July 18, 2002

Prairie Fare: The Most Important Meal

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Have you experienced this? Morning came too soon. You prolonged your rest by hitting the alarm clock’s snooze button three times. Bleary-eyed, you drag your body out of bed and manage to shower and dress. But there’s no time for breakfast.

Now it’s about 10 a.m., you’re having trouble concentrating and getting just a bit crabby. Any form of food will do. There’s a stray chocolate-covered donut on the counter. The candy bars in the vending machine look especially appealing.

"Breaking the fast" with some nourishing food is a good idea for everyone. If you feel a little sluggish when you forego your morning meal, there’s good reason. You’re running your engine on empty. Eating breakfast restores your body’s supply of blood glucose, the brain’s main fuel source.

Researchers have shown that eating breakfast improves school performance. Children who skip breakfast have trouble staying on task in school and become tired and irritable. Due to research linking school performance with breakfast consumption, in 1966, Congress first approved the school breakfast program in sites where children had long bus rides or most mothers worked. Now, thousands of schools participate.

A researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX recently reported on the overall nutrition of 700 ninth grade Louisiana students who participated in a study. Nearly one in five skipped breakfast. Teens that ate breakfast were more likely to meet at least two-thirds of the daily recommendation for calcium, iron, riboflavin, folacin, iron, vitamins A and D and other nutrients. They also ate less fat. Those who ate breakfast tended to eat more healthfully all day. And breakfast skippers usually didn’t make up for the nutrients they missed at breakfast.

What’s the best breakfast? Another group of researchers studied 40 adults, feeding part of the group a "balanced breakfast" containing some protein, carbohydrates and fat. The other group received a low-protein breakfast. Those who ate the balanced, protein-containing breakfast performed better on tests involving thinking and concentration. But almost any breakfast is better than no breakfast.

Some people skip breakfast to trim some calories and, potentially, body weight. Among teens and adults, however, skipping breakfast is linked with a higher body mass index. In other words, you probably won’t be getting thinner by foregoing your morning meal. When you’re reaching for anything edible by mid-morning, calorie intake can go well beyond a 300-calorie milk and cereal breakfast.

If time is the issue, grab a container of yogurt and banana on the run. Do you have a minute? Wrap some cheese in a tortilla, microwave 20 seconds and fill your cup with orange juice. How about a peanut butter and banana sandwich or leftover pizza and milk?

Here’s a recipe that can be mixed up in the evening, refrigerated and baked in the morning. It’s great for lunch or dinner, too. It was developed by USDA for the school breakfast program.

Breakfast Burritos

4 eggs
2 Tbsp. frozen corn
1 Tbsp. low fat milk
2 Tbsp. fresh green peppers, diced
1/4 c. onions, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (optional)
4 flour tortillas (8-inch)
1/2 c. salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, blend the eggs, corn, milk, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, mustard, garlic, hot pepper sauce and salt for 1 minute until eggs are smooth. Pour egg mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 9 x 2- inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked. Wrap tortillas in plastic and microwave for 20 seconds until warm. Be careful when unwrapping the tortillas; the steam can be hot. Cut baked egg mixture into 4 equal parts and roll 1 piece of cooked egg in each tortilla. Serve each burrito topped with 2 Tbsp. salsa.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 208 calories, 8 grams fat and 24 grams carbohydrate.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu