Parents Rank Eggs Ahead of Cereal as the Best Back-to-School Breakfast Choice

According to a recent survey, 82 percent of parents agree that eggs are a more nutritious breakfast than cereal

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Jul 17, 2013, 07:00 ET

PARK RIDGE, Ill., July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- It's essential to provide children with a nutritious breakfast that will stick with them when they ease into the back-to-school routine. Studies show that eating breakfast before school has continuously shown positive effects in children, including higher test scores and attendance.[i] But what's the best option? According to a recent survey conducted by the American Egg Board (AEB), the vast majority of parents (82 percent) agree that eggs are a more nutritious breakfast than cereal – and with good reason.[ii]

The Results Are In
A recent study conducted at the University of Missouri found that teenagers who consumed breakfast meals that included protein-rich eggs and beef (35 g of protein) reported greater feelings of fullness compared to those who ate a cereal-based breakfast (13 g of protein). The egg breakfast also led to significant improvements in daily hunger and satiety hormone levels, reduced food cravings prior to dinner and resulted in eating less high-fat evening snacks.[iii]

Additionally, a study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that egg-eaters consumed an average of 330 fewer calories throughout the day than bagel eaters.[iv]

"When parents ask me what's an ideal breakfast for their kids, I recommend pairing protein-rich eggs with whole grains, fruits and vegetables," says Serena Ball, MS, RD, and mother of four young kids. "Protein is an important component of a healthy diet and eggs are higher in protein than most cereals or many other breakfast foods, so you can feel good about feeding eggs to your kids in a variety of delicious ways."

Eggs have six grams of protein and provide a good source of vitamin D, along with calcium, for helping to grow strong bones. They are the go-to and on-the-go breakfast for kids heading back-to-school, and parents know it. On big days such as the first day of school, tests or athletic events, 71 percent of parents feed their kids an egg breakfast.

Serve Kids What They Love
Eggs make it easy to save time in the morning. All you need are five ingredients to create five different egg breakfasts that satisfy the taste buds of every kid in the family! Try out these delicious, kid-friendly recipes and save a little money on breakfast while you're at it, since eggs are approximately 16 cents apiece:

America's Egg Farmers Educate Classrooms on the A-B-C's of Eggs
While parents and kids are getting ready with eggs, teachers can, too. As a part of the Good Egg Project, America's egg farmers have partnered with Discovery Education to give students a glimpse into where their eggs come from and how they can eat healthily at home by following the My Plate template. Teachers can visit the Discovery Good Egg Project Education Station for nationally standardized lesson plans and videos, including archives of virtual field trips to egg farms. Teachers and students can join third-and-fourth generation egg farmers on a tour of their farms, and stay for a question and answer session all about eggs.

Gear up for back-to-school by visiting IncredibleEgg.org for quick and easy breakfast recipes, "Liking" the Incredible Edible Egg on Facebook, following @IncredibleEggs on Twitter, or going to Pinterest for more breakfast inspiration! For more information on the Good Egg Project visit the Discovery Good Egg Project Education Station.

About the American Egg Board (AEB)
AEB connects America's egg farmers with consumers, communicates the value of The incredible edible egg™ and receives funding from a national legislative checkoff on all egg production from companies with more than 75,000 hens in the continental United States. The board consists of 18 members and 18 alternates from all regions of the country who are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The AEB staff carries out the programs under the board's direction. AEB is located in Park Ridge, Ill. Visit www.IncredibleEgg.org for more information.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbooks and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

[i] Share Our Strength, Deloitte. No Kid Hungry Starts With Breakfast. Findings from Deloitte analysis. Ending childhood hunger: a social impact analysis. [Published online February 2013]
[ii] Impulse Research for American Egg Board. Survey conducted online with random sample of 1,008 total individuals who have kids in school (K-12). Research was conducted in June 2013. Overall sampling error for survey is +/- 3% at the 95% level of confidence.
[iii] Leidy HJ, Ortinau LC, Douglas SM, Hoertel HA. Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese "breakfast-skipping" late-adolescent girls. Am J Clin Nutr [Published online February 2013]
[iv] Vander Wal JS, et al. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. Int J of Obesity 2008L 32(10): 1545-1551.

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SOURCE American Egg Board