Hyderabad: According to a study published in Nutrition and Health, 50 per cent of adolescent boys and girls do not have a proper breakfast. The study is based on a survey of 500 adolescents from Telangana state.
According to the study, 50 per cent of adolescents consume only beverages, like tea, and bakery goods, like biscuits or bread, for breakfast five days a week. They have proper meals only on weekends.
Researchers Usha Laks-hmi and Dr K. Rajendra Rao found that the first meal can have a significant impact on one’s energy levels. Students who do not have proper breakfasts tire easily and are unable to concentrate.
Dr Rao said, “The nutritional deficits of the first meal are not compensated in subsequent meals by 30 per cent of students. They have poor eating habits with diets that are high in carbohydrates, fats and junk foods. This results in a deficiency of micronutrients and iron in their bodies. Twenty per cent of students have been found to have protein deficiencies.”
Most adolescents consume one of two types of breakfasts, either bakery goods and beverages, or traditional foods and beverages. The mean energy of 50 kcal is insufficient. The intake of micronutrients, protein and iron throughout the day is low, and this leads to anaemia and energy deficiency.
Ms Lakshmi said, “Dietary deficits lead to nutrient deficiencies in the growing years. Most teenagers are not aware of the foods that they should be eating to have high energy levels and to be nutritionally complaint. A very strong food-based educative approach is required to bring about these changes.”
