Breakfast
Family schedules change at the beginning of every school year. When we are making sure that our kids have packed their homework, know the after school plan, have brushed their teeth, and are wearing a clean shirt, do we also make sure that they have eaten a good breakfast? Do the adults in the family eat a good breakfast every day? Or are we in too much of a rush to get out the door to bother with breakfast?
For many years now, I have done a program at Russell Schools called, “Breakfast With the Arts” (BWA), in partnership with the Gifted & Talented Coordinator, Susan Williams. We take applications from the students who would like to share their talents with their peers in a performance setting during breakfast in their school cafeteria. It is a fun and rewarding program because we get to know the students who like to perform by taking them through a rehearsal process that teaches them how to be better able to choose, rehearse, and perform an art form on their own. We also teach them skills to address nervousness that happens when we have to speak or perform in front of an audience.
The BWA audience is perfect for this process because they are eating breakfast which makes for a less formal performing setting. We teach a short lesson about the importance of breakfast and the choices that are offered in the cafeteria at school with encouragement for students to make those same food group choices when they are away from school. We also teach some audience etiquette skills which are reinforced by the teachers who are in the room during the program. It is always a great way to start the day!
This week’s column is dedicated to healthy breakfast choices. The information to follow is a small portion of the information that is available through the University of Kentucky Extension programming with a focus on nutrition. If you are interested in additional information about good nutrition for you and your family, please let us know. Your local Extension office can help you in many areas of family life.
Do you eat breakfast? Do you include a variety of foods? Do you make sure your family eats a healthy breakfast? A good breakfast can help you make the most of your day. It is important for everyone but especially important for children. Children who eat breakfast perform better in school, have fewer accidents, and stay healthier than children who do not eat breakfast.
Adults who eat breakfast have more energy, concentrate better, and avoid feeling tired, irritable, and hungry. Adults who eat breakfast also control their weight better, and have lower risk of developing heart disease.
Could you eat almost anything for breakfast? Get a balanced breakfast by choosing a variety of foods? Keep quick and easy breakfast foods on hand for when time is short? Try something new for breakfast?
A healthy breakfast can include just about any food. Visit www.choosemyplate.gov for more information about choosing healthy foods. You can also contact your local Family Consumer Science Extension Agent, Lora Pullin, at 606-836-0201.
Keep quick and easy foods on hand: cereal, milk, crackers and peanut butter, fruit or juice, cheese, breakfast bars, bagels, hard-boiled eggs, try something new! Spread banana or apple slices with peanut butter. Top a bowl of cereal with a scoop of vanilla yogurt. Warm up leftover pizza, chicken soup, or stew. Melt cheese on a piece of toast and top with a slice of tomato.
Breakfast is a perfect time for you and your children to enjoy a meal together as a family. Pack a sack breakfast the night before if you are on the run. Not on the run? Breakfast is a perfect time for you and your children to enjoy a meal together as a family. You can set a good example for your children by eating a variety of foods and by drinking milk. Breakfast should supply one-fourth to one-third of your total calorie needs for a day. Your gender, age, and activity level determine the amount of food you need each day.
Children are more likely to eat breakfast if they help plan and prepare the meal or a recipe. Let them help you make toast, pour dry cereal in bowls, or set the table. Let them choose their favorite breakfast food and plan the rest of the breakfast around their “special” food. Help your children get into the habit of eating breakfast every day.
Contact Anne Stephens, Extension Agent for Fine Arts in Greenup County at 606-836-0201 or anne.stephens@uky.edu. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
Copyright © 2007 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu. Revised 10-2007 Adapted from: Breakfast Makes a Difference, and Building a Healthy Diet (ENP 14) North Central Region publication #601, 2006 Prepared by Cathy Peterjohn, former Extension Program Specialist for Food and Nutrition, and Frances Hackworth, former Area Extension Agent for Food and Nutrition Revised by Sarah Ball Brandl, MS, Extension Specialist for Nutrition Education Programs
