Wake Up to Eggs: The Back-to-School Breakfast of Champions

America's Egg Farmers & Discovery Education to Award Schools with Grants for Health and Nutrition Programs

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Aug 15, 2012, 07:00 ET

PARK RIDGE, Ill., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's an old adage that's worth remembering during back-to-school: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When it comes to performing well in school, a number of scientific studies have found that the cognitive benefits of eating breakfast include improved memory recall time, better grades and higher test scores.^i,ii Parents know that it's essential to make smart breakfast choices so their kids can do their best, and high-quality protein foods, like eggs, are a great way to start the day off right.

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Eggs deliver six grams of high-quality protein that helps keep kids energized throughout the day, especially when preparing for exams, presentations or sporting events. In fact, a recent study found that when people ate high-quality protein foods for breakfast they had a greater sense of sustained fullness throughout the day.ⁱⁱⁱEggs are also one of the few natural foods that provides a good source of vitamin D, which helps grow strong bones.

Egg Breakfasts: As Easy as 1-2-3

Parents agree that providing kids with a nutrient-rich breakfast helps them focus and perform better, but many families feel too rushed in the morning. An American Egg Board study found that scrambled eggs (90 percent) are the most popular way to prepare and eat eggs, but only fifteen percent of those surveyed know that they can use the microwave to prepare them to save time, especially during hectic back-to-school mornings.^iv

"As a chef, it's fun to make elaborate meals for my kids, but on busy school mornings, whipping up a quick egg breakfast in the microwave is easy and it makes me feel good about sending my kids off to school on the right foot," says Chef Jeffrey Saad, Cooking Channel host and father of two. "I also recommend hard-boiling a dozen eggs on Sunday in 12 minutes, for grab-and-go breakfasts all week. Either way, the best part about eggs is that they're easy on the wallet at only 15 cents apiece."

You don't have to be a professional chef to make Saad's favorite egg recipes at home. All it takes is a few key ingredients and about three minutes to make these delicious, kid-friendly recipes, including recipes for the most popular preparation methods like scrambled eggs and omelets:

Egg-stra! Egg-stra! Egg Farmers Offer Educational Grants

Parents aren't the only ones preparing kids as they head back to school. This fall, America's egg farmers are lending a helping hand to elementary schools nationwide with the "Be a Good Egg Contest." The contest is part of The Good Egg Project: Education Station program with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital resources to K-12 classrooms, which is designed to teach children how eggs go from farm-to-table, the benefits of high-quality protein in a healthy diet and community service.

The "Be a Good Egg Contest" will launch on August 21 and elementary school teachers, students and members of the community are encouraged to participate. Entering is easy: teachers, kids and parents can take a short "quiz" online, and the school with the most completed quizzes will receive a $5,000 grant to put towards a health or nutrition initiative along with a donation to a local food bank in their school's name. And, there are several chances to win – five runners-up will receive a $1,000 educational grant. The contest will run through November 15.

Get more inspiration for back to school by "Liking" the Incredible Edible Egg on Facebook, following @IncredibleEggs on Twitter, or going to Pinterest for easy breakfast recipe tips and nutritional nuggets on eggs! For more information on the Good Egg Project and the "Be a Good Egg Contest," visit the Discovery Good Egg Project Education Station.

About the American Egg Board (AEB)

AEB is the U.S. egg producer's link to the consumer in communicating the value of the incredible edible egg™ and is funded from a national legislative checkoff on all egg production from companies with greater than 75,000 layers, 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 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.

ⁱRampersaud G, et al. Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. JADA 2005; 105:743-760.

ⁱⁱPollitt E, et al. Fasting and cognition in well- and undernourished school children: a review of three experimental studies. AJCN 1998; 67:779S-784S.

ⁱⁱⁱ Leidy HJ, et al. Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Normal vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens: A Pilot fMRI Study. Obesity, published online May 5, 2011.

^ivRussell Research 2011 Tracking Study. Survey conducted online with a random sample of 1,015 U.S. Adult Consumers between the ages of 18 to 64 between October 21^st and October 26^th, 2011.

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SOURCE American Egg Board