EAT BREAKFAST FOR HEALTH AND LEARNING

Citing a wide range of recent research, 2 new issue briefs from the Food Research and Action Council highlight the importance of eating breakfast to children’s health and learning.  The research shows, among other things, that (1) skipping breakfast and experiencing hunger impair children’s ability to learn, (2) eating breakfast at school helps improve children’s academic performance, and (3) breakfast in the classroom programs and programs offering breakfast free to all children in the cafeteria yield other positive results. In terms of health, the briefs reveal that school breakfast participation (1) improves children’s dietary intake, (2) decreases the risk of food insecurity, and (3) may protect against childhood obesity. 

Source: Food Research and Action Council, 5/14, Learning, Health