Breakfast: Most Important Meal of the Day

Anyone who doubts that breakfast is the most important meal of the day clearly hasn't awoken to the sound of a hungry baby at 5:00 a.m. lately. While babies--to paraphrase the Rolling Stones--not only get what they want but also what they need, less dependent children in hurried lifestyles are not always so fortunate. Some students think that eating a candy bar on the bus is just fine, and many (particularly teen girls) believe they can skip the breakfast calories now in order to eat more later. Breakfast: Most Important Meal of the Day explodes these fallacies, outlining the proven benefits of a good breakfast, such as better concentration, more energy and stamina, and even weight loss. Underscoring the importance of 'breaking the fast' with essential nutrients from proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, the program employs excellent graphics to illustrate how the body metabolizes them. Dietary information has become so hopelessly hyped and muddled over the last decade (the food pyramid is mentioned here, which is important even though it is currently being revised), it's little wonder that many students, not to mention their parents, are relatively clueless about what constitutes “good eating.” Bundled with a solid teacher's guide featuring vocabulary, pre-and post-viewing discussion questions, online resources, and a short quiz, this is highly recommended. Aud: I, J, H, P. (R. Reagan)