Eat Breakfast Activity

Discuss the rationale behind eating breakfast.
- Breakfast literally means "break the fast." The purpose of breakfast is to break your overnight fast and replenish nutrients you need to start a new day.
Discuss the benefits of eating breakfast daily.
- Helps you perform at a higher level in school and in sports
- Improves your overall energy level, both mentally and physically
- Increases your ability to concentrate
- Helps you maintain and achieve a healthy body size
Discuss how you feel when you skip breakfast. What are the consequences?
- Some possible answers: get headaches, feel sleepy, are less focused, feel irritable, eat more later to "catch up," grab sugared snacks/beverages to stop the hunger, overeat later in the day
Have youth review breakfast goal-setting, provided bellow, and discuss.

Breakfast Pitfalls and Solutions

Think about whether these breakfast pitfalls apply to you:

Breakfast is a "missing link" in my day.
I need some "wake-me-up," tasty food choices added to my breakfast menu.
"I'm late!" is the phrase that comes to mind when I try to decide whether or not to eat breakfast.

If you're tired of the same breakfast, mix it up! Try the following ideas, or create your own.

Egg burrito (Scrambled egg in tortilla wrap, with leftover cooked rice, potatoes, black beans, or the veggie of your choice—onions and peppers are great!)
Leftover veggie pizza or spaghetti
Tortilla with low-fat cheese
My Eye Opener idea is __________

When you're running late, try these healthy tricks to get a good start on your day:

Low-fat string cheese and whole wheat crackers
Whole grain cereal bar and skim milk
Dried fruit bits mixed in with dry cereal and eaten like a snack food, washed down with a glass of skim milk

My goal(s) for eating breakfast:

Eat breakfast every day
Eat breakfast at least ____ days a week
Change some of my breakfast choices. I'm going to add things like ___________________
Other breakfast goal ________________

Used with permission of Healthy Kids Challenge.