The Bermuda Dietitians Association (BDA) will take to the streets of Hamilton this morning and give local residents their breakfast in a bid to drive home the point that there is time in the morning for breakfast.

Dietitians will be stationed at each of the bus stops on Front Street, the main bus depot on Church Street and at the ferry terminal where they will hand out boxed cereal and nutritional information packets to commuters.

Janet Burull, one of the organisers of Nutrition Awareness Week, said the BDA decided to focus on the adults in the community this year.

"In past years we have concentrated on children and have taken our message of healthy eating to the schools,'' she said.

"But we recognised that parents need to eat breakfast too, and should be setting an example for their children,'' she continued.

"If children do not see their parents eating breakfast then, when they become busy in their lives, they will have been sent the wrong message that it is all right to skip the meal.'' Ms Burull said the most important message the BDA is trying to get across is for everyone to actually eat breakfast.

Cereal giant Kellog's have donated thousands of boxes of high fibre cereal for the awareness campaign and two informative brochures.

"We will be handing out printed information explaining the importance of eating breakfast,'' Ms Burull said.

"One caters specifically to those people who feel they are simply too busy in the morning to eat breakfast. It is called breakfast on the run,'' she continued.

"Then there are two brochures donated by Kellog's, one on the importance of fibre in the diet and the other which stresses that breakfast is a healthy eating habit.'' Ms Burull pointed out that breakfast presents a good opportunity for people to include fibre in their diet.

"It is an excellent opportunity to eat fruit or whole grain cereals and get much needed fibre into the diet,'' she said. "Adults should eat a minimum of two to three grams of fibre everyday.'' "We recommend that people try to get at least two different food groups into their breakfast,'' she continued.

"Things like baked beans on toast, which is protein and fibre, left over pizza, left over macaroni and cheese or left over peas and rice, are all good for breakfast. It doesn't have to be a major effort.'' The BDA will continue its awareness campaign through the week between 7.30 a.m. and 9 a.m.. Tomorrow they will be at Bull's Head parking lot, on Thursday at Par-la-Ville parking lot and on Friday at the City Hall car park.

"Everyone who participates will get a sticker saying `I've had mine today' which will help to pass the word on to others,'' she said.

HEALTH HTH