Importance of Breakfast:
All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. Why Breakfast is often called ‘the most important meal of the day’, and for good reason? Because as the name sounds that breakfast breaks the all-night fasting phase, It replenishes our supply of glucose to heighten our power levels and preparedness, while also providing other necessary nutrients requisite for sound health.
Breakfast and kids:
Breakfast benefits are of most importance, especially for growing ones. Accordingly, too many types of research, it’s a worrying statistic given that taking breakfast has been connected with improved mental, alertness, less obesity, English, and math skills in school children! Almost a third of the world population children regularly go without breakfast before school and are extra likely than classmates to be inactive, unfit, and obese. Research shows that 68% of pupils eat before leaving home, 32% do not. Of the latter, 25% only sometimes have a morning meal and 7% never have breakfast on school days, according to findings which have raised bright concern about children’s eating behavior and general health.
Research shows that girls skipped breakfast for some time or often all the time, on the other hand, Boys often blame lack of time, while many girls missed breakfast because they believe doing so would help out they lose weight become smart.
We found that children who skip breakfast either irregularly or routinely are less fit, less active, less focused in learning and more likely to be overweight or obese than those who always take breakfast, “Researches suggests that “Children with the healthiest weight were always those who regularly had breakfast before going to school.
These findings are worrying because we found more obesity and lower levels of physical and cognitive activity among skippers, which is of great concern because these children are more probable to expand chronic disease in adulthood like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes,
While girls who skipped breakfast are 92% more likely to become obese than female classmates who regularly eat before school, the equivalent figure in boys was 62%. But the boys were much likelier than female ones to have a sedentary lifestyle and, critically, have poor cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness – the best predictor of chronic illness in later life.
Until now it has been thought that children who missed breakfast were more likely to be obese because they snacked during the day and ate late at night. But the study shows that their inactive lifestyles may also play a vital role.
Accordingly, to findings parents should be more concerned towards their kids daily eating habits before leaving to schools and also they are putting their children at a higher risk of being overweight and are also increasing their risk of being socially, physically, mentally unfit and inactive, It’s of great concern that 32% of parents don’t do that, especially as we already know that kids’ concentration, alertness towards learning is worse when they miss breakfast.
The notion that you can spot reduce fat from your belly by eating certain foods is false. Losing fat is all about creating a calorie deficit — burning more calories than you consume. What you can do, however, is make sure that you eat a high-quality, nutritious breakfast that keeps you going until your next meal, fills you up so you don’t snack all morning long and, above all, fits your daily calorie requirements.
Here are some nutritious food which can increase
the energy in our body :
Porridge with a Protein Boost
According to the Whole Grains Council, oats increase your appetite control hormones so you resist the urge to snack, and reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol, and your risk of diabetes. Add some protein to your oats by mixing in a scoop of protein powder once they’ve cooled
Eggs
Due to their high protein content, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, eggs should be a staple in your fat-fighting breakfast menu. Keep things simple with boiled, poached, or scrambled eggs on whole-grain toast or a whole-grain muffin, or make an omelet with extras added.
Yogurt and Fruit
Yogurt is also high in protein and relatively low in carbohydrates, provided you pick plain Greek or natural yogurt. Students who eat meals and take their breakfast perform well on the assessment, cognitive benefits have seen, concentration, problem-solving skills are at max levels.
what is the impact of proper meals and breakfast upon learning of students;
Increased Energy, Work Faster and make fewer mistakes, Mental Performance, Improved Concentration, Alertness, More comprehensive, Sharp memory, Effective Learning, Mood, Weight control, Cognitive ability, Better Test Scores
Skipping Morning Meals and Breakfast results into;
Decreased Energy, Weight gain, Binge eating, Lower metabolism levels, Impairing of mental focus, Increase in the Risk of Diabetes, Lower cognitive level, Mood swings, Fewer test scores, Physically inactiveness
Pakistan should have free meals at their schools.
Pakistan needs to increase the investment in the education sector which is called the tool of prosperity for any nation. Totally free or subsidized school meal programs are offered in schools almost in every country of the world, and there are so many countries that offer school meals totally free of cost to all school children who go to state-run schools for compulsory education. Our neighboring country India is running the largest school meal programs of the world. India’s midday meal scheme is the largest free school meal program in the world that serves 120,000,000 children in over 1,265,000 schools and Education
Guarantee Scheme centers;
it is the largest of its kind in the world.
Children in Pakistan deserve a better life, better learning environment, better healthy physical, mental and social state to maximize their learning outcomes. The present dismal state of health and availability of food puts not only their well-being in jeopardy but it can deprive them of their right to life. This situation needs to be changed because our future depends on how we feed and educate our children. Looking at our region, our next-door neighbor India is providing its 120 million children free meals in schools, some other countries like Bangladesh,Sri Lanka, and Nepal have their own school feeding programs.
Pakistan must have a free or partially funded school meal program for state running school children at least in the most poverty-stricken areas of the country or at least for the more vulnerable population. Only a healthy sound mind and body can produce the best learning and social outcomes. Pakistan’s public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP is estimated at 2.3% in the fiscal year 2019-20, which is the lowest in the region. Compared to international benchmarks, the allocated budget for education is lowest as of the agreed targets of 15-20% of the total budget and 4% of the GDP.
Hunger and under-nourishment problems of millions of school children will be effectively addressed. According to the World Food Program, 60% of Pakistan’s population is food insecure that is much alarming situation for us to reconstruct and revive our policies and financial investment in the education sector. Children form a huge chunk of this food insecure population and along with women, the children are most vulnerable to food insecurity, hunger, and undernourishment. A school meal program can be a great support to these children, adequate nutritious food, at an age when children need it the most for their growing bodies, is very important for their healthy lives.
School meals have educative value for children: Having meals at schools can actually be a learning activity; children will learn about healthy diet, table manners beneficial and discipline, and also would be an increment in enrollment rate too. Children can also be taught hygiene and can gain knowledge about the nutritional value of different food items. Foods with rich nutrients and age-appropriate calories can help children learn better and it can improve their academic performance.
It is time for Pakistani parents, teachers, public stakeholders, and civil society at large, to speak up for their children; it is time to call upon the government to increase its expenditures and investments in the nation’s children. Our children with or without a disability have the right to lead a healthy and happy life, and they have a right to an education that allows them to develop sound minds in sound bodies. An adequately funded and scrupulously monitored national school meal program can be a very effective tool in addressing the vital issues of child hunger, undernourishment, and educational deprivation which are leading to many other social issues in the community.
