Observer Online | Kick-Start Your Day With Breakfast

Edition of Aug. 31, 2007

Kick-Start Your Day With Breakfast
Back to school blues? The aisles are jammed with "back to school" sales in most stores, and all of the Sunday newspapers are jammed with sales, sales, sales. School supplies, notebooks, lunch money, completed forms and backpacks are all ready. There is just one more ingredient to a successful start-breakfast.
Often called the most important meal of the day, breakfast is the one meal that should not be skipped, particularly if the children are going to have a very hectic, demanding day. This is especially true if they are involved in sports. Studies at the University of Iowa Medical College showed a connection between eating a nutritious breakfast and improved physical and mental performance. Most elementary schools start the day with the core subjects, math, English, spelling and reading. Children who skip breakfast are likely to be listless and to have trouble concentrating. Another study by the Human Nutrition Center at the University of Texas in Houston showed that, among children ages 9 to 11, skipping breakfast interfered with their ability to solve problems. While learning difficulties cannot all be traced to lack of breakfast, eating a nutritious breakfast could be a good first step.
Given the low level of blood sugar after an all-night fast, the above findings are hardly surprising. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that in half of American families, one or more persons regularly skip breakfast. Half of the nation's school children leave the house with little or no breakfast, according to a survey last year. Consequently, there are many school systems that regularly offer breakfast to their students.
Some people insist they are just not hungry in the morning and could not think of eating soon after they get up. Chances are that this is habit rather than metabolism. While it is acceptable to delay breakfast, it is never a good idea to delay much-needed fuel to the body until lunchtime. Portable breakfasts are easy to make and can be eaten anytime during the morning.
But what is a good breakfast? Dietitians agree that a good breakfast should contain protein, a nutrient that stimulates alertness and helps stave off mid-morning rushes for a sweet roll or doughnut. An adult's breakfast should contain about 1/3 of the day's protein, or about 15 to 20 grams, such as found in 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 ounces of hard cheese, 2 cups of milk or yogurt, 2 ounces of cold chicken or turkey or a 10-ounce serving of bean soup. Some of these foods are not what I would consider "breakfast foods," but they are meant to give a comparison with other sources of protein, to encourage some new thinking about the importance of protein in a breakfast.
Another important component of breakfast is a juice or fruit that contains vitamin C, such as oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupes, and apple or cranberry juice (with vitamin C added). Recommended quantities are half of a cup of juice, half of a grapefruit, a whole orange, a quarter of a medium melon, or half of a cup of berries. If you are sensitive to high-acid juice or fruit in the morning, skip it and have it later in the day, and substitute milk. Carbohydrates, important for immediate energy needs, should also be in a breakfast menu, particularly including whole grains, such as whole-wheat toast or muffins, or a bran or oatmeal muffin. These complex carbohydrates are very rich in nutrients.
With some schools starting very early, and children getting on buses at 7 a.m., it is no wonder families skip breakfast. My secret to a guaranteed breakfast is start the night before. I even set the table the night before and pack lunches. For cooked cereal, I have the dish ready to slip into the microwave as soon as I add the water. Pancakes can be made ahead and frozen, and defrosted in minutes in the microwave. It is the same with homemade French toast and waffles. Scrambled eggs can be made the night before, reheated and rolled in small flour tortillas with chive and onion cream cheese. Pack this same mixture into a nutritious English muffin and you have an instant hit with kids. Muffins can be made ahead and frozen, defrosted and put into a backpack. Ready-to-eat cereal, homemade granola and yogurt generously covered with fruit are other favorites. Even cottage cheese, placed on whole-wheat toast, and generously spread with apple butter on top is tasty.
As a change to pancakes and syrup, spread apple butter over the pancake, or a very good jam, then low-fat vanilla custard yogurt, topped with fresh fruit of choice. This is delicious and children enjoy making their own stacks. Bottom line is two things: it takes a little more planning and about 15 minutes of extra time to put together a decent breakfast in the morning. You do not have to resort to Pop Tarts, the food industry's instant powdered drink-of-the-month or granola bars to put a good breakfast on the table. Even a package of sliced cheese and fruit, or almonds and walnuts, eaten in the car on the way to school with juice, is better than a Coke and some chips.
More importantly, starting with breakfast should become a lifelong habit, both for optimum performance and stamina on the job and in school. My mother was a teacher for 46 years, and she was a staunch advocate of a good breakfast because she saw what a difference it made in her students over the years. Her top students were almost always the ones that started their days with a good breakfast. It could be a tradition worth starting this year as school begins again.

Sarah's Homemade Granola
1/2 cup butter or margarine, or a combination
1/4 cup honey
3 cups rolled oats (regular or quick, I prefer regular)
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds (toasted or untoasted)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup wheat germ (optional)
2/3 cup raisins
In a large 9 x 13 baking dish, melt the butter or margarine and stir in the honey. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the wheat germ and raisins, and bake the mixture in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, stirring it several times. Stir in the wheat germ, if desired, and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the mixture is lightly browned. Remove the granola from the oven, and stir in the raisins, and cool the granola completely before transferring it to a storage container.

Minnesota Oatmeal
4 cups skim milk, or 2 cups low-fat or skim milk and 2 cups apple juice
2 cups rolled oats (regular or quick, not instant)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar
In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, oats, salt, raisins, and apples. Bring oatmeal to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover the pan, and simmer the cereal, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds, and cook the oatmeal for another 5 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve the oatmeal sprinkled with more cinnamon and sugar, if desired.

Three Rivers Bed and Breakfast Bran Muffins
3 cups All-Bran
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup raisins
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
4 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
In a large bowl, combine cereal, oil and raisins, and pour the boiling water over them. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, and molasses. Add this to the partly cooled cereal mixture. In another small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the cereal mixture, stirring just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. cover the batter with plastic wrap, and let it stand for about one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups, and divide the batter among the cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven, and when they are slightly cooled, take them out of the tin and place them on a rack to cool completely. These can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.

Apple Bread
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cup chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
Mix eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla together. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture alternately with apples to the first mixture. Mix thoroughly. Stir in nuts. Bake in 2 well-greased and floured loaf pans at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Do a toothpick test after 50 minutes, they may be done by then, and do not overbake. Serve sliced, or toast chilled thick slices in a toaster for a quick breakfast.
Shake It Up
3/4 cup low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 cup fresh fruit of choice
1 tsp. sugar, or more if needed
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 ice cubes, or 1/3 cup crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and frothy.

Cottage Cheese Toast
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 slices of whole wheat toast
Cinnamon
Sugar
Sliced fruit (bananas, peaches, apples, raisins or dates)
Divide cottage cheese among the 4 pieces of toast, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the cheese with cinnamon and sugar, and top with sliced fruit. Place on a toaster tray, and heat them in a toaster oven, or under a broiler, for just a few minutes. Or use a good jam or apple butter in place of the fruit.