It is Farmhouse Breakfast Week, starting 20th January and going on for the whole week. While breakfast is seen as the most important meal of the day, around half of us skip it and those who do take part it can become a stressful and rushed event fitted between making packed lunches and finding socks ready to go off to school.
It is important to understand then that:
- Breakfast eaters tend to be slimmer than breakfast skippers.
- Eating breakfast can aid concentration and mental performance at work and at school.
- It provides you with the nutrients and energy needed for an active lifestyle.
- Research shows that breakfast eaters are less depressed and have lower levels of stress than breakfast skippers.
Farmhouse Breakfast Week is run on behalf of arable farmers who grow crops such as wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and demonstrate the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available around the country.
It’s important to instil healthy breakfast habits into your children from a young age. For breakfast, children can enjoy bread, cereals, milk and fruit which are all important elements of a healthy balanced diet and provide nutrients which are less likely to be made up later in the day.
Healthy breakfast tips for your children:
- Young children have higher energy requirements and can soon be filled by too much fibre so a mixture of white and wholemeal bread is best.
- Look for breakfast cereals that are fortified with nutrients such as vitamin B, vitamin D and iron if you want to boost children’s intake.
- Check the labels to select breakfast cereals that contain less salt and sugar.
- Add fresh or dried fruit to breakfast cereals to provide sweetness, rather than sugar.
- Add a glass of fruit juice because vitamin C from the juice will help iron absorption from the cereal or bread. Iron is an important nutrient for growth and development and is often in short supply in children’s diets. Include foods such as milk and dairy products (e.g. yogurt) as these contain calcium which is important for healthy teeth and bones.
- Always include a drink (e.g. milk, water, fruit juice) to ensure children start the day well hydrated.
- Try smoothies made with fresh or canned fruit, fruit juice and low fat milk and yogurt.
- Provide fresh fruit, cartons of fruit juice or fortified breakfast cereal bars for lunch boxes.
It may also be worth finding out if your children’s school run a breakfast club. If you are really struggling for time in the morning you can send them to a school breakfast club which is a great social time for them to interact with other pupils and teachers too.
The easy to use each page for inspiration for breakfast time
Visit the website at http://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com and get inspiration for the week. Once you start, it becomes habbit and weekday breakfast time is transformed. They have a fantastic page with recipies to suit all, just select your criteria.
Search within your local area for events all this week, gotohttp://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/events/map
Share your breakfast with the nation during Farmhouse Breakfast Week by taking part in#BreakfastWatch, which aims to be the biggest online celebration of breakfast ever!
Simply upload photos of your breakfast with the tag #BreakfastWatch via Twitter, Facebook, Instagramor Pinterest and we’ll share these with breakfast lovers across the country.