In conjunction with ASK Lamming’s Entrepreneurship Day, I am pleased to note that there are many tall’s and booths selling and showcasing a variety of traditional and innovative products. Managed to find some time to go around the venue and visit most of the stalls and booths. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Today, I would like to share with all of you through my talk on the topic entitled “Why Breakfast Is The Most important Meal Of The Day? ” Oh.. By the way. Have you had your breakfast this morning? If you do, then good for you.
If you don’t, then after you listen to my talk, I am sure you would never miss breakfast again. Boys and girls. From the website dictionary. Com, the word “breakfast” came from the mid 5th century English word “breakfast”. It is the first meal after we get up from our sleep. Let me make this more simple. For Muslim, we fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan. Then, we break our fast. This means, we eat after we did not take any food for some time. When we were children, we were told by our parents that breakfast is an important meal and that it would set us up for the rest of the day.
Now, I had done some research on this topic. I had found out the top 10 reasons why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The first benefit is breaking the fast. At night when we sleep, we did not eat anything. So, our stomach is fasting. A research found from the internet (www. Grandfathering. Co. UK/news/article. ), the body can respond to not eating for hours by slowing down the body’s metabolic rate. In the morning, the body need a nutritious breakfast to provide the necessary energy or fuel for the day. This means, when eating breakfast, you wake up the metabolic system and get the engine running.
It is the metabolic system that turns the food you eat into energy. If you do not eat your breakfast, you would have no energy to do all the activities in school. For example, studying and physical education. Another fact is when one sleeps, they are fasting from night till morning, on average about 7 to 8 hours or losing about 450 calories. The second benefit is the need for glucose. Glucose is the energy source for our body. The food we eat contain carbohydrate and our metabolic system breaks down the glucose from the carbohydrate we eat.
It turns into glycogen. Glycogen is the glucose stored in the muscle tissue and liver. During the night, it is released to keep the sugar blood level stable. Once all the energy from the stored glycogen is used up, the body began to break own the fatty acid to produce the energy it needs. Without carbohydrate, fatty acids are only partially burned. This leads to decrease of energy level and loss of body mass. This means, you will get thinner. Eating breakfast restores the glycogen stores and boosts the energy levels as well as the metabolism for the day.
However, children, you must remember that sugary food that contain glucose do give you an energy boost but these food does not last very long. You need to eat food like rice, cereal, bread, eggs, milk and diary foods which will release energy for a longer time. Let us take for example, the egg. I had found an article written in the newspaper “The Star” on 23 November 2014 about a research conducted by the Australian Heart Foundation that the Omega 3 in an egg contains polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFF). PAJAMA my decrease the risk of coronary heart diseases, lower blood pressure,reduce risk of thrombosis and improving heart rate.
The third benefit is breakfast provides the essential vitamins and minerals. Breakfast provides a significant amount for the day’s total nutrient intake. Historically, it provided around 20%-35% of our daily energy need. A good example of a good and healthy breakfast is cereal fortified with milk and fruit. Both the British Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association found that breakfast can be a source of vitamins. Many processed cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals. We can find such fortified cereal in our supermarkets.
For example, Kellogg Cornflakes and Nestle Coco- crunch. The fourth benefit is breakfast provides energy for the brain. Breakfast is important for children, students and working adults. By eating a good and healthy breakfast, we can get glucose and our brain feeds on glucose. This will dead to better concentration and allow us to study or work better. An article in the newspaper “The Borneo Post” on 10 October 2010 reported a research by Associate Professor Dry. Pooh Eke Boon, head of Sum’s Department of Nutritious and Dietetic. Dry.
Pooh stated that parents who sent their children to school without breakfast tend to perform below than those children who had breakfast. Therefore, she advised if children are not used to having breakfast early in the morning, at least a nutritious drink or a slice of bread should suffice. Another research by the University of Tasmania, Australia, noted that eating breakfast has also been shown to improve concentration and mood. Therefore, small snacks of healthy food such as vegetables nuts, fruits and yogurt to boost energy levels and help them through the morning without thinking about food all the time because they are so hungry.
Another study published in the journal “Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine”, students who increased their participation in school breakfast programs had a significant higher math score than those who skipped breakfast. Another added advantage is those with breakfast also had decreased rates of tardiness and absenteeism. Breakfast benefit number five is breakfast provides energy for the muscles. Glucose also feeds our muscles. Therefore, by having a good amount of glucose in the body with a hearty breakfast will lead to increase of energy levels. An article from a website http://www. Deadheads. Org reported that milk and other diary products are good for growing bodies and healthy bones. However, be mindful of having meals with too much sugary foods. This is because they can leave you hungry again and make one to gain weight. The sixth benefit of breakfast is having breakfast leads to better performance. There are many studies that showed people who have breakfast tend to have more energy and better concentration. Breakfast can help to perform better at school and workplace. Besides, skipping breakfast makes people grumpy, restless and feeling tired.
This is because you could not think or work properly as the stomach keeps growling for food. I found a research published in ‘Physiology and Behavior” (source : http://hallucinating. Savage. Com) students having a low glycerin breakfast were able to sustain attention better than children with high glycerin breakfast. They also have better memory ND showed fewer signs of frustration when working on school tasks. The seventh benefit is balancing calorie intake. By having a nutritious breakfast, can help to balance one’s daily intake of important nutrients.
Thus meaning, having fruit, cereal, milk, eggs or whole wheat bread toast can help to balance one’s carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals and glucose needed on a daily basis. These type of foods contain fiber, folic acid and calcium. Let’s take the example of eggs. Eggs are an important part for a healthy and balanced diet. They contain high quality protein, unsaturated fat, Omega-3 and more than 0 essential minerals and vitamins. Eggs do not have trans fat and only 1. 6 grams of saturated fat per egg. A lot of people are worried about the cholesterol level in eggs. However, we should eat them in moderation.
We should follow the guidelines in the Malaysian food pyramid. A research conducted by the Department of Nutrition and Obesity, Unverified De Monterrey, Novo Leon, Mexico, showed that skipping breakfast leads to feeling more hungry and increased tendency to eat more fat, sweet and salty food. In addition, muscle mass can be lost for an incomplete meal. Another study by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found that those skipping breakfast during adolescence are predicted to have increase in Body Mass Index (IBM) in young adulthood. The research showed breakfast potentially the most important meal of the day.
The eighth benefit is breakfast helps in losing weight and weight maintenance. There are exhaustive studies that showed people who tend to skip breakfast are heavier than those who have a nutritious breakfast regularly. This is because having breakfast in the morning can boost your metabolism. In addition, having a fiber rich breakfast means one will feel full for longer and onto binge during other meals such as lunch or dinner. A research carried out at the Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh has shown that eating breakfast cereal in the morning can aid weight loss. Another research done by Dry.
Mark Premier at Harvard Medical School showed that people who are breakfast are a third less likely to be obese compared to those who skipped breakfast. He believed that breakfast in the morning may help to stabilize blood sugar levels which regulate appetite and energy. He added that people having breakfast are less likely to be hungry during the rest of the day and therefore, less likely o overeat. I also found a study published in “Public Health Nutrition”, children who skipped breakfast in the morning were more likely to overeat and have a lower diet quality compared to children who ate breakfast everyday.
This can lead to increased IBM measurement. Another article posted in the newspaper “Washington Post” on 19 June 2008 mentioned that it is important to eat breakfast in the morning if one is trying to shed weight. Breakfast benefit number nine is lowered risk diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and common ills. There are many research that believe eating breakfast can greatly help to tabbies blood sugar levels. These levels regulate appetite and energy. Besides, it regularly helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
In the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in October 2010, found that people who skipped breakfast throughout childhood and as adult had higher bad OLD and total cholesterol as compared to regular breakfast eaters. The study also suggested obesity as a side effect as well. There are some studies that people who skipped breakfast are usually ravenous by lunchtime and tend to overeat to compensate. Large meals are more likely to lead to more weight gain. The excess kilojoules eaten are stored as body fat because the glycogen storage are full.
Furthermore, breakfast skippers tend to nibble on snacks. This is a problem because those snacks are low in fiber, vitamins and minerals but high in fat, sugar Dan salt. A research by Professor Andy Smith from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, KICK, indicated that people who eat breakfast are better equipped to fight flu and cold. Professor Ron Cycles, from the Common Cold Centre, which is also at Cardiff University, said that it was the effect of an early morning feed on the body’s immune system. He said “The body produces millions of white blood cells and it’s an army that needs feeding”.
The tenth benefit of breakfast is better eating habits. People who have a healthy breakfast tend to follow healthy eating habits. This is because it can get you to be on track to make healthy choices all day. Breakfast is the best chance to eat foods that one may not eat during the rest of the day. For example, one can have whole-grain cereal and berries with non-fat milk. These food contain fiber, folic acid and calcium. In the newspaper “The Star”, on 16 February 2014, reported on a presentation of research by Dry. Rocco Medina, vice-president of Herbalist World Wide Nutrition Training.
She mentioned that people no longer have time to prepare healthy meals due to hectic lifestyle. Another research in the US by Sandra G. Affinity “Breakfast : A Missed Opportunity”, a Bugaboos Heart Study mentioned a higher percentage of children who don’t eat breakfast failed to meet two thirds of the nutrient reference standards for a multitude of vitamins. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I had talked in great length on the benefits of breakfast. I would like to put forth some suggestions and steps being taken to stress the importance of breakfast.
In 1976, the government of Malaysia had launched the “Ranging Making Tambala (ARM) as part of its effort to ensure the optimal physical growth, mental health and general health of students apart from assisting students to gain access to a balanced diet. In this program, students from rural primary schools and those under privileged families are qualified. Students are given a balanced and healthy food during recess. This is similar to a program in the US, where is is called the “Brain Food” program. It is where each class takes a few minutes break about an hour after starting school.
During the break, kids have a small snack of healthy food such as nuts, fruits, vegetables or yogurt to boost their energy. Other than that, The Borneo Post reported on 25 February 2013 in an article where Nestle Malaysia would organism a program to propagate the importance of breakfast and a balanced nutritious meals amongst school children. The Mill Breakfast Movement would employ every sector impacting the health of children to achieve its national goal and to provide schools, families and communities with basic lolls to help children be more active, eat better and get healthy.
Another step taken was the implementation of School Canteen Guidelines (SC) in 1985 by the Malaysia Ministry of Health. The guidelines forbid school canteens from continued selling of unhealthy food and snacks in schools. This is to avoid the nation raising future generations of overweight students and obese adults. According to Dry. Pooh Bee Soon from Sum’s Department of Nutritious and Dietetics, youngsters should be taught to appreciate good eating habits and they should be selective in what they eat. In conclusion, as our country became more developed, people tend to seek out the good life.
The trend of having breakfast seems to be on the decline. The usual excuses are lack of time, not used to eating early and the need to gain extra minutes of sleeping. Breakfast is important to us. The benefits far outweigh the loss. So, hope all of you can take something positive from my talk today. I also hope that my talk managed to persuade all of you to eat breakfast and practice a healthy lifestyle. Once again, thank you for your invitation. Hope to see you again.
