MORE than one-in-five
teenagers in Donegal and other parts of Ulster
regularly skip breakfast, new research shows.
And the findings also reveal that only 58% of
families said they ate breakfast together.
In 21% of households around Ulster, teenage children
regularly skip breakfast, missing out on the
essential vitamins and nutrients needed to kickstart
the day.
The Irish University Nutrition Alliance’s (IUNA)
year-long study of the diets of Irish children aged
between five and 12 years found that 28% of boys and
37% of girls are not getting enough calcium.
One-fifth of boys and more than one in three girls
are not getting enough folic acid or iron, while 14%
of boys are not getting enough iron. A large
majority of children in Ireland - 61% - are also not
getting enough fibre in their diets.
"These findings are a real concern and there is very
little awareness of this issue," says Margot
Brennan, consultant dietician and nutritionist with
the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. The
research was commissioned by Kellogg’s who yesterday
announced a major new initiative to reinforce the
importance of eating breakfast. |
