Abstract
The purpose of this research was to inform primary school nutritional policy by identifying which mid-morning snack would be more beneficial to consume from an appetite control perspective. During morning break 14 girls and 11 boys were provided with 160 ml of semi-skimmed milk or153 gof apple in a randomised crossover manner. Visual analogue scales were used to record hunger, prospective food consumption and fullness, immediately before and after breakfast, immediately before and after the mid-morning snack, and every 60 min until 21:00 on each day. School dinner/packed lunch energy intakes were assessed 90 min following the mid-morning snacks, in addition to evening energy intake. Children felt less hungry and could eat less when apple was consumed, however lunch and evening energy intakes were not different. Fluctuations in appetite did not translate into differences in energy intake therefore both milk and fruit should be promoted as mid-morning snacks in primary schools.
Highlights
Poor dietary practices of children have been identified as one factor contributing to the increased risk of overweight and obesity [1]
During the school period, there was a main effect of snack for hunger and prospective food consumption (AUC × 4.5 h), whereby when apple was consumed as a mid-morning snack, as opposed to milk, both girls and boys felt they were less hungry [girls: 43(SE3) v. 48(SE5) mm; boys: 51(SE7) v. 58(SE4) mm, respectively, P = 0.02] and could eat less [girls: 43(SE4) v. 49(SE5) mm; boys: 51(SE6) v. 57(SE5) mm, respectively, P = 0.02]
The major finding of this study was that from an appetite control perspective, both fruit and milk should be promoted as mid-morning snacks in primary schools, by local education authorities
Summary
Poor dietary practices of children have been identified as one factor contributing to the increased risk of overweight and obesity [1]. In light of the current and prospective levels of childhood obesity in the UK [5], it is important to establish the influence such mid-morning snacks may have on appetite and energy intake control in young children. Recent data in adolescent girls have shown a favourable relationship between milk consumption and BMI and body fat percentage [6], at the time of writing, no data from an appetite control perspective is available.
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