Variety At Breakfast Linked With Better Mental
Health For Teens
May 27, 2008
Adding a banana to a bowl of cereal and milk could be the key to better mental
health in teenagers, according to Australian researchers who have found that a
variety of foods at breakfast is linked to mental functioning.
Presenting her research at the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA)
national conference, dietitian Therese O'Sullivan from the Telethon Institute
for Child Health Research said a high quality breakfast, with foods from at
least three different healthy food groups, was linked with better mental health
in 14 year old boys and girls.
And she said that for every extra food group eaten at breakfast, the associated
mental health score improved.
'Eating a breakfast of toast with a glass of milk and some fruit seems to be
better than just a large serve of toast alone. This may be because mental
functioning is affected by the absorption of a variety of nutrients, including
calcium, iron and B group vitamins,' said Ms O'Sullivan, an Accredited
Practising Dietitian.
The researchers asked more than 800 teenagers what they ate for breakfast, and
scored this based on their intake of the core food groups. Mental health was
assessed using a child behaviour checklist.
They found that just one in four teens ate a high quality breakfast, and the two
most common core food groups eaten at breakfast were breads/cereals and dairy
products.
Disturbingly, a small proportion of teens did not eat any items from the healthy
core food groups for breakfast over the three day study period.
Research has already shown that students who eat breakfast pay more attention in
class, retain more information and are more interested in learning, but this is
the first study to show that variety at breakfast is also important.
According to Australia's last national nutrition survey, high school-aged girls
were more likely to skip breakfast than boys. The report found that around one
in three girls aged 12 to 15 did not eat a regular breakfast, compared with 13
per cent of boys.
Ms O'Sullivan suggests trying the following ideas to increase variety of
nutrient intake at breakfast:
- Add a spoonful of sunflower seeds to your cereal
- Top your toast with a sliced banana
- Sprinkle diced dried fruit over your cereal or add some canned fruit
- For a quick breakfast on the go, prepare a whole grain sandwich with baked
beans and cheese the night before and toast it in the sandwich maker the next
morning.
The DAA 26th national conference will be held from May 29 - 31 at Conrad
Jupiters at the Gold Coast. The conference is titled 'Improving nutrition - a
social responsibility'.
The Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) is the professional body
representing dietitians nationally. Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) is the
only national credential recognised by the Australian Government, Medicare, the
Department of Veterans Affairs and most private health funds as the quality
standard for nutrition and dietetics services in Australia. For more information
visit http://www.daa.asn.au
Background information
- Karen Struthers MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health
(Queensland) will open the conference on Thursday, May 29 at 9am.
Dietitians
Association of Australia
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