Over the past nine weeks, we have explored healthy eating for athletes and have established that most high school athletes do not have to eat differently than MyPlate recommendations to obtain the nutrition they need to perform at their best. Still, it is important to remember that the choices you make at dinner, lunch, snack and BREAKFAST are all critical to ensuring you receive the nutrition you need for academic and athletic success.
Last week, we celebrated National School Breakfast Week. While it remains debatable which meal is the most important, there is no debating that breakfast is essential for students and athletes who are looking to perform in school and on the field, and have better overall nutrient intakes. Research confirms that breakfast eaters perform better on standardized tests, work faster and make fewer errors in school and work, have improved brain activity in mathematical thinking with fewer errors on math equations, and are better able to concentrate on learning and be more creative.
Regardless of the benefits, many students still find it challenging to eat breakfast every morning, and find themselves skipping this morning meal for many different reasons.
What kind of breakfast skipper are you? Determine your breakfast barriers and learn ways to avoid breakfast skipping in your busy life.
SLEEPER
- “I’d rather sleep than eat” is your life mantra.
- You set your alarm five minutes before you have be out the door, enough time to brush your teeth and put clothes on.
- Your number one breakfast complaint is that you don’t have time to make breakfast.
Breakfast solutions: You are a grab-and-go breakfast eater. Does your school offer healthy grab-and-go breakfasts like those available with fueluptoplay60.com grants? Other healthy grab-and-go breakfasts can be made at your house in the evenings. Try making a large batch of smoothies to store in the refrigerator in to-go cups or keep individual servings of chocolate milk and easy to eat fruit, such as bananas, in the kitchen at all times.
BRUNCHER
- You are never hungry first thing in the morning.
- Food tastes weird after you have just brushed your teeth.
- You become ravenously hungry around 10:30 a.m. every morning.
Breakfast solutions: Breakfast in the classroom is your best solution, you get the nutrition you need a bit later in the morning, but before you need the energy to learn. Does your school offer breakfast in the classroom? Have you expressed interest in breakfast in the classroom to your teacher or kitchen staff? As a bruncher, it is likely that you may enjoy eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day. When eating snacks, try to incorporate multiple food groups. When you are not hungry for a meal first thing in the morning, a glass of white or chocolate milk will provide energy that sticks with you until your mid-afternoon snack.
APATHETIC:
- You know the benefits of eating breakfast but never know what to eat.
- You would rather chat with friends before school than taking the time to eat breakfast.
- You become bored quickly by eating the same meal day after day.
Breakfast solutions: Making a list of your favorite things to eat in the morning will be helpful for you. Share this list with your family so that you can all make a plan for what to eat in the mornings. Remember, leftovers such as cheese pizza with vegetable toppings can make a delicious, nutritious breakfast.
Once you have determined the barriers you have to skipping breakfast, it is fun to come up with creative ideas to tackle this problem. Please share your ideas with us on social media at facebook.com/WesternDairyAssociation or using #westerndairy on Twitter. Breakfast is important for athletics, academic and overall health- providing both energy and critical nutrients your body needs to perform at its best.
Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit westerndairyassociation.org/health-and-nutrition/milk-and-sports-nutrition to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.