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For mothers, the first ‘battle’ of the day starts right at the breakfast table. Almost every mother is faced with the day-to-day challenge of preparing a healthy yet appealing and appetizing breakfast for her children before they head off for school. More often than not, children are picky at the breakfast table, probably because they have yet to shake off the last traces of sleep, plus the anxieties of the morning rush.

Most Filipino mothers intuitively realize the importance of breakfast. While all meals are sources of fuel, breakfast stands out as the most important meal of the day because it is this meal that provides the brain with the glucose it needs to start the day after 10-12 hours of sleep. Studies suggest that a breakfast full of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber that slowly release glucose into the bloodstream helps improve memory and concentration - - two most crucial elements for learning among school children.

Unfortunately, the typical Filipino diet may not always be rich in complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber, which have been shown to occur naturally and in substantial qualities in whole grain. For breakfast, most Filipinos eat polished rice, a refined grain that is already devoid of some nutrients, including dietary fiber. Dietary fiber has proven to be nutritionally beneficial to growing children and adults alike. Health and fitness experts are one in recommending dietary fiber as a nutrient that can prevent many health problems, such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease and certain types of cancer, as well as childhood obesity. Even the United States Food and Drug Administration has not only approved the inclusion in food labels of health claims that dietary fiber can help prevent these diseases, but has even recommended eating at least 3 servings of whole grains each day.

Recognizing the need to promote public awareness on the importance of whole grain to a healthy breakfast regimen, Nestlé launched on January 24, 2008, its Healthier Breakfast Advocacy through the “Whole Grain Campaign”. The campaign forms part of Nestle’s Nutrition and Wellness program. The kick-off activity was attended by luminaries in the medical, scientific, education, and nutrition communities headed by former Department of Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, multi-awarded Nutrition Scientist Dr. Trinidad P. Trinidad, and Nestle & General Mills Cereal Partners Worldwide Global Nutritionist Brigid McKevith. Mayor Ma. Lourdes Fernando of Marikina City, who also graced the event, welcomed the city’s partnership with Nestle in the implementation of the “Promoting Good Nutrition and Healthy Breakfast” — a nutrition advocacy program which seeks to promote the value of whole grain diet and healthy breakfast among school children and the community. Assistant Secretary Teresita Inciong of the Department of Education recognized the value of the campaign as she exhorted parents to feed their children healthier breakfast.

Whole grain, which is acknowledged to be one of the best sources of dietary fiber, is not popularly known among Filipino mothers. Due to time and budgetary pressures, many mothers tend to serve processed meat products for breakfast, even if these are loaded with excessive amounts of refined sugar, sodium and cholesterol and have no real nutritional value. Moreover, these instant fixes do not provide the necessary fuels to see their children through their morning activities as these food items are made of refined grains and sugars that quickly release glucose into the bloodstream, which falls just as quickly after an initial spike. When their blood sugar falls, these children will once again become lethargic and unable to concentrate on their task ahead.

In contrast, children who take breakfast with whole grains are able to sustain their physical and mental performance and do well at school throughout the day. This is because whole grains slowly release glucose in the body, providing it with a longer lasting source of energy. In fact, studies have shown that adding whole grain into one’s breakfast has been proven to be most effective in helping people stay alert throughout the morning. It is not surprising then, that all over the world, whole grain is becoming an important part of people’s diets. Children, in particular, stand to benefit from the inclusion of whole grains into their cereals, as this provides them with the energy that lasts the entire morning.

Understandably, mothers would first want to know about whole grain before serving these to their families. Like fruits and vegetables, whole grains contain a powerful mix of natural essential nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein that provide many health benefits. A whole grain, whether it is corn, wheat, rice, or oats, among others, is the entire edible portion of any grain, including the germ (inner part), the endosperm (middle layer), and the bran (outer shell). Refined grains usually contain only the endosperm. Common whole grain products include whole wheat cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, and whole wheat bread.

The benefits of whole grain equate to more than the sum of all its parts. To further illustrate the superiority of whole grain over refined grain, one can take whole grain wheat as an example. Whole grain wheat has 13% dietary fiber as opposed to just 1% dietary fiber found in refined wheat. In addition, whole grain has four times more zinc, six times more Vitamin B, six times more phenol and four times more iron, than refined grain. Whole grain delivers the full benefits of dietary fiber. It helps maintain regular bowel movement as well as normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Whole grains are also linked to weight management, thus, people who eat more whole grain tend to have a healthier body weight.

Thankfully, the benefits of whole grain will now be made readily available to more Filipinos following Nestle Philippines’ ground-breaking initiative to include whole grain in all of its cereals. Among those now available in the Philippines, Koko Krunch was the first to be transformed into a whole grain cereal. A new Nestlé Whole Grain symbol will appear on all packages to help identify Nestlé breakfast cereals that are made with whole grain — proof of Nestle’s commitment to the development and nutritional well-being of Filipino children.

Understanding the benefits of whole grain, mothers will become confident knowing that they are setting their children on the right track, that is, on the road to good health and the sound foundation of a healthy lifestyle.

(photos by Noemi)