A good source of energy: a good breakfast
It is recognized that children who do not eat breakfast – mainly due to lack of appetite or lack of time – are more tired at school, feel more sleepy and have difficulty paying attention during class hours.
It is emphasized that many of these children get up daily at 7:00 or earlier and, until they eat between recess – in the best of cases – or at lunchtime, they spend too many hours in which a significant energy expenditure occurs and without replenishing nutrients.
Ana Requejo, professor of nutrition at the Complutense University of Madrid, comments: "When fasting is prolonged by skipping breakfast, the gradual decrease in insulin and glucose levels, among other metabolic changes, can cause a fatigue response that interferes with different aspects of the child's cognitive function, such as attention or memory."
He adds that if this fasting occurs too frequently, the metabolic changes mentioned above could become frequent, "which would cause adverse cumulative effects on the body that would endanger the child's academic progress."
Requejo insists that skipping breakfast can affect children's daily activities, while eating a breakfast with the right caloric and nutritional content will always result in better academic performance; "For this reason, if parents, teachers and specialists manage to create an eating habit in children, we will benefit our children for life."
The best breakfasts include a balanced intake of the following nutrients:
PROTEINS, DAIRY: Milk, chocolate, yogurt or cheese.
CARBOHYDRATES, CEREALS: Bread, cookies or homemade baked goods, cereals.
FRUITS: Natural juices or a portion of fruit; it is important to include citrus fruits in winter to increase defenses.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Gianella Pedemonte
Bachelor of Nutrition
