Good Breakfast Equals Good Grades

 

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

It is back to school time in much of the world. Calm, easy mornings are replaced with busy, hurried ones. Children wake up early and get ready for school. Many parents are also getting ready for work, helping² their children and preparing food for lunches.

But, don’t forget about breakfast!

When things get wildly busy in the morning, some people skip breakfast to save time. But that may be a big mistake for students.

Whether at home, on the way to school or at school -- eating something healthy for breakfast may help a student get better grades.

Welsh study

That is the finding³ of a 2015 study from Cardiff University in Wales. Researchers there looked at 5000 9-11 year-olds from more than 100 primary schools in the U.K. They looked at what the students ate for breakfast and then their grades six to 18 months later.

They found that the students who ate a healthy breakfast were twice as likely to perform above average in educational activities. The researchers also found that unhealthy breakfasts – such as potato chips or a donut did not appear helpful to educational performance.

In 2013, an organization in the United States, also looked at possible connections between breakfast and student success in school. The Share Our Strength's campaign, No Kid Hungry, found that on average students who ate breakfast provided⁴ by their school attended 1.5 more days of school per year. These students also scored 17.5 percent higher on standardized⁵ math tests.

How many children do not eat breakfast?

But, are there really that many children who do not eat breakfast? The answer is yes.

Experts at HealthyChildren.org say that in the United States about 8 to 12 percent of all students in grade school (Kindergarten through 8th grade) do not eat breakfast. By the time students are in high school (grades 9 – 12), 20 to 30 percent of them ignore the morning meal.

In Canada, researchers at the University of Waterloo looked at the eating habits of 42,000 students during the 2014-15 school year. The students represented 87 grade schools in Alberta and Ontario. The study found that “39 percent of students reported eating breakfast fewer than three days in a usual school week.”

What is a healthy breakfast?

Health experts suggest that the best breakfast is a mix of complex carbohydrates⁷, protein and fat. This gives your body the energy it needs to think clearly and to remember what it learns.

This was the 2005 finding of researchers at Tufts University in the U.S. They found that when it comes to giving the brain what it needs to work at its highest level -- not all breakfasts are created equal.

In their report, they explain that the brain needs glucose⁸ to work well. The best breakfast should include complex carbohydrates that slowly release⁹ energy to the body. Whole rolled oats, whole grain bread or low-sugar granola are examples.

But the report explains, simply eating a breakfast rich in carbohydrates may make a student tired.

So, adding protein helps to prevent that. Having a protein such as milk, yogurt, eggs or meat can help students to feel full longer. Oatmeal, the researchers say, is an example of a breakfast that is rich in fiber¹⁰ and protein. It releases¹¹ energy slowly because it is a whole grain food. So, students will feel full longer.

Health experts on the website LiveStrong also suggest not eating too much for breakfast. This can also make a person feel tired and unable to think clearly. They say eating between 350 and 500 calories in the morning is a good amount of energy to start the day.

Breakfast is not just good for students

A good breakfast is not just helpful for school-aged children. We all may gain from eating something healthy first thing in the morning.

A study from researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada found that a breakfast rich in protein and complex carbohydrates increased performance on short- and long-term memory. Carbohydrates and protein are especially important because they have a major effect on long-term memory.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

skip – v. to pass over or omit¹² an item, space, or step

standardized – adj. in line with a standard

carbohydrate⁶ – n. any one of various substances found in certain foods (such as bread, rice, and potatoes) that provide your body with heat and energy and are made of carbon, hydrogen¹³, and oxygen

glucose – n. a simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms¹⁴ and is a component¹⁵ of many carbohydrates. : a type of sugar that is found in plants and fruits

fiber – n. plant material that cannot be digested but that helps you to digest other food

granola – n. a mixture of oats and other ingredients (such as brown sugar, raisins, coconut, or nuts) that is eaten especially for breakfast or as a snack

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

4 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

5 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

6 carbohydrate   

n.碳水化合物；糖类；(plural)淀粉质或糖类

参考例句：

• You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
• Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。

7 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

8 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

9 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

10 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

11 releases   

v.释放( release的第三人称单数 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• Nuclear fission releases tremendous amounts of energy. 核裂变释放出巨大的能量。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Zemel says that when calcium levels are low, the body releases a hormone that helps squeeze the most out of every available milligram of the mineral. 泽莫尔博士说，当人体中的钙含量偏低时，身体里就会产生一种荷尔蒙，它能帮助肌体最大限度地吸收所摄入的钙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 omit   

v.略去，省去，遗漏；疏忽，忘记做某事

参考例句：

• Don't omit this paragraph when you write your report.写报告时不要删去这一节。
• Tell us everything that occurred.Don't omit any detail.告诉我们所发生的一切。不要漏掉任何细节。

13 hydrogen   

n.氢元素，氢气

参考例句：

• Water is made up of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.水由氢和氧的原子构成。
• A chemist can isolate the oxygen from the hydrogen in water.一个化学家能把水中的氧和氢分解。

14 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

15 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。