The Case for Eating Breakfast – Why the Morning Meal is A Key Contributor to Overall Health

A healthy, well-balanced breakfast meal can help deliver a slew of nutritional benefits essential to overall health and well-being

Dubai, UAE, 18 August 2015: The word breakfast literally means ‘breaking the fast’. For some people, especially younger children, the overnight fast can last up to 16 hours. The body needs a healthy breakfast to help refuel energy levels in the morning – so it can power through the rest of the day with ease. 

Today, the familiar saying ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ is overwhelmingly supported by research findings. However, despite knowledge of its benefits, skipping breakfast is becoming common practice in the Arab Gulf – for example, it has been reported that 44% of students in the UAE1 and 50% of students in Oman2 are regularly missing this essential meal.

While family mealtimes have traditionally been a core part of life across the Arab Gulf, a rapid shift towards a more westernized eating pattern means that they are increasingly changing. Shared mealtimes are far more than just a time together socially; researchers across Europe and the US have shown that family mealtimes have a significant impact on family communication and functioning and the development of healthy eating patterns in children. They can even improve literacy rates and school performance3. Conversations and discussions over a shared meal help to develop children’s confidence and communication skills for the future4.

The fact is, breakfast boosts mental and physical performance in both adults and children, with teachers commonly observing that hungry children cannot learn effectively. Research upholds this observation5. Those who eat breakfast have been shown to select critical information more efficiently during problem-solving tasks6; perform better in both mathematical and creative tasks7; and demonstrate improved accuracy on a range of cognitive function tests8. 

Adults also benefit mentally from eating breakfast. In a series of memory and recall tests, those who had eaten breakfast performed significantly better at memory tasks compared to those who had not eaten a breakfast meal. Recollection speed also improved9,10.

Since its founding, leading cereal brand Kellogg’s has remained dedicated to promoting the positive effects of a healthy breakfast, one that meets the nutritional requirements and needs of both children and adults. The brand has long believed that, as the first meal of the day, a well-balanced breakfast is pivotal to maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. It is also key to helping children and adults fill nutritional gaps in their daily diet.

“A bowl of Kellogg’s cereal provides at least 20% of the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) for 6B vitamins (thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid), and at least 15% of the NRV for iron,” explained Kellogg’s Nutritionist Anne-Sophie Bourhis. “Many cereals also contain 25% of the NRV for Vitamin D per bowl! Iron and folic acid are important nutrients as they help to reduce tiredness and fatigue. So are vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, which help to boost energy by releasing it from the food we eat. ”

The case for eating breakfast is therefore clear: it provides vital nutrition; it makes us more alert; helps keep us fit and healthy; and improves performance and behaviors at school and work.