Dubai, UAE, 23^rd March 2016 – The latest findings on the importance of a healthy breakfast and the benefits of whole grains were emphasized during a cooking session organized by Nestlé, providing participants with the opportunity to bake their own breakfast cereals and receive comprehensive insight on the naturality and simplicity of the ingredients used. The event was held at the Nestlé Customer Engagement Center (CEC) in Dubai, with the participation of two chefs and a regional nutrition expert.

“Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dine like a Pauper,” is a well-known folk saying that indeed holds true; with research regularly showing that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

“Breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and gives you the energy you need for the rest of the day,” said Ece Durukan, Regional Nutrition and External Affairs Manager-Asia, Middle East, Africa at Nestlé. “Studies show that eating breakfast is associated with a number of health benefits, including maintaining a healthy body weight, enhancing school performance of children, and helping people meet their nutritional requirements.”

The cooking master class participants attempted to bake their own Nestlé Breakfast Cereals by following simple recipe steps using natural and wholesome ingredients, one of which is wholegrain flour. Wholegrains, unlike refined grains, preserve all the nutrients naturally found in the grain such as vitamins, minerals and fiber.

“Embracing better dietary habits such as consuming more whole grains is vital for maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes in children and adults alike,” added Durukan.

Based on the daily food groups and estimated energy recommendations, a quick and wholesome breakfast should include one portion of whole grain such as wholegrain breakfast cereals or whole-wheat bread, complemented with semi-skimmed milk, a fruit and an optional source of proteins such as eggs or nuts. Children must also be encouraged to be more physically active, according to research.

The master class was held in line with Nestlé’s commitments “to promote healthy diets and lifestyles” and “reduce sugars in our products” as published in its first Nestlé in Society report for the Middle East in 2015.

The Nestlé Breakfast Cereals team recently announced they achieved the company’s commitments at the end of 2015 for products popular with kids and teens to:

• Be made with more Whole Grain than any other single ingredient
• Be a good source of calcium per serving (15% of RDA per serving)
• Contain 9g total sugars or less per serving
• Contain 135mg sodium or less per serving

“We continue to help empower and inspire parents around the Middle East with practical knowledge on planning nutritious breakfast meals, made with whole grain, for the whole family. Nestlé Breakfast Cereals is committed to “making breakfast better” every day for both adults and kids,” concluded Durukan.