Nestlé launches 'Breakfast Starts Here' campaign

Jody-Anne Lawrence,  Staff Reporter

The most important meal for the day and, for some of us, the most neglected, is breakfast.

Nestlé Jamaica is aiming to fill that gap with their 'Nestlé - Breakfast Starts Here' campaign to connect with their consumers - adults and children - with quick, easy and healthy breakfast ideas.

Why breakfast?

Dietician and nutritionist Marsha Woolery stressed the importance of breakfast to Food.

"Breakfast is important because it is the meal that is used to break a six- to 10-hour period of fasting. This meal should comprise foods from at least three of the six Caribbean food groups. Breakfast should provide enough energy to start the day; therefore, it should have adequate amounts of vitamins from fruits and, or vegetables to help the body use the energy from the carbohydrates, fat and protein," Woolery explains.

In their efforts to encourage this, Nestlé hosted a forum on how to use some of their favourite brands to prepare three breakfast meals - tropical pancakes, coconut cabbage and rush hour shake.

Culinary assistant at Nestlé Jamaica, Shelly-Ann Castello, told Food that their team worked with a nutritionist to develop the recipes to ensure they are safe and nutritious.

"We ensure that all the nutritional information going out there is correct. There is a company nutritionist that helps develop the recipes as we are a health and wellness entity and want to ensure that our products live up to that," explains Castello.

Woolery also gave a calorie breakdown for a child between the ages of three and 12.

"The amount of calories recommended for a child is dependent on how active he or she is and age. For a child three to 12 years old, 1,300 to 1,800 kilocalories is recommended per day. Breakfast should be 1/4 to 1/3 of the day's total requirement," Woolery noted.

She also notes the importance of including fruits and vegetables in this daily serving.