Community Corner
Smart Start to Your Day: Drink Milk for Breakfast
Children that start their day with breakfast perform better in school, studies show.
Research shows that children who start their school day with breakfast perform better in the classroom than those who go to school without a meal. Breakfast eaters perform better on hand eye coordination tasks, miss fewer days of school and do better on standardized tests. In planning your family’s morning meal remember to include some protein and some carbohydrate; one food that fits that bill is milk.
Evidence shows that including protein at a meal helps you feel full longer so adding it to breakfast can help you, and your family, avoid mid-morning “blahs.” Milk is a good source of high quality protein along with a broad package of essential nutrients including calcium, potassium, vitamin D and many others. In addition to providing a good start to the day, when you buy milk between now and Feb. 17, 2013, America’s Milk Processors will make $250,000 in grants to schools across the country.
When you buy milk you can vote to help a local school win a $1,000 Fuel Up to Play 60 grant which can help give kids greater access to a healthy breakfast. If your children grab breakfast at home before heading out the door you know that planning quick and easy breakfast meals is an important step. A few simple options include, oatmeal either topped with milk or made with milk, a smoothie made from milk, fruit, yogurt and peanut butter and of course cereal and milk are just a few simple breakfast options. For a quick smoothie recipe click here.
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As a registered dietitian I’m pleased to work with the Milk Processors on this campaign to help Americans make more nutritious choices. Milk is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and an important part of breakfast. I’d love to see more Americans having milk in the morning to help them get the recommended three servings each day. While I am being compensated for my time helping to share this message, I wouldn’t be sharing this message with you if I didn’t believe that milk at breakfast is one of the best ways to be sure that your family has the energy and valuable nutrients needed to tackle the day.