Sept 14, 2011 Success: It Starts with a Good Breakfast
- Written by Lindsay Irvine
It’s 10:30am on a workday. I’ve been staring at a blank word document, waiting for inspiration for a final report, and the words just won’t come. I notice a slight headache. Then my stomach grumbles and I remember: I downed my first coffee easily enough, but somewhere throughout the morning, breakfast fell off my "to do” list.
Skipping breakfast is my (poor) choice, but for over 12,000 students in Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin, missing breakfast may be the only option at home.
Breakfast and Learning- A Direct Correlation
The next time you try to power-through to lunch sans breakfast, consider this: Harvard researchers found that students who ate breakfast were "…significantly more attentive in the classroom, earned higher grades in math, and had significantly fewer behavioural and emotional problems.”
Startling Stats
50% of food bank recipients in our community are children
31% of grade 4 students do not eat breakfast, by high school this number increases to 62%
1 in 10 Canadian children (637,000) live in poverty and are at risk of starting their day on an empty stomach.
A child may miss breakfast for many reasons: very little or no food available to them at home, not making enough time before they leave the house, or they may be hungry after a long bus ride and haven’t been provided with enough food to sustain them through their day.
Through my work with our Food and Friends student nutrition programs, I had the pleasure of meeting one very bright student named Jill, age 7, who was late for school every day because her single parent would sleep in and did not get up to help dress her, brush her hair, or walk her to school let alone give her a healthy breakfast.
The good news for children like Jill, and any other student who wishes to take part, is that here in Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin, Food and Friends has 80 student nutrition programs available to students through their school. Through a student nutrition program, children and youth can change their whole learning experience by starting their day with a healthy meal, giving them the nutrients they need to focus in class. According to research done by the Food Research and Action Centre, "…providing breakfast to students at school improves their concentration, alertness, comprehension, memory, and learning.” Their research also notes that children facing hunger are more likely to have repeated a grade, received special education services, or received mental health counselling.
The nutrition programs contain menu plans sanctioned by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. A meal (i.e. breakfast and lunch) must contain at least three of the four food groups of Canada’s Food Guide with at least one serving from the Vegetables and Fruit food group and at least one serving from the Milk and Alternatives food group. Many students have an opportunity to try healthy foods they haven’t been exposed to before.
Investing in our Future
Every child should have the same opportunity to achieve success and thrive in school. For some children, the food served in their student nutrition program is their only food for the day. Through student nutrition programs, our future business leaders can access a healthy breakfast, snack or lunch in a safe and inclusive environment, so that they can focus on their goals, not their grumbling tummy.
Speaking of grumbling tummy, it’s time for this professional’s breakfast!
