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March 7, 2002
March is National Nutrition
Month:
Breakfast and nutrition tips from the
Intercollegiate College of Nursing
Wake up and eat! Over 30 percent
of Americans eat breakfast out of the home. Half
of those are grabbing food and eating on their
way to work with one-third consuming their meal
in the car. This “grab and go”
approach can make it tough to get a healthy meal.
Without breakfast, it is hard for people to get
the recommended five fruits and vegetables for
the day. Planning ahead is the best approach for
late risers. Pre-pack your breakfast the night
before for a healthy meal to go. Options include
whole grain breads or bagels, fresh fruit, yogurt
mixed with dried cereal, blender drinks of fruit
and dairy, cheeses, and power bars. Many people
are not hungry early in the morning; they can eat
a grab and go breakfast during a mid-morning
coffee break.
According to Intercollegiate College of
Nursing/WSU College of Nursing Instructor and
Certified School Nurse Sue Perkins, the best way
to guarantee better nutrition in the morning is
simply getting up just five or ten minutes
earlier, the amount of time you may already be
spending in the drive-thru lane. These added
minutes allow enough time to, for example, eat a
bowl of fortified cereal, which is an excellent
source of vitamins, minerals and folic acid. For
assistance in reaching Perkins, sperkin@wsu.edu,
contact Susan Nielsen, College of Nursing
communications director, at (509) 324-7372,
susann@wsu.edu.
Yuck, I don’t want that!
While much attention has been given to school
breakfast programs, 70 percent of children are
still eating at home in the mornings, or maybe
they’re not. School breakfast programs have
eliminated a big chunk of the problem for
children who miss breakfast at home, but not all
kids are taking advantage of the breakfast
program and some are not eating breakfast at all
and coming to school hungry. According to
Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of
Nursing Instructor and Certified School Nurse Sue
Perkins, excuses children have for missing the
most important meal of the day include not enough
time, parents not available to help them with
breakfast, not hungry in the mornings or a
dislike for breakfast foods.
Help your child by packing a mini-breakfast to go
the night before that can be eaten on the bus or
during a morning recess. If your child gets up
just five minutes earlier, there may be time for
a bowl of healthy cereal. Perkins says it’s
important to teach kids that they can fix their
own breakfast at home without much fuss by
setting ingredients out the night before. Toast
and peanut butter, cereal and milk, instant
oatmeal and juice are all things kids can do by
themselves. For picky eaters who don’t like
breakfast foods, offer non-traditional meals in
the morning. Perkins supports giving your child
leftovers, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or
a bowl of chicken noodle soup for breakfast if
this is what they will eat. Any kind of food in
the morning is beneficial when the alternative is
starting the day on an empty tank with no
nutrients. For assistance in reaching Perkins,
sperkin@wsu.edu,
contact Susan Nielsen, College of Nursing
communications director, at (509) 324-7372,
susann@wsu.edu.
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