Breakfast and mental health

By Health Tips & Technics

Parents, please note, just by adding a piece of an apple or a glass of hot milk to your child’s breakfast you could protect them from depression, anxiety and disobedience, a new study has claimed. A team at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth has carried out a study of more than 800 students and found that a complex breakfast is directly linked to better mental health in kids.

According to lead researcher Therese O’Sullivan, this may be because mental functioning is actually affected by the absorption of a variety of nutrients. Cereal and milk in particular supply calcium iron and B vitamins that assist neurotransmitters, chemicals needed to transfer information in the nervous systems that are directly responsible for behavior and mood. For their study, the researchers enlisted over 800 14 year old girls and boys and analyzed their breakfast intake over three days. They found that just one in four teens ate a high quality breakfast containing three or more of the five food groups, cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, and meats and alternative like beans, nuts and eggs. Those who ate from more food groups for their morning meals scored higher on a child behavior checklist, with an improvement in mood seen for every extra food type added the study revealed.

It didn’t matter what they added, just that they added something different like a banana to their cereal to make that meal more complete with vitamins and minerals. From what we found, that makes a huge difference. “For every additional food group added the mental health status improved markedly across the sample, ”the Age quoted O’Sullivan as saying.

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Healthy Breakfast

Taking the time to eat healthy in the morning is something that most Americans don’t do. If you want to eat healthier, then use a breakfast to begin a routine of life long health. As your mother always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and medical science has proved her right. If you’re on the go, and need to eat a cereal then its okay to do so, but know what type you need for a healthy breakfast.

You might not realize that eating after waking up means that you’re replenishing your body from the previous night’s fast. You’re literally breaking the fast, and you don’t need unhealthy foods shoved into a body that’s already depleted. Besides if you eat a healthy breakfast you’ll maintain your weight and your mental functioning throughout the day will be chipper too. Eating a healthy breakfast just makes common sense, and your body will love you for choosing one.

Many people eat breakfast cereal to start their day off, but most breakfasts of this type are not a healthy breakfast at all. Most grain based cereals don’t have the correct amount of complex carbohydrates that the body needs. Fiber has a lot of these types of carbohydrates, but most cereals on have fine grain in them without the other bulkier substance that makes you healthy. For a healthy breakfast you need over 30 grams of fiber, and it should consist of soluble and insoluble fiber.

By eating something that includes insoluble fiber it eases gastro intestinal problems. Your stomach and bowels will empty easier, and studies have shown that it reduces intestinal and colon cancers. Insoluble fiber works by sucking water into the intestines, and it eases passing stools. Soluble fiber in a healthy breakfast plays an important role too because the stomach contents won’t empty too fast. Other studies have shown that this cuts down on the incident of diabetes, and clogged arteries of heart disease.

Processed cereals don’t help you because they are loaded with sugar, and often don’t contain the right amounts of potassium. Doctors recommend supplementing your healthy breakfast with a fruit like a banana that’s high in this necessary vitamin. If you’re a man you need to be concerned with having a good proportion of the mineral selenium in your healthy breakfast because this too cuts down on the risk of colon cancer.

Eating well in the morning is the way to go. It starts off your day right by cutting out unnecessary eating binges at lunch, and lots of snacking in between meals. It provides a way for your body to digest easily, and improves mental functioning too. Eating a healthy breakfast inspires others that you love to do the same, and you’ll be around a long time to enjoy your time together.