This is Ozarks at Large. Classes are well underway for students from kindergarten through college. That can mean disruption and altered schedules, and that can mean challenges for diet, exercise and wellbeing.
We're calling in our balance team, scientist Jamie Baum and Erin Howie from the University of Arkansas. Jamie is an associate professor in the U of A Department of Food Science. She directs the Center for Human Nutrition, and Erin is an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Arkansas. About once a month or so, our series Balance addresses topics of health, and for this back-to-school edition, Erin says a couple of familiar topics are at the top of the list of healthy considerations.
"Lunch and recess is back for our little kids and our college students. Jamie and I have seen them on campus and the energy drinks are out in force."
"You’ve loaded us up with so much right there. Let’s talk about recess. I think I remember when I was in elementary school, I think we had two or three recess periods. Pretty important."
"Yeah. Recess is super important for academics and kids’ behavior in school. And actually, Arkansas has one of the highest recess requirements for elementary schools. So in 2019, our state passed a law requiring 40 minutes of daily recess. That’s K through five. And previously it was 20 minutes. So it doubled the amount of recess that kids were getting. It’s the most required of any state in the U.S. right now. Tennessee just passed a law. They also require 40 minutes.
"But we think that’s great because our kids really need that opportunity for free, unstructured play outside when possible, not just to get their wiggles out, but also that social interaction is really important."
"When you mention free and unstructured, that means let the children decide what they want to do. If they want to play kickball, fine. Tetherball — if tetherball is still a thing."
"Yeah. I haven’t seen tetherball. Gaga ball now, Kyle."
"It’s a what now?"
"Gaga ball. I don’t really understand. It’s in, like, this fence and they throw the ball. Teachers hate it. Nurses hate it. People get injured. Fights happen."
"OK, but the kids love it. But the idea here, and this is how I remember recess, it wasn’t, OK, you’re out of the classroom now, you’re going to do this game that we’re telling you to do. We just all decided what games we were going to play."
"Yep. It’s separate from physical education. So it’s really that free play where kids get to do what they want. So it may be sports, and oftentimes the boys are playing soccer or football or basketball, or playing on the equipment — monkey bars, slides. Free play, imaginary games, or some kids just want to sit and sometimes they can bring out a book, and that’s fine too."
"You mentioned energy drinks. Jamie, let me bring you in here. Energy drinks probably don’t have a lot of nutrition in them."
"I would say probably zero nutrition if you’re not drinking the diet ones. They also have a lot of sugar, I think. I’m not an energy drink consumer because they make me feel sick. But I would say avoid energy drinks. The literature coming out shows they’re really bad for your heart, your heart health. It can make your heart race, like the excess caffeine. They’re really not good for you."
"And energy drinks are different than sports drinks, correct?"
"The energy drinks? I’m actually not sure. Do you know how much caffeine is in an energy drink? But most sports drinks are uncaffeinated. They just have some sugar and vitamins or minerals to help balance your hydration levels. And even energy drinks, I think we talked about it when we talked about hydration — really, if you’re not an elite athlete, they’re not going to do much more than water. But if you need to stay awake, I would suggest maybe going outside for a 10-minute brisk walk rather than chugging your energy drink of choice."
"Well, that’s what I was going to ask, because energy drinks, they have developed since I was in college. But I think the idea, maybe even once you’re in junior high and you’ve got homework and things, is I need this boost. So what is an alternative to having a Monster or whatever?"
"I think, like Jamie said, going for a brisk walk is usually good, and also recommended after lunch. Because often we eat and we feel that time for a nap in the afternoon. But going out for a walk, not just mentally, but I think there are also some physiological benefits that are coming out now of that after-lunch walk."
"Speaking of lunches, I shudder to think of what I ate for lunch when I was a college student. What’s the best way to make sure you’re getting what you need? Or if you have young people who are away from home the first time, that they’re eating at least partially what they should be eating?"
"I think that’s really hard, especially if you’re away from home the first time and get to make your own food choices the first time. But I will say data looking at elementary school, high school, even college students — a lot of people like to skip breakfast. So one way to think about your day and energizing for your day is eating breakfast. People who eat breakfast have less nutrient deficiencies. They tend to eat more of their nutrients.
"And there’s a lot of data — I think it was even published by a former University of Arkansas professor who’s now at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, UAMS — that showed the schools in Springdale where people get free breakfast actually had continued academic performance and attendance. That had a carryover effect to the next academic year. So better school performance, better attendance.
"I think we also see it with college students. We define breakfast, at least as someone who’s done breakfast research, as the meal eaten before 10 a.m. It’s not eating breakfast foods at like noon. It’s not having a snack of pancakes at 2 in the afternoon."
"So if I had, I don’t know, broccoli at 8 a.m.?"
"What’s wrong with broccoli at 8 a.m.?"
"Nothing. But when we think breakfast, we think bacon, eggs, oatmeal, something like that. But you’re saying just the ingestion."
"I would say breakfast is better than no breakfast as far as academic performance and attendance. But clearly there are different qualities of breakfast. Breakfasts where you’re getting some fruit serving, fiber, protein — they’re actually going to keep you fuller longer. Whole grains and fruits and vegetables release glucose at a slower rate, which impacts your blood sugar. That seems to help kids and people focus longer, so you’re not getting that dip and feeling tired or hungry.
"When I worked in the food industry, we spent a lot of time researching breakfast snacks or morning snacks that could give kids this long-term energy release to help with focus and performance."
"What if your breakfast is high in sugar? You got that bowl of Froot Loops. It seems like you’re headed for a crash sooner rather than later."
"I don’t know all of the data on that. There has been a lot, and they call it ready-to-eat breakfast or ready-to-eat cereals. But if you’re having them with milk, that is a good source of calcium and protein. And most cereals have reduced sugar over time. Is it the best? Probably not, but it’s not the worst."
"Yeah, and I think it’s important Jamie points out that any breakfast is better than no breakfast. Especially in schools that provide free breakfast to students — no matter what they’re providing, having access to that is really important.
"And at public schools, there is a government guideline on the calories that need to be met, the number of fruit and vegetable servings that need to be met from breakfast, and also sodium levels. So schools can’t just be giving your kid donuts every day and cinnamon rolls, as much as they would prefer that.
"But at the college level, I have heard feedback from students that they wish things were labeled better or maybe set out better to find the healthier options. Especially important when you’re away from home for the first time. So you’re having to make the food choices yourself. It’s not like a pantry or a kitchen that a parent or guardian has stocked for you. So I have heard that people get disappointed in how cafeterias are organized, and they struggle to find what they feel should be the healthy options."
"I want to ask something else about recess. You mentioned the 40 minutes per day in Arkansas is K through five, but activity remains important from sixth grade on. So what do you do to make sure, whether you’re in sixth grade or getting your master’s, that you get enough activity?"
"Yeah, and these transitions are hard as that responsibility for our activity becomes more and more on us. In Arkansas, there are requirements for PE in middle and high school, but they’re very minimal and won’t help you meet guidelines and get those health benefits.
"So I think it’s a discussion between parents and their kids about what types of physical activity the kid enjoys. And a lot of that will have to be out of school, because they’re not going to have those opportunities within the school day. And for parents, I find it really interesting doing this recess research that a lot of parents don’t know what their kids are doing in school in terms of activity. They may assume their kids are getting enough during the school day, and they’re actually not.
"So just knowing what your kids are doing is an important first step, so you can be aware when they’re out of school that maybe they need a little extra time at the park or to go for a walk."
"Didn’t you publish a paper recently about recess?"
"Yeah. We were just looking at recess schedules in Arkansas. As you mentioned, you used to have two or maybe even three recesses a day. The law doesn’t mandate whether it can be one recess or two or three. So we were interested in how schools are doing it and how it’s being most effective.
"Most schools are doing two 20-minute recesses, but transitions take up a lot of time. Kids aren’t necessarily on the playground for 40 or 20 minutes, because you have to line up to get back in class. There’s a lot of moving around and standing in line.
"We also recommend, and research suggests, that recess before lunch helps kids eat healthier and more food. Unfortunately, in Arkansas, most grades or schools have recess right after lunch. So trying to advocate as a parent for things like having recess before lunch, making sure they’re getting enough time outside — parents have a really powerful voice. When a lot of these changes come, even these recess laws are started by parents who are involved."
"As a parent of an elementary school student, I don’t think I’ve ever been communicated with about physical activity in school or recess. One of the things I find controversial or upsetting is that school punishments often happen at recess. If you have bad behavior, you’re punished by having to walk laps, which I guess on one hand is physical activity, but it creates a negative association with walking. My child has been at two different schools and it was the same at every school.
"But also, when you talk about ending after fifth grade — I just, I follow this Instagram account called Good Neuroscience. They summarize recent scientific literature, and age 11 seems to be a really important time for physical activity and brain development. They show an hour of physical activity a day in 11-year-olds reduces, especially in boys, anxiety, depression and other symptoms at age 18 because it does something to the brain. So maybe we need to continue into sixth grade.
"I feel empathy for the people who have to put together school schedules, because I’m sure recess mandated time is not the only thing they have to juggle. Every minute counts. It is a real struggle. They’re conflicted because they know recess is really important, but at the same time, you have math and reading and all the things they need to fit in."
"I just think it’s important to make yourself aware of what’s happening in your child’s day. Or as a college student, you have to prioritize taking care of yourself and understanding where your food comes from and where you can incorporate physical activity. It’s difficult and it takes planning, but where there’s a will, there’s a way."
Jamie Baum is an associate professor in the U of A Department of Food Science. She directs the Center for Human Nutrition. Erin Howie, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Arkansas, is also part of our Balance series.
You might recall, Erin spent a recent semester in Australia. She’s back now, and she brought with her a culinary surprise.
"In Australia, the staple sandwich is Vegemite and cheese. Usually cheese, or just Vegemite and butter, or just Vegemite sandwich. So I thought I would bring some Vegemite for us to try today."
"Jamie, have you ever had Vegemite?"
"Maybe once, years ago."
We tried the Down Under staple Vegemite. We even coerced an innocent passerby, Matthew Moore, into trying some as well. You’ll hear the results soon on an upcoming edition of Ozarks at Large.
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