The Importance of Breakfast

Breakfast has often been described as the most important meal of the day; both children preparing for a hard day at school and busy parents going to work and looking after the kids need to start the day with the right ‘fuel’ to keep them going.

Breakfast literally means “Breaking the Fast” from the last meal or snack from the day before. For most people this will be at least 8-10 hours, and for children who eat earlier in the evening, it can be as long as 16hrs! Energy levels are therefore low in the mornings, and your body needs an energy boost, in the form of food, to kick start the day.

‘Mood and Food’, a report commissioned by LURPAK into British breakfast habits offers some hints and tips for the perfect, nutritionally balanced, tasty breakfast for all the family.

• Breakfast provides an excellent opportunity to eat a variety of foods, from something light, to a more substantial meal, depending on your needs at the time.
• Breakfast cereals are almost all fortified with minerals and vitamins, so along with low fat milk, provide a nutritious, balanced meal. If you have a glass of fruit juice too, the vitamin C in the juice helps to absorb the iron in the cereal.
• If you prefer toast in the mornings, there’s lots of different types of bread or bread based foods to choose from, e.g. granary, wholemeal, bagels; rye bread; bread rolls etc. Served with a scraping of butter or spread and a little jam or marmalade, and a glass of fruit juice, this makes an easy, no-fuss healthy breakfast.
• When it comes to cooked breakfasts, you can make these healthier too, by grilling instead of frying, poaching or scrambling eggs, and limiting portions of sausages and bacon. Add extra tomatoes, mushrooms or baked beans instead, to boost vitamins, minerals and fibre! 
• For a light breakfast, opt for low fat yogurt with fresh or dried fruit.
• Breakfast provides an ideal opportunity to count towards your 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables: a glass of fruit juice provides your daily vitamin C; top breakfast cereals with dried apricots, raisins, prunes or with fresh strawberries or banana; and remember tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans all count too!
• Some people find that eating foods with a moderate or low Glycaemic Index (GI) help to keep them fuller for longer. Carbohydrate foods with a high GI tend to be absorbed more quickly than those with a low or moderate GI, resulting in a sharp rise in blood glucose levels, followed by a drop again quite soon afterwards. This can make you feel hungry again more quickly than eating a food with a moderate or low GI. Eating these foods results in a moderate rise in blood glucose levels. Foods with a low or moderate GI include porridge, granary bread and other wholegrain cereals. 

A number of studies have shown that eating breakfast regularly leads to improved mood and better memory. Breakfast eaters also tend to be less stressed and feel calmer. Adults perform better in mental tasks after eating breakfast, and children who eat breakfast perform better in school.  

Breakfast should ideally provide around one quarter (25%) of your daily nutritional requirements. Skipping breakfast, whether due to lack of time or trying to lose weight, can mean missing out on essential nutrients, and studies have shown that breakfast skippers are unlikely to make up for these losses later in the day. This can have a negative effect on both short and long term health.

To help you make your breakfast special, LURPAK® are launching their Perfect Breakfast campaign and have teamed up with ceramicist Emma Bridgewater to make breakfast beautiful.

Ceramicist Emma Bridgewater has created a bespoke range for LURPAK which can be put together to form the perfect ‘Deskfast Set’ – a large mug and small plate – that will make you the envy of the office, or collect the whole set to create a stylish breakfast table at home, from teapot to butter dish.

Each item can be purchased separately to create your very own breakfast set to fit your lifestyle, whether it’s a quick bite at work or a more laid back weekend.Bridgewater’s signature style brings a smart setting to the Perfect Breakfast.The range is available to purchase from www.emmabridgewater.co.uk

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