Australian teens commonly skip breakfast

There are concerns too many Australian teenagers aren't eating the so-called most important meal of the day, breakfast.

New research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, has found up to one in five adolescents commonly skip breakfast.

While Australian children and adolescents aren't going without breakfast every day "occasional skipping is more common", the authors wrote.

Natasha Murray, spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, says the results are worrying because eating breakfast is a great way to get in extra vitamins and minerals such as calcium.

"There's research out there that says people who routinely skip breakfast have lower intakes of food groups including dairy, and as you know we recommend two to three serving per day," said Ms Murray.

"Breakfast is also a great source of Vitamin B, folate and fibre," she added.

Ms Murray says its important that good breakfast eating habits are established early.

"We know habits formed in childhood and adolescence are highly likely to carry on into adulthood," She said.

Analysis of the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity survey found 13.2 per cent of boys and 18.6 per cent of girls were breakfast skippers.

The unhealthy habit increased with age, from five per cent of boys and 11 per cent of girls aged 2-3 years, to 25 per cent of boys and 36 per cent of girls aged 14-17 years.

Of those who did report eating breakfast, 36 out of the nearly 1600 surveyed only consumed a beverage for breakfast on one day.

The research also showed that kids who did habitually skip breakfast, most of them had a parent or primary caregiver who also skipped.

Ms Murray says for people who don't like cereal a wholegrain toast topped with avacado or eggs is a good idea, as is a fruit-based smoothie.

"You can always blitz them up the night before and put them in the fridge ready to go in a take-away cup," Ms Murray said.