain. A number of studies have found that when children skip the first meal of the day, memory, verbal fluency, and mathematical dexterity may suffer. By restoring blood-sugar levels after the overnight fast, eating breakfast helps ensure that a child has a productive schoolday. However, regular breakfasting might have important long-term benefits as well. Breakfast may also supply important nutrients to a growing body and mind, thereby improving a child’s general nutritional status.

To date, there have been three studies that have examined the impact of eating breakfast on children’s behaviour and learning. Interestingly, these studies found that children who did not skip breakfast were less likely to skip school. All three studies also found that eating breakfast is associated with better performance in a variety of scholastic tests.

In terms of what to feed a child in the morning, my preference would be porridge or oat-based muesli. A hard-boiled or poached egg with a slice of wholemeal toast is another decent option. In addition, if a child is happy to have a piece or two of fruit, or even some freshly squeezed fruit juice, then so much the better. Getting something healthy into a child early on in the day may well enhance the chances of stuff going in up top, too.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.