Smoothies May Be The Solution To Getting Kids To Eat Breakfast At School

And now it’s time for the Bullseye. Our moms made us eat breakfast and drilled into our brains that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and it’s true – but there is a bigger issue. Getting kids to eat breakfast is the key. First the facts, according to the Food Research & Action Center kids who have access to breakfast at school have:

• Better performance on standardized tests 
• Significantly higher scores in spelling, reading and math
• Improved attendance, behavior and academic performance as well as decreased tardiness
• Higher levels of concentration, alertness, comprehension, memory and learning
• Better cognitive function, attention and memory
• Improved performance on mathematical tasks, vocabulary tests, demanding mental tasks and reaction to frustration
• Fewer examples of depression, anxiety and hyperactivity

So, as with so many tug of wars between what we know we should do and what we actually do, approximately 82 percent of kids aged 2-19 actually eat breakfast every day according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, approximately 60 percent of high school students skip breakfast each morning. It gets worse as we get older. According to a study from the Kellogg Company of 14,000 Americans only 34 percent eat breakfast every day. So how do we get people to continue the habit as they are older? The complaints grow as the kids do. I don’t like the food, I’m too tired to eat, I’m late for school, the list goes on and on. Barfresh Food Group in Los Angeles thinks they have the solution. Twist & Go is a single-serve bottled smoothie developed primarily for schools. It comes in three flavor varieties — strawberry banana, mango pineapple and peach. There is no preparation needed by school food service personnel, it is free from fat, cholesterol, artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, added sugars and coloring. Each serving contains a half cup of fruit and 4 ounces of yogurt plus 5 grams of protein.

Barfresh’s Twist & Go also meets U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines under its Child Nutrition Program making it reimbursable to the schools by the federal government and qualifies for the USDAs Smart Snack program. According to Mintel’s Smoothie Shop survey over half – 53% of consumers drink smoothies and the 18-34 year olds are the most avid smoothie consumers, seconded by 25-34 year olds. Sally makes a smoothie every day for her kids for breakfast and they love it. Maybe it’s time to rethink what breakfast is.