It,s not called the most important meal of the day for nothing ¨C a review of recent studies has found that children with breakfast in their stomachs do better academically than their hungry peers. The review, released today by Agencies for Nutrition Action (ANA), found there was considerable evidence that regular breakfast consumption improved academic performance.
Co-author Robert Scragg said the benefit appeared to be greater for mathematics than for other subjects such as reading or writing.
“Teachers have been saying for years that students who come to school without breakfast perform less well. This study backs that up.”
The review also said that more than 83,000 children came to school with empty stomachs.
This month the Red Cross launched a scheme to offer decile one schools the opportunity to have the organisation feed children a nutritious breakfast every morning before classes.
The Red Cross scheme, piloted in two South Auckland schools and taken up by another three, was in partnership with Countdown supermarkets, which was providing the food.
Cereals, milk, bread, spreads and a hot drink will be made available to every child who turned up from 8am to 8.45am.
ANA review co-author Rob Quigley said it was important children were given appropriate breakfasts to get the best start in their day.
Cereals directly marketed to children represented poor nutrition choices and were more like candy than cereal because of their high sugar, fat and salt content, he said.
“Even when you add trim milk, these candy cereals are not recommended.
“However despite this marketing offensive many parents and children are regularly making good breakfast choices such as weetbix-type cereals and toast.”
Mr Quigley said good breakfast choices were leftovers from the night before, whole grain breakfast cereals low in sugar with trim milk, wholemeal toast and or porridge, fruit and trim milk drinks.
The team of authors pulled together global scientific studies to draw conclusions for their report and particularly focused on any New Zealand data they found.
It was the New Zealand studies that drove the team,s recommendations, Mr Quigley said.
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