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Breakfast does the body good

Ah, summer! No school, no schedules, no reason for kids to wake up early.

Or is there?

Although the typical morning rush usually subsides when warm summer mornings-turned-afternoons keep once-diligent students lazing beneath the covers, sleeping in and skipping out on a nutritious breakfast means losing out on essential nutrients the body needs to help kids and adults perform their best.

No matter how tempting sleeping in may be for kids recovering from the nine-month school marathon, summer is no time to slack off when it comes to earning straight A's in good nutrition.

Dr. Christopher J. Reid, a chiropractor and diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition who works with Reid Chiropractic & The Nutrition Center in Springfield, Ill., says breakfast is extremely beneficial for children.

Reid said a 1998 study published in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Classroom Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatrics found that children who ate breakfast perform better in math. In addition, fewer cases of hyperactivity were reported in the classroom - and now that kids are on summer break, that could mean less hyperactivity at home. Children attended school on a more regular basis, missing fewer days of class.

A nutritious breakfast also benefits adults, helping them combat diabetes. Eating breakfast can also help with metabolic syndrome.

"Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases among adults and children," said Dr. Paul Mach of the Holistic Healthcare Alliance in Springfield. "A low-glycemic breakfast will even out blood sugar and help with your day's glycemic stabilization."

In addition to providing a source of protein, essential fats and carbohydrates, eating breakfast actually helps people lose weight.

"A body's fat-burning mechanisms are most active in the morning, while fat storage is most active in the evening," Reid says. "Adelle Davis (1904-74), considered the first health authority among modern food nutritionists who had any form of professional background, said people should 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.' Breakfast should be our biggest meal early in the morning when we can burn the most fat."

What not to eat Mach says most marketed breakfast foods are unhealthy, lacking the essential nutrients the body requires to function.

"A lot of breakfast foods cause a sugar-insulin rush in a 'fasting' person," he said. "High-glycemic foods that most people consider healthy because they are low-fat, such as bagels, are not good to eat in the morning.

"Other foods like toaster pastries, most cereal, and a glass of orange juice are pure carbohydrates and are high glycemic and will spike the blood sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index, which convert to sugar rapidly in the body, will give you a rush of energy but will cause you to feel tired around 10 or 11 a.m. once the sugar rush is gone and your body's blood sugar crashes."

"Yogurt that is not organic usually has a high amount of sugar and is not healthy," Mach says. "Yogurts marketed for children as nutritious are like eating a candy bar." Instead, prepare foods with organic yogurt for children.

Mach suggests avoiding many breakfast meals served at fast-food restaurants.

"Meats and cheeses and high-glycemic breads tie in with cardiovascular disease, obesity, and a myriad of other diseases," he says.

So what foods should be on the breakfast plate?

Reid claims a well-rounded breakfast includes protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Good examples of breakfast protein include a hard or soft-boiled egg or leftover chicken or fish. A chunk of banana, a few berries, and a couple slices of orange or pineapple provide a healthy source of energy from carbohydrates.

Consuming a small handful of raw nuts or a capful of flax oil or fish oil will provide the body with the necessary fat intake.

The oil in fish contains DHA and EPA. DHA, found in some baby oil formulas, stands for docosahexaenoic acid. EHA stands for eiposatentaenoic acid. Both of these acids help the brain and body to function.

"Quality fish oil, flax oil, and raw nuts and seeds provide essential fats the body needs to stay healthy," Mach said.

Other items Mach recommends include fresh organic fruit, organic eggs, and vegetable omelets, or a quality protein smoothie with fresh fruit and organic yogurt. Foods made with true whole grain are also important for a healthy diet, he said.

For parents and children, the morning rush can put a cramp in the morning - and their diet.

Mach recommends foods such as Ezekiel bread or heavy-grain bread with nut butter or pecan and almond butter for busy moms, dads, and kids. A bowl of oatmeal (non-instant) with raw nuts and raisins is also quick and easy.

What if meals are hard to come by? For most families on the go, eating a healthy breakfast can prove challenging, not only because of time constraints but also due to financial setbacks.

Government-sponsored school meal programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, help put nutritional meals within children's reach.

The School Breakfast Program (SBP), an offshoot of the National School Lunch Program, is a voluntary organization available to public schools, private schools and residential childcare institutions. The nonprofit program offers breakfasts that comply with federal nutrition standards.

State Journal-Register