8 Sep : As part of National Nutrition week celebrations, the Division of Health Education, Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Center organized a Healthy Breakfast recipe competition for the Dietitians and Poster making competitions for the school going children on various topics such as Balanced diet, Food Pyramids, Chocolates: How good or bad, Importance of Soya beans, Obesity and other Lifestyle disorders etc.
Unhealthy trend of Skipping breakfast is present in half of the young adolescents in the study being conducted by the Department of Pediatrics funded by ICMR. Parents should carefully select healthy food from the barrage of convenience foods nowadays available in the market. A balanced breakfast, consisting of carbohydrate, protein, healthy fats and appropriate amount of fiber (try for two or three grams a serving) gives a more constant release of energy, delaying hunger pangs.
If your children seem uninterested in what is served, try getting creative. Breakfast doesn’t have to be boring! Various participants for the Breakfast recipe competition had a number of attractive recipes to display. Dr Alka and Dr Anju Gupta had tough time in deciding the winners of the competition. Eshita from Govt. Home Science College bagged the first prize followed by Deepika from Govt Medical College , Sector 32, Chandigarh . She made an attractive breakfast consisting of Veg Mc Puffs with Wood log roll and Rose squash. Third prize was shared by Chetna Pathania from GMCH Sector32 and Monika from PGIMER, Chandigarh .
A poster making competition was conducted in Govt .Model Sr sec School Sector 10 and Dav Model School , sec 15, Chandigarh . Jatinder Singh, Pawan and Deepak of Standard 9, Govt Mode School Sec 10, Chandigarh were awarded the 1st prize. The second prize was shared by Shifali, Kulbir and Nisha.In DAV the first place was bagged by Pallavi ,Anchal and Anjali, followed by Jasdeep, Mohit and Divyank Sharma for the second place.
The American Dietetic Association emphasizes not only the importance of breakfast but the quality of foods children consume. Breakfast is just a healthful combination of favorable carbohydrates—grains, fruits, and vegetables and of course milk.” Parents should not let breakfast become a casualty of their hectic morning schedule. Just a few time-saving tips can help you to start the day off right.
· Prepare the night before. Laying out uniforms, checking school bags , school shoes and setting the breakfast table ahead of time gives you a less frenzied start to your day.
· Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning—you’ll be surprised how much more relaxed you’ll be with extra minutes and the child can actually enjoy breakfast
· Have breakfast alternatives at the ready. Take personal preferences into account
What can a parent to do if her child doesn’t have an appetite early in the day? “Don’t let kids get away with not eating. Even small is good,” says Dr Bhavneet Bharti. In such a child calories can be spread evenly throughout the day.
Research shows that kids who eat breakfast fare better in school, and have a healthier diet, Eating breakfast promotes proper growth and maximizes school performance, too. That’s because it’s usually easier for breakfast-eaters to meet their daily nutritional needs.