Shape Up America! analyzed national NHANES data on breakfast
eating in teenagers (ages 12 to 16). We wanted to look at breakfast eating
in very thin teenagers and compare their eating habits to those of normal
weight teens and overweight teens. The graph below shows what we found. The
pattern of breakfast eating among the boys is very different from that of
the girls. About half of the boys (red bars) are eating breakfast regularly
whether they are very thin (on extreme left), normal weight (middle) or
overweight (extreme right). For girls (green bars), it is a very different
story. The thinnest girls are most likely of all to eat breakfast regularly.
As weight increases, breakfast eating among the girls declines steadily.
Breakfast eating reaches the lowest level among the overweight girls.
You may have seen recent news reports about a similar study
confirming the benefits of eating breakfast in young adults (ages 25 to 37).
The study of Dr. Mark Pereira and other research shows that not just any
breakfast is best for weight management. Some choices are better than
others. The type of breakfast eating we present in our Shape Up & Drop 10™
program is the most beneficial for good health as well as weight management.
We urge you to proceed directly to Step 1 of this new program from Shape Up
America! Learn what type of breakfast is best and many other strategies to
achieve fullness on fewer calories with Shape Up & Drop 10™.
Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to
raising awareness of obesity as a health issue. The mission of Shape Up
America! is to provide evidence-based information and guidance on weight
management to the public, health care professionals, educators, policymakers
and the media. In 2005, Shape Up America! is celebrating its 10th
anniversary and has chosen to adopt an expanded mission for its second
decade: to reduce the incidence and prevalence of childhood obesity in
America.
