THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST

According to the international literature, research findings associate breakfast with the child’s and teenager’s health, body weight and quality of life. Furthermore, breakfast appears to be beneficial to a wide range of age, demographic and socio-economic groups of people. Consequently, Rampersaud et al (2005) make the following recommendations:

• Children and teenagers must eat a healthy breakfast, at home or at school, on a daily basis, without disturbing the energy balance.
• A child’s healthy breakfast must contain all food categories (mainly wholegrain cereals, fruits and dairy products), ensuring in that way the intake of various, necessary nutrients and fibres (US DHHS and USDA, 2005). Diachronic studies have shown that, in the course of years, the teenagers’ breakfast tends to include less and less food categories (Lytle et al, 2000). The consumption of PAPADOPOULOS PETIT-BEURRE wholegrain biscuits or of PAPADOPOULOS Multicereal biscuits with 4 cereals and milk can be a very good alternative for these young people, since it is a pleasant breakfast which doesn’t take much time to be consumed. Let’s don’t forget that the most common excuse of children, teenagers and adults for not eating breakfast is lack of time.
• Children who don’t have time for breakfast at home should consider eating breakfast either at school or on their way to school. Many of the products suitable for breakfast can be consumed on the go, such as Miranda PAPADOPOULOS fresh packs, PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers fresh packs with milk or PAPADOPOULOS Multicereal biscuits with 4 cereals, accompanied by a fruit smoothie (fruit blended with milk).
• Mostly those groups of people who tend to skip breakfast, namely older children and young girls, must be encouraged to eat breakfast. Experts, pediatricians and dietitians, have to recommend to teenagers who wish to go on a diet, to eat balanced meals during the day. Furthermore, they must highlight the value of a good breakfast as well as of physical exercise. Finally, it is essential that the less privileged population groups must, as well, be encouraged to eat breakfast.
• Parents can play a decisive role by planning and encouraging the consumption of family breakfasts containing various nutritious foods. Some parents, themselves skipping breakfast, give the wrong example to their children. Biscuits, however, are a pleasant and easy solution. For instance, a recommendation for parents and children: parents can drink one cup of coffee or tea, accompanied by PAPADOPOULOS Petit Beurre biscuits, while at the same time their children can have milk with Miranda PAPADOPOULOS fresh packs or fruit juice with PAPADOPOULOS Multicereal biscuits with 4 cereals and milk, spending only 5' of their precious time. Besides, there is strong evidence that teenagers with parents who eat breakfast are more likely to eat breakfast too (Keski-Rahkonen, 2003).
• Moreover, the frequency of family meals increases the likelihood that children (Haapalahti et al, 2003) and teenagers (Videon and Manning, 2003) make healthier dietary choices, while it has been shown that parents’ most important influence on their children’s dietary habits actually is the frequency of meals during the day (Videon and Manning, 2003).
• Finally, breakfast must be considered by the entire family as part of an overall effort to prevent illnesses and promote the good health of its members, mostly of the younger ones. This effort includes a balanced diet, an increase in physical exercise and generally a healthier way of life, avoiding any unhealthy habits, like smoking or sedentary lifestyle.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SNACKS

Let’s learn a few more things about snacks!
Many people consider snacks as unhealthy and thus try to avoid them. However, snacking can be a quite healthy and balanced dietary habit, which gives us energy, for instance, before or after exercise or in the intervals between meals, especially if they are long.

The British Dietetic Association (2003)" Food Facts: Help yourself to healthy snacks"

This is important:
It is not the consumption of snacks itself but… what we choose to snack on which can be unhealthy or have implications on the body weight control!
Therefore, we must try to choose medium-fat snacks, rich in carbohydrates and particularly in complex carbohydrates, fibres, vitamins and calcium!

The consumption of snacks (within the framework of a diet, based on small, frequent meals) is not a dietary habit that contributes to weight increase, to the extent that the total energy intake doesn’t exceed the daily energy expenditure (through basic metabolism and physical exercise – energy balance). On the contrary, the consumption of snacks is suggested for a better distribution of the caloric quantity and energy in more than two or three meals per day (Bellisle et al, 1997 & Johnstone et al 2000), which is considered to improve the regulation of the organism’s metabolic parameters (blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides) and the control of body weight (Fabry et al, 1966 & Metzner et al, 1977 & Charzewska et al, 1981 & Edelstein et al, 1992 & Kant et al, 1995 & Summerbell et al, 1996 & Drummond et al, 1998 & Ruidavents et al, 2002 & Ma Y et al, 2003 & Hampl et al, 2003 & Field et al, 2004).

Consequently, it is better to consume more, smaller meals and in the meanwhile snacks during the day, as long as this is done with moderation and within the framework of a balanced diet, which doesn’t disturb the energy balance. The focus must be placed on dietary education for the right choice of snacks, combining balance and moderation.

Snacks can be an essential source of wholegrain food in everyday diet, which has been proven to be quite beneficial to health (Jacobs et al, 1998 & Chatenoud et al, 1998 & Anderson et al, 2003 & Steffen et al, 2003 & Venn and Mann, 2004). Such snacks can be PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers rye as well as wholegrain biscuits (e.g. PAPADOPOULOS Petit Beurre wholegrain biscuits). Wholegrain snacks, as part of an overall, healthy and balanced diet, can be an essential source of fibres and vitamins of the B complex.

Comparison of breakfast or snack choices including PAPADOPOULOS biscuits to other, common choices

1 glass of fresh orange juice and 4 PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers with 60 g cream cheese vs. 1 glass of fresh orange juice and 1 toast with a slice Edam cheese and turkey

*2,58 from PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers
**0 from PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers
***0,64 from PAPADOPOULOS Cream Crackers

5 PAPADOPOULOS Marie biscuits and 1 apple vs. 1 small, trade cheese-pie (100 g) and 1 apple