Eating a bowl of high-fibre cereal in the morning before “as part of an overall healthful lifestyle” may help teenage girls maintain a healthy body weight as well as adequate nutrient intake, research shows.

In a study supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in the US, researchers analysed data collected over a 10-year period on more than 2,300 girls participating in a long-term study of growth and health.

The investigators had the girls, who were nine or 10 years old at the start of the study, complete three-day food records at different times over the study years and they recorded the girls’ weight by body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight in relation to height. As the girls moved through the turbulent teenage years, those who ate cereal three times per week or more had lower BMI than girls who did not eat cereal, investigators report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. This appeared to be true regardless of the girls’ level of physical activity.

“As girls matured through adolescence, body mass index increased as would be expected, but cereal eaters were leaner than girls who did not eat cereal, regardless of age,” Dr Bruce A. Barton of the Maryland Medical Research Institute in Baltimore and colleagues report.

According to the researchers, calcium-packed milk is often consumed with cereal and calcium has been tied to lower body mass index in children, possibly because calcium may help regulate body fat. (Reuters)

4 bets for a healthy morning meal

1: If your excuse for missing breakfast is lack of time, figure out what you’ll eat the night before, and get up 10 minutes earlier to enjoy it. Or pack something to take with you.

2: Think you’re saving calories by skipping breakfast? Chances are you’ll be ravenous by lunchtime, which may lead you to eat more. Or your hunger at midmorning may tempt you to indulge in a high-fat treat that someone brought to the office.

3: Your morning meal doesn’t have to mean loading up on sugar, fat and cholesterol. Making nutritious breakfast choices can set you up for healthier eating all day long.

4: For breakfast on the go, munch dry, ready-to-eat cereals with a banana, and drink a small carton of low-fat or skimmed milk. The best cereals are those that are higher in fibre. If you have been on a diet, choose cereals that are lower in calories.