Teens and breakfast don't seem to go together, As a teacher and tutor I am appalled at the number of teenagers who don't

eat breakfast. Worse, there are some who don't even eat lunch. During school their energy is so low they have trouble staying awake and thinking. Either they are not sharing this information or parents are so busy they are not aware of their teen's poor eating habits. Feeding teens can be a challenge. Their needs are different from younger children. Teens need to be taught to make healthy choices and appreciate good food. Part of the problem stems from advertising. Images of models make them believe they're too fat when they're not. A study in Pediatrics Suggests that teens who miss out on breakfast are actually more likely to be overweight. Breakfast eating teens tend to be more active. The quality of their diets and attitudes toward food is better. Teens who skip breakfast have a tendency to overeat later in the day and grab highfat snacks. Studies show that if they don't eat in the morning they experience a drop in energy mid-morning. This has an impact on grades. In fact, teens who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese as adults. Obesity among children and adults is a growing problem in the U.S. High school students spend more time in school. Many of these schools do not allow them to leave at lunch. They have more money and more exposure to vending machines. While vending machines aren't always sources of unhealthy foods and drinks, combined with choices at the cafeteria create a diet of "junk food". Many students do not opt for low-fat lunches according to a School Nutrition and Dietary Study. The excuses for not eating breakfast include not having enough time or not being hungry early in the morning. Both of these are easily solved. First of all, parents must talk to their teens about the importance of nutrition and why skipping meals can be harmful to their health. Explain the negative side of not eating a proper diet. A Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital study discovered that students who eat breakfast have better grades and decreased absence and tardy rates. Don't let the excuses deter you from getting them to eat in the morning. Set expectations. You can set up a menu that consists of food to go. Some of the items you can include are: fruit and bran muffins, smoothies, granola, breakfast bars and drinks, fruit salad cups. There are even frozen breakfasts your teen can pop in the toaster and grab on the way out the door. All of these can be eaten "on the run" before school. There are really no excuses for teens not to eat some kind of breakfast. Another idea worth trying is to get a nutrition break built into the school's schedule. The high school where I taught for many years had a fifteen minute nutrition break at 9 AM. This worked well in a school of 2600 students. Students had a chance to get something to eat and boost their energy. Talk to the principal and the PTA, and see if something like this can be arranged for the following semester. It doesn't mean extending the school day. It can be accomplished by shaving a few minutes off each period. It's worth the try for healthier teens. Getting your teen to eat right and not skip meals is crucial to their future well being. Eating breakfast is one way to help them get the essential nutrients they need to

stay strong and healthy and do well in school. Get involved. Teen and breakfast really do go together. Lois Bernstein is a former master teacher, adjunct professor, student teacher supervisor and curriculum developer. She is currently tutoring in reading, writing, study skills and math.

Teens and breakfast http://ezinearticles.com/?Teens-and-Breakfast&id=2860766

Teens who eat breakfast weigh less, US study shows

(AFP) Mar 3, 2008 WASHINGTON (AFP) Teenagers who eat breakfast consume more daily calories but weigh less than those who skip the first meal of the day, a study released Monday in the United States showed. "This study clearly supports what other studies have shown: kids who skip breakfast tend to gain more weight, and therefore would be at a higher risk for obesity," said Dr Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota's department of epidemiology and community health, which conducted the study. The number of teenagers in the United States with a weight problem has tripled in the past 20 years, according to the "F as in Fat" report, issued last year by the Trust for America's Health. Sixteen percent of American teenage boys and 10 percent of teen girls were overweight, "F as in Fat" said, citing a biennial study dating from 2005. Teens who start their day with breakfast tend to consume more calories, carbohydrate and fiber over the course of the day than those who skipped the meal, the University of Minnesota study, dubbed "Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)", showed. At the same time, the breakfast-eaters weighed less, said Pereira. "The kids at a lower obesity-risk are the ones who eat breakfast every day," he said. Project EAT observed more than 2,200 teens over five years. Pereira said an experimental study into breakfast habits, as opposed to an observational study such as Project EAT, is required to try to definitively link breakfast habits with body weight. The results of the Project EAT study were published in the March issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Why should I eat breakfast? Research has shown that teens who eat breakfast regularly: Do better in school than those who dont Are more likely to meet their daily vitamin and mineral needs Eat more fiber and calcium and less fat that teens who skip breakfast Are less likely to be overweight than teens who skip breakfast

http://www.youngmenshealthsite.org/breakfast.html

Teens Who Eat Breakfast Daily Eat Healthier Diets Than Those Who Skip Breakfast
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2008) University of Minnesota School of Public Health Project Eating Among Teens (EAT) researchers have found further evidence to support the importance of encouraging youth to eat breakfast regularly. Researchers examined the association between breakfast frequency and five-year body weight change in more than 2,200 adolescents, and the results indicate that daily breakfast eaters

consumed a healthier diet and were more physically active than breakfast skippers during adolescence.
See also: Health & Medicine Diet and Weight Loss Obesity Nutrition

Mind & Brain Nutrition Research Dieting and Weight Control Eating Disorders

Reference Bran South Beach diet Cereal Healthy diet

Five years later, the daily breakfast eaters also tended to gain less weight and have lower body mass index levels -- an indicator of obesity risk -- compared with those who had skipped breakfast as adolescents. Mark Pereira, Ph.D., corresponding author on the study, points out that this study extends the literature on the topic of breakfast habits and obesity risk because of the size and duration of the study. "The dose-response findings between breakfast frequency and obesity risk, even after taking into account physical activity and other dietary factors, suggests that eating breakfast may have important effects on overall diet and obesity risk, but experimental studies are needed to confirm these observations," he added. Over the past two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and nearly tripled in adolescents. Fifty-seven percent of adolescent females and 33 percent of males frequently use unhealthy weight-control behaviors, and it is estimated that between 12 and 24 percent of children and adolescents regularly skip breakfast. This percentage of breakfast skippers, while alarming, has been found to increase with age. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., principal investigator of Project EAT, says that this research confirms the importance of teaching adolescents to start the day off 'right' by eating breakfast. "Although adolescents may think that skipping breakfast seems like a good way to save on calories, findings suggest the opposite. Eating a healthy breakfast may help adolescents avoid overeating later in the day and disrupt unhealthy eating patterns, such as not eating early in the day and eating a lot late in the evening." The study, "Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT," will be published in the March edition of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303072640.htm

Breakfast - Don't Leave Home Without It!

FLM-FS-4-97

Deborah L. Angell, CFCS, Huron County We have often heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet 35-40 percent of all Americans skip breakfast. Many parents allow their children to leave for school without breakfast. As many as 48 percent of girls and 32 percent of boys do not eat breakfast every day. The first meal of the day is called breakfast because it breaks the fast that has lasted ten to twelve hours, since the last meal eaten the day before, usually dinner.
Why is Breakfast so Important?

The body uses glucose or blood sugar for energy. Excess glucose is stored by the liver as glycogen which can be released as it is needed. By mid-morning, glycogen stores are virtually depleted, if one skips breakfast. As a result, the body has very little quick energy available. Children who skip breakfast will lack adequate glycogen stores, may be hungry, and lack the ability to concentrate in school. They may be tired, lethargic, and lack fuel for learning. Children who do not eat breakfast often do not make up the missed nutrients in meals eaten later in the day. Research studies show that the overall nutrient intake of those who eat breakfast is more adequate than that of breakfast skippers. Studies also show that students who do not eat breakfast have higher absenteeism rates, trouble with concentration, and more behavior problems.
Social and Economic Changes and Nutrition

Children in poverty are more likely to suffer malnutrition or undernutrition but it is not just a problem of poverty. Social and economic changes of society have influenced family lifestyles at all levels. Some examples of social changes include increased fragmentation of the family, more single-parent families, and more dual-income families. Economic changes include unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and inadequate child care. These have increased the vulnerability of children to health and nutrition problems. As a result of these social and economic changes, more children are fending for themselves for meals. More meals are consumed outside of the home. This is convenient, but meals away from home cost more than meals prepared at home and tend to be high in fat and sodium. More people are leaving home in the morning without breakfast.

Lack of breakfast or an inadequate breakfast may result in a nutritionally inadequate diet, influencing learning in a number of ways:

The hunger resulting from skipping breakfast may cause children to exhibit nervousness, irritability, disinterest in learning, listlessness, and lack of concentration. Students may be fatigued, bored, apathetic. Children who eat breakfast earn higher scores on standardized tests, are more focused, and have lower absentee and tardiness rates. One-third of children who do not eat breakfast do not meet their daily protein requirement; 75 percent of children who do not eat breakfast fail to meet their recommended daily allowance for calcium. It is linked with learning disabilities, behavior problems, attention deficit disorder, poorer language development, slower thinking and memory retrieval, and lower IQs. The learning related effects of poor nutrition set in before the visible growth related consequences appear. Calorie deprived children lack fuel to power the brain. They may not explore, play, or interact socially - all of which affect learning. A poorly nourished body cannot resist disease and infection. More illness results in more missed school and less learning. Poor nutrition can lead to obesity, which increased by 43 percent for children age 3 to 17 between 1984 and 1991. Obese children can lack self-esteem, earn lower achievement test scores, and a lower than expected number of them enter college.

Why Do People Skip Breakfast?

Lack of time is the most common reason given for skipping breakfast. There are many fast and easy foods that can be prepared and eaten for breakfast. It could be the most important five minutes of the day!
Resources

Anderson, Carrel, M., and Schaffer, R. Jr., (1981). The Case for a Quality Nutrition Program in the Public Schools, Phi-Delta-Kappan, 63(2), 137-138. Botkin, J. W., Keen, J. P., McClellan, J. and Robinette, H. (1980). Toward more effective teaching and learning: What research in the brain sciences contribute? Washington, DC: Horace Mann Learning Center. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 200 402)

Coddington, R. M. (November 1994). Schools Celebrate NSBW. School Food Service and Nutrition, pp. 32-37. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. (1994). Children's Nutrition and Learning. ERIC Digest. Washington DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 369 579) Furman, D. E. and Noli, P. M. (1983). Improving the learning and attitudes of elementary students: A nutrition intervention. Madera, CA: Madera Unified School District. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 248 001) Goldsmith, R. H. (1980). Nutrition and Learning. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation. Granthan-McGregor, S., Powell, C., Walker, S., Chang, S., and Fletcher, P. (1994) The long-term follow-up of severely malnourished children who participated in an intervention program. Child Development, 65(2) 428-439. Grohens, J. (1988, May). Nutrition and Reading Achievement. The Reading Teacher, pp. 942-945. Hicks, L. E., Langham, R. A., and Takenaka, J. (1982). Cognitive and health measures following early nutritional supplementation: A sibling study. American Journal of Public Health, 72(10), 1110-1118. Pollitt, E. (1995). Does breakfast make a difference in school? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 95(10) 1134-1139.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/flm97/fs04.html