Beirut, 18 April 2016: Nutritionists from across Lebanon gathered in Beirut to discuss the latest recommendations on what constitutes a healthy breakfast at a scientific event organized by Nestlé Middle East, with whole grains emerging as a key ingredient to help maintain healthier body weight1-3, reduce coronary heart disease risk4,5, and lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes5,6.
“Breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and gives you the energy you need for the rest of the day, with studies showing that eating breakfast is associated with a number of health benefits, including maintaining a healthy body weight, enhancing children’s school performance, and helping people meet their nutritional requirements,” said Ece Durukan, Regional Nutrition and External Affairs Manager-Asia, Middle East, Africa at Nestlé.
On average, breakfast contributes less than 20 percent of daily calories, while delivering more than 30 percent of needed calcium, iron and B vitamins7. People who eat breakfast also tend to consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber over the course of their day8. In addition, studies show that nutrients missed at breakfast, namely calcium, fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals, are rarely made up for during the day9.
Based on the daily food groups and estimated energy recommendations, a quick and wholesome breakfast should include one portion of whole grain such as whole grain breakfast cereals or whole-wheat bread, complemented with semi-skimmed milk, a fruit and an optional source of proteins such as eggs or nuts.
The nutritionists gathering in Beirut was held in line with Nestlé’s commitments “to promote healthy diets and lifestyles” and “reduce sugars in our products” as published in its first Nestlé in Society report for the Middle East in 2015.
Nestlé Breakfast Cereals’ focus on contributing to providing better food and better lives was boosted recently with an announcement that it achieved the company’s commitments at the end of 2015 for products popular with kids and teens to:
- Be made with more Whole Grain than any other single ingredient
- Be a good source of calcium per serving (15% of RDA per serving)
- Contain 9g total sugars or less per serving
- Contain 135mg sodium or less per serving
“We continue to help empower and inspire parents around the Middle East with practical knowledge on planning nutritious breakfast meals, made with whole grain, for the whole family,” concluded Durukan. “Nestlé Breakfast Cereals is committed to making breakfast better every day for both adults and kids.”
Difference between whole grains and refined grains:
Refined grains are produced when parts of the whole grain (typically the germ and bran) are removed during processing. Losing parts of the grain leads to a loss of the nutrients associated with the part of the grain that is removed. Whole grains can be found in a variety of cereals, including wheat, oats, barley, rice, and corn.