The session, Protein for Kids: The Importance of Reaching Parents, Delivering Taste and Starting Each Day with a Nutritious Breakfast, shared the results of the clinical trial on protein rich breakfasts and also outlined the qualities that both children and parents look for in a breakfast food.
Heather Leidy, University of Missouri, says: “Breakfast consumption has gradually declined over the past 50 years – and this has mirrored the rise in obesity. In our clinical trial we worked with teen girls who had a habit of skipping breakfast.
“By having them eat a normal protein breakfast and then a protein rich breakfast after a wash-out period, we were able to observe the positive results that protein was making in their ability to concentrate and their diet throughout the rest of the day.”
The ‘normal protein’ breakfasts consisted of ready-to-eat cereals and contained 13g of protein. The protein-rich meals consisted of protein-enhanced waffles or breakfast burritos and contained 35g of protein.
Both the normal protein and protein-rich breakfasts contained 350 calories. While both breakfast meals led to increased feelings of fullness throughout the morning compared to those who skipped breakfast, the protein rich breakfasts also led to an even greater feeling of satiety and less snacking throughout the day.
“This shows that while eating breakfast is beneficial, the calories are not the most important factor – a breakfast containing higher amounts of quality protein takes the health benefits of breakfast a step further,” says Leidy. “Parents and children must be sure to select breakfasts that are higher in protein in order to help regulate food intake for the rest of the day.”
Colleen Conley, lead sensory scientist and associate science fellow, Solae, said: “When selecting a higher protein breakfast, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to be complicated. During a recent children’s taste test, Solae found that both parents and children focused on flavor and taste as important qualities affecting whether they would buy something again. Sugar content, price and protein content also were very high on the list of parent priorities.”
Source: Solae
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