By Stephanie Schupska
University of
Georgia

Bacon, eggs, biscuits, fruit, omelets, pancakes, turkey-and-
cheese sandwich — one of those items doesn’t make the typical
breakfast list. But a University of Georgia nutrition expert
says it’s not necessarily the normal that makes the best
breakfast.

When it comes to starting the day off, the best breakfast is
the one that gets eaten.

“People who skip breakfast miss out on vitamins, minerals and
fiber that they need,” said Kelly Bryant, a UGA Cooperative
Extension nutrition education specialist. “Breakfast is an easy
way to get nutrients such as calcium and vitamin C in your
diet. Pick foods from three to five food groups. They don’t
have to be traditional breakfast foods.”

A turkey-and-cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with a half-
cup of 100-percent juice provides items from four food groups.
An English muffin minipizza with a piece of fruit or a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of
milk covers three food groups.

“Leftovers from the night before are fine,” Bryant said. “Even
cold pizza is fine, although it would probably be good to have
fruit or juice with it.”

Breakfast is about putting fuel into the body, she said. After
eight to 12 hours of fasting while asleep, you need breakfast
to help prepare for the day’s activities, especially when
you’re a child.

“While nothing can take the place of studying hard, eating a
healthful breakfast daily will help give you the edge you need
to do these things,” she said. “Research shows that people who
eat breakfast daily tend to be better nourished overall than
those who do not.”

Breakfast is important for people of all ages. But as children
get older, they tend to eat breakfast less often.

“The main reason given for this is that many older children and
adolescents feel like they don’t have enough time,” Bryant
said. “The second is that many students are concerned about
their weight. And sometimes they don’t eat because they’re not
hungry.”

Recent research has shown that eating breakfast may help
prevent children from becoming overweight. But while eating
breakfast is better than going without, Bryant says some foods
should be limited.

“Limit foods with increased amounts of added sugar and fats
like donuts, pastries and soft drinks,” she said. “Soft drinks,
especially for children, crowds out important nutrients they
should be getting from milk and juice.

“Look for 100-percent juice,” she said. “If the carton
says ‘fruit drink’ or ‘fruit beverage,’ it has little to no
juice in it and has added sugar.”

For parents and adults with crazy schedules, Bryant said, it’s
best to have easy breakfast foods available.

She suggests keeping whole grain cereal, peanut butter, string
cheese, 100-percent juice, bagels, English muffins, yogurt,
fruit and low-fat milk on hand.

Add fruit and milk or cheese to a pop tart or toaster strudel,
she said. Or try these quick and easy breakfasts:

* Waffle sandwich: Put peanut butter and honey or syrup
between
two waffles. Add fruit.

* Tortilla roll-ups: Spread peanut butter on a tortilla,
top
with banana slices and roll it up.

* Bagel minipizza: Top a whole wheat bagel or English
muffin
with tomato sauce and cheese and pop it in the microwave or
toaster oven.

Other quick, healthy options are a bowl of instant oatmeal or
some dry cereal paired with yogurt and fruit.

If a drive-through restaurant provides breakfast, choose an egg-
and-cheese English muffin over a fried chicken or sausage
biscuit. Some places may offer a fruit and yogurt cup, and most
offer low-fat milk. And that carton of fruit juice “is a good
way to add fruit,” Bryant said.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)