A l l about Breakfa s t What you eat and drink is called your diet To eat a balanced diet try not to have the same foods every day There are so many tasty foods and drinks to choose from at breakfast time why stick to the same things every day The Human Machine The human body is a machine that needs energy to work Energy is released from the food we eat and used by our bodies Meat Fish Chicken Eggs and Beans These foods contain protein Eggs are often eaten at breakfast time 4 Fruit and Vegetables You should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day They should make up about a third of what you eat Frozen canned and dried fruits and vegetables all count Try to eat lots of different types A glass of fruit juice counts as one portion so try to have one at breakfast time Make a Good Start Eating a good breakfast will give you the energy to concentrate throughout the morning If you do not have breakfast you may feel tired and grumpy until you can eat at lunchtime
Exercise When you exercise you use up the energy from the food you have eaten To be healthy you need to eat enough food but not too much If you eat more food than your body needs it is turned into fat If you do this all the time you keep getting fatter Playing a sport walking riding your bike or dancing are all good ways to exercise Other people may enjoy exercising with you Starchy Foods You should eat starchy foods every day they should make up about a third of what you eat A portion of bread or cereal at breakfast time is a good start to the day Choose whole grain or whole wheat varieties A Healthy Body To stay healthy your body needs some things found in food and drinks Vitamins and minerals help to keep you from getting sick You also need them for your body to grow and work properly Different foods contain different vitamins and minerals To make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need eat plenty of fruit and vegetables as well as a range of other foods Fiber is needed to help your body digest the food you eat 5
Go Shopping If you go shopping for food look at the food labels Some foods are very good for you Foods that are high in salt sugar or fat are bad for you if you eat them too often Choose whole grain or whole wheat bread and breakfast cereals They have lots of vitamins minerals and fiber see page 5 They also have lots of flavor Milk and Yogurt Milk and all types of yogurt are a good choice to put on cereals at breakfast time Use 2 milk as it has less fat Look at the labels on yogurt and choose the ones lowest in sugar and fat Shopping and Planning Planning preparing and cooking great-tasting food for yourself friends and family is great fun and you get to eat well too Think of all the things you would like to make for breakfast in the next week Look through this book for some new ideas for breakfast recipes Make a shopping list of the things you need Make a shopping list of the things you need to make a tasty breakfast every day for a week 6
Look for low-salt low sugar and low-fat foods particularly if the fat is saturated fat on food labels Plan Ahead Breakfast time can be a rush so prepare things in advance if you can Pancake batter fruit salad and smoothie drinks can all be made the night before you need them and kept in the fridge Fruit bars see pages 16-17 will keep for a few days in a plastic container When you wake up you will know that you can make a delicious breakfast quickly Water You need water for your body to perform well You get some water from the foods you eat You should drink six to eight glasses of water a day more in hot weather Sugar Fat and Processed Foods Foods from this group should only be eaten occasionally Avoid white bread and white sugar Look for cereals that do not have added sugar Sausages and bacon are often eaten for breakfast They have a lot of fat in them Just have them every now and again as a treat Use only a small amount of butter or oil in cooking Make sure you drink enough water 7
