Five Surprising Reasons Young Swimmers Should Eat Breakfast
Five Surprising Reasons Young Swimmers Should Eat Breakfast
By Jill Castle, MS, RDN
Is your swimmer a breakfast eater or a breakfast skipper? Research tells us that 8 to 12 percent of all school-aged kids skip breakfast, and by the time they enter the teen years, as many as 20 to 30 percent of them have completely given up the morning meal.
According to a 2008 study in Pediatrics, kids and teens that ate a daily breakfast had a lower body mass index (a measurement of weight status in relation to height) than those who occasionally ate breakfast or skipped it all together.
This dietitian wants the young swimmer to eat breakfast. Here are my reasons why:
Breakfast provides approximately 20-30% of the swimmer’s daily nutrient intake.
Eating a daily breakfast means young swimmers have a better shot at meeting their nutrient needs on a daily basis, and less pressure to eat and meet those nutrient needs later on in the day. For example, including fruits and veggies in the morning meal means swimmers don’t have to play catch-up at the mid-day meal or at dinner (which seems to be the case for many athletes).
Swimmers can also target key nutrients such as fiber, calcium and vitamin D quite easily by eating fruit, whole grain breads and cereals, or dairy and non-dairy substitutes such as milk, soymilk, yogurt, eggs, or fortified cereals, respectively.
Breakfast helps swimmers meet their high calorie needs.
Young swimmers generally require more calories than
Learn more here:
According to a 2008 study in Pediatrics, kids and teens that ate a daily breakfast had a lower body mass index (a measurement of weight status in relation to height) than those who occasionally ate breakfast or skipped it all together.
This dietitian wants the young swimmer to eat breakfast. Here are my reasons why:
Breakfast provides approximately 20-30% of the swimmer’s daily nutrient intake.
Eating a daily breakfast means young swimmers have a better shot at meeting their nutrient needs on a daily basis, and less pressure to eat and meet those nutrient needs later on in the day. For example, including fruits and veggies in the morning meal means swimmers don’t have to play catch-up at the mid-day meal or at dinner (which seems to be the case for many athletes).
Swimmers can also target key nutrients such as fiber, calcium and vitamin D quite easily by eating fruit, whole grain breads and cereals, or dairy and non-dairy substitutes such as milk, soymilk, yogurt, eggs, or fortified cereals, respectively.
Breakfast helps swimmers meet their high calorie needs.
Young swimmers generally require more calories than
Learn more here:
