"I know I have a hard time concentrating if I'm hungry," said Bush. "Imagine being seven and sitting in class with your stomach growling, then being expected to listen to your teacher and think about math."
Free breakfast, priceless boost
West Carrollton School District students enjoy a delicious and nutritious start to their day, thanks to the efforts of Tina Pett, the district's food nutrition supervisor. Pett said that when she took over the position, she noticed a disturbing trend: teachers were regularly coming to her office in search of food to give to hungry students.
So she did some research, obtained grants through Action for Healthy Kids, and West Carrollton's school breakfast program was born.
"We offer [breakfast] free for every student in the district," explained Pett. The morning meal consists of a warm entrée, a piece of fresh fruit, milk and juice.
Benefits of breakfast
Research shows that physical activity and improved nutrition – especially starting with a healthy breakfast – may lead to improved academic performance, behavior and attentiveness, while decreasing absenteeism, anxiety and visits to the school nurse.
Dairy foods like milk, yogurt and cheese, are an important part of a healthy breakfast -- they amp up the nutritional value and satisfy hunger for longer because the protein in them takes longer to digest. Yet 85% of Americans still aren't consuming the recommended three servings of lowfat or fat-free dairy foods every day.
"Milk is a great addition to breakfast because of the protein and nine essential nutrients in it," said Karen Bakies, registered dietitian and nutrition affairs director for the American Dairy Association Mideast. "Dairy as a companion, such as cereal and milk, is an easy way to incorporate it into breakfast." In fact, milk is the number one source of calcium, vitamin D and potassium in children's diets, and eight ounces of milk provides eight grams of high-quality protein.
Lactose intolerant?
For those with lactose intolerance, there are simple ways to incorporate dairy into breakfast via lactose-free milk, yogurt with live and active cultures, and aged cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss. And yogurt doesn't have to be limited to just cups but can include yogurt-based smoothies and parfaits. Bakies explains that physician documentation indicating a lactose intolerance is necessary for schools to be able to offer lactose-free alternatives as part of the school breakfast, and school policy must be followed.
Bakies is often asked how to improve children's diets, and including breakfast as a healthy start to every day is a small step that can make a big difference. At a time when families are busier than ever, school breakfast programs provide a convenient alternative. The programs also ensure that children from lower-income homes receive breakfast each day.
Julie Bush agrees, "[School breakfast in the classroom] doesn't take away from what we need to accomplish, but it does assure that all students who are hungry have the opportunity to eat so that they can concentrate on learning."
March 7-11 is National School Breakfast Week. Check to see if your school has a breakfast program, and if they do, ask for menus and encourage your child to eat breakfast at school. If your school doesn't have a formal breakfast program, ask the school food service director if there are any morning breakfast options available to students, or if they plan to start a program. Click here for more information on school breakfast programs.