BREAKFAST FOR YOUR BRAIN!

-  McKenna McCarville, Tastybaby's Marketing Coordinator

 We have heard over and over again how important it is to eat breakfast to start the day but we never knew why.  Here at Tastybaby one of the ways we start our day is to look at Jens List, our favorite weekly email list. We came across this article on her site  that does a fantastic job explaining the importance for eating breakfast.  We thought this was especially important as summer comes to a close, schools head back into session, and the time has come to get back into those early morning routines.

“Campaign to Encourage School Children to Eat Breakfast Medical experts have been saying it for years: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  While this statement might be familiar to most people, it’s a saying that kids and teens increasingly take for granted. 

During an informal survey at Marshall High School in Los Angeles, for example, some students say they just don’t want to wake-up early to prepare breakfast.  Others say they would rather hang out with friends before school than line-up in the cafeteria.  But medical experts say school-age children are especially at risk when they skip breakfast.  Studies have shown that skipping breakfast puts them at an academic disadvantage because they do not have the nourishment necessary to perform well in school.  These kids could have shorter attention spans and lower test scores. 

To remind kids and parents of the breakfast-performance connection for back-to-school, GOT MILK? is working with health professionals and school administrators throughout California to get the message out about starting the day off right with a quick, nutritious meal. “It’s cliché to say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it truly is,” says Registered Dietitian Connie Schneider of the University of California Cooperative Extension.  “Eating a nutritious breakfast increases energy, improves concentration and it could also help maintain healthy weight.” Health experts say eating a nutritious meal to start off the day could reduce the incidence of weight gain in children and teens. 

Young people who eat breakfast tend to stay away from unhealthy snacking throughout the day, refraining from eating foods like chips and cookies that are high in calories, cholesterol and fat.  At a time when childhood obesity is at an all time high, Schneider says families need to go back to basics when it comes to nutrition. “Families need take a small amount of time, about three minutes, to prepare breakfast with fresh fruits, whole grains, and low fat or nonfat dairy like milk, yogurt and cheese,” says Schneider.  “As most of us know, it usually takes longer than three minutes to stand in line at a coffee shop or a convenience store to buy sugary muffins that are high in fat. 

People who claim they don’t have time to prepare breakfast are precisely doing this.  But if families prepare breakfast at home, it can be well-balanced, time-efficient and even cheaper in most cases.” A Mayo Clinic article published in 2006 reports that one-third of children in this country are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, totaling to about 25 million kids.  That number has doubled for children between the ages of 6 to 11 and has tripled for teenagers over the last two decades.  In the Hispanic community, a 2006 National Council of La Raza Fact Sheet reports that 39.3% of Mexican-American children (the largest Hispanic group in the US) ages 6 to 11 are overweight and 23.7% are obese – outnumbering African-Americans and Whites. To help parents and their children make breakfast a priority, GOT MILK? has posted fun, nutritious and easy-to-make recipe ideas on its Web site www.gotmilk.com.  From banana and berry smoothies to on-the-go granola, most of the breakfast meals can be done in three minutes or less.”  

• Try swirling one of our Tasty fruit flavors (Bangos, Hip 2 B Pear, Life’s A Peach) into your child’s oatmeal or yogurt for an extra serving of fruit  

• Make a Peaches n’ Cream smoothie combining 8 oz. of organic milk with 2 cups of low fat or fat free organic vanilla yogurt and 2 containers of Life’s A Peach

• On the weekends, try making your own homemade Sweet Potato & Apple muffins.  Combine:

            o    1 cup of softened organic butter,
            o    2 cups of organic sugar or 2/3 cups of Agave Syrup
            o    2 organic eggs
            o    2 tsp. of organic cinnamon
            o    2 tsp. of baking soda
            o    1 tsp. or organic allspice
            o    ½ tsp of salt
            o    4 cups of organic whole wheat flour
            o    5 containers of Sweetie Pie

 In a small bowl, sift the flower, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, and salt.  Using en electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs in one at a time until fully incorporated.  Add the contents of the Sweetie Pie containers to the batter.  Gradually, add the flour to the batter and combine all ingredients until smooth.

Fill a greased muffin tin or paper backing cups until 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Makes 2 dozen.
These muffins can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.  During the week, pop one in the toaster over for a healthy muffin choice.