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Olympic Gold Medallist James Cracknell campaigns for kids to get the Breakfast
Habit
Olympic Gold Medallist and new dad, James Cracknell, is campaigning for
the health, nutritional and social benefits of breakfast by visiting
British schools to appeal for children to eat breakfast everyday.
Cracknell’s championing of everyday breakfast eating, particularly
among schoolchildren, comes as latest Kellogg's research shows 1 in 5
kids go to school on an empty stomach1 –despite
evidence that eating breakfast can help improve concentration in morning
classes as well as boost memory, academic performance, mood and general
feeling of wellbeing.
Research has shown that a 12-year-old who skips
breakfast has the same mental agility of a 70-year-old in the classroom.2
What’s more, of today’s children currently skipping breakfast,
at least a quarter will then go on to snack on crisps and chocolate
on the way to school and are more likely to snack again at break time.3
James Cracknell said: ‘As an Olympic athlete, I know only too well that
what I eat literally results in how well I perform. You can’t win gold
medals on an empty stomach! My nutritional intake is of paramount importance
to me, my physique and my performance and I never skip breakfast.’
According to the Future of Breakfast 2020 report by the Future Foundation,
commissioned by Kellogg’s, regular breakfast skipping could lead to long-term
effects of children’s mental, physical and social development and
have a serious impact on the overall health of the next generation.
Cracknell continues, ‘If we can instill healthy eating habits into our
kids when they’re really young, and ensure they eat breakfast every day,
it’s likely that they’ll develop these good habits into their adult
lives.
‘A high carbohydrate, low fat breakfast, such as cereal, can make
such an important nutritional contribution to the diet, particularly for
kids, so it’s really important that we give our kids the best start
to the day that they really need.’
Kellogg’s says their breakfast cereals provides at least 25 per
cent of daily requirements for essential B-vitamins and 17 per cent
for iron, refuelling the body and mind for the day ahead.
For more information visit: www.kelloggs.co.uk/nationalbreakfastweek
Research Sources:
1. The Future Foundation: The Future of Breakfast report, September
2004
2. Doctor-Patient Partnership (DPP) Survey, 2001
3. Research conducted by University of Reading, 2003
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