Breakfast: can children afford to miss it?
Overview
Recently, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) led a webinar on the importance of higher fibre breakfasts for school children. This is part of their ongoing Action on Fibre campaign to ‘bridge the gap’ between the currently low intake of fibre in the UK, and the government’s recommendations for optimum health. This is of key concern to schools because children who don’t eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to have poor health and poor educational outcomes.
Our Registered Dietitian, Tess Warnes, summarises the webinar and demonstrates how, whilst children are on school premises, you can improve their attendance and attainment without breaking the budget…
State of the nation
According to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), 1 in 10 children who start school at the age of four are already obese. This figure rises to one child in every five by Year 6. They are eating too much sugar and salt, and are not eating enough fibre, oily fish, fruit and vegetables.
The lack of fibre in children’s diets is having a detrimental effect on their gut health and primary-age child constipation rates have risen by 60% in England in the past decade. “We know from the national diet survey that fibre intakes are not adequate. Coupled with food poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, it does impact children,” said Rebecca McManamon, a consultant dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.
According to The Food Foundation, an independent policy think tank that aims to change the food system and improve access to healthy food, 4 million children are now living with food insecurity, and this is backed up by the BNF’s recent research among primary education providers which found that 31% of teachers surveyed said that children were coming to school hungry.
Hungry children are less likely to concentrate and more likely to exhibit behavioral problems, which in turn affects both attendance and attainment.
What is being done to improve health outcomes for children?
The issue of hunger affecting attendance and attainment is corroborated by the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield, who conducted a free breakfast club trial in a Liverpool school with higher fibre breads donated by Jacksons of Yorkshire. They followed this with a wider trial of a high fibre bagel in 170 schools in Leeds, 89% of whom already provided breakfast for their pupils on free school meals. Their findings in both locations demonstrated a positive effect on both attendance and classroom behaviour, and emotional problems and hyperactivity declined because of the breakfast programme. This backed up other ISF research which proved that habitual breakfast consumption has a positive association with academic performance – the equivalent of a rise of two GCSE grades!
The government is fully aware of the benefits of breakfast for children so, as part of their Plan For Change, the Department for Education has confirmed that 750 schools will trial a free breakfast club from April 2025, removing barriers to opportunity by making sure every child starts the school day ready to learn. Schools will be encouraged to offer healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts, with examples from high-fibre wheat biscuits and porridge to fresh fruit and yoghurt, to comply with the existing School Food Standards.
Sir David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action said that “Family Action welcomes the government’s announcement of the 750 schools who have been selected to take part in the Early Adopters Scheme. We know that an effective breakfast provision delivered in a supportive and enriching environment can make the world of difference to a child.”
What makes a healthy breakfast for children?
After going 10 – 12 hours overnight without food, children’s energy reserves are low, so they need fuel to start the day. However, they need the right fuel. Tess sounds a note of caution that, “only 3% of breakfast cereals and 5% of yogurts marketed to children are low in sugar. It is important to give sugary cereals or yoghurts a miss and go for alternatives that offer less sugar and more fibre.”
The government has set out fibre recommendations for different age groups:
- Age 2-5: 15g per day
- Age 5-11: 20g per day
- Age 11-16: 25g per day
So, what does that look like in food terms for a primary school pupil? Tess gives you some breakfast ideas that won’t blow the budget:
- Swap two slices of white toast with jam and a glass of orange juice (1.6g total fibre) for two slices of wholemeal toast with 100g of baked beans and an orange (13g total fibre). allmanhall works with Jacksons of Yorkshire whose Multigrain bloomer gives 2.2g of fibre per slice, so even one slice of this will make a positive difference.
- Give children a bowl of porridge topped with fresh bananas, blueberries, and coconut flakes (6g). You could even use frozen berries as these are much cheaper than fresh, are just as nutritious, and minimise food waste.
- A bowl of natural yoghurt topped with fresh, dried, or frozen fruit, and seeds will offer a lower sugar option than a branded fruit yoghurt.
- If children prefer to go for a bowl of cereal, offering a high-fibre option such as bran flakes or wheat biscuits gives them around 4g of fibre (depending on the brand) which can be supplemented with a topping of fresh, dried, or frozen fruit, and seeds, to add extra fibre.
- For an on-the-go option for pupils who don’t want to sit and eat, a breakfast muffin made with banana and bran provides around 5g of fibre per muffin.
A healthy lunch keeps up the good work
Tess emphasises the importance of healthy eating throughout the school day, not just at breakfast. “At breaktime, an apple gives 2g and a banana 1.4g of fibre or go for plain popcorn (20g gives 3g of fibre) or two oatcakes (1.5g).”
allmanhall have also created a library of healthy Hero Recipes which gives you healthy, affordable and sustainable recipes for your pupils. “For lunch, offer your pupils hummus with rye crackers or a wholemeal roll and a rainbow of vegetable sticks (carrots, celery, cucumber and red peppers) to boost a pupil’s fibre intake by 5g. Don’t peel any of the vegetables, though – this saves time and minimises food waste but also increases the fibre which is mostly found in the skins On a chilly day, give them a hearty bowl of butternut squash soup with 3g of fibre per serving.”
Swap white rice for brown rice which contains significantly more fibre than white rice because it retains the bran layer, which is where most of the fibre is found. White rice has the bran removed during processing, leaving it with little fibre. A typical serving of brown rice may have up to 3 grams more fibre than the same amount of white rice. If your pupils aren’t keen in this idea, a mixture of white and brown rice might be a happy compromise for everyone.
Lentils and beans are some of the cheapest, most filling foods around, and the best way to increase fibre consumption. For a deeper look at pulses, read our recent blog. In a mince-based pasta dish such as spaghetti Bolognese or lasagne, replace half the meat with red lentils to increase the fibre content. By swapping out 50% of the red meat, it’s great for the planet too – the dish’s carbon emissions are reduced by 35%. You can boost the fibre even more by using wholemeal pasta as it contains almost 50% more fibre than white.
By removing 50% of the beef in a cottage pie, for example, and replacing it with lentils, your catering team can reduce the carbon impact by 41% and achieve a massive 70% cost saving! You could add sweet potato to the normal potato topping for even more fibre.
Serving healthy food at school makes everyone a winner
When children don’t eat a healthy breakfast, they are more likely to have poor health and poor educational outcomes. Being given a hearty breakfast that’s high in fibre and other nutrients means children can concentrate in lessons, they are less likely to be disruptive and they perform better.
Providing not just a healthy breakfast on school premises but a nutritious lunch too doesn’t have to cost the earth – with advice from the food procurement experts at allmanhall, you can source ingredients at prices that won’t break your budget, alongside valuable dietetic support to give your pupils the best start in life.
Get some great Hero recipes here and here.
Contact our team now for help.