If someone were to ask me what immediately comes to mind when I think about food, it would be three meals a day (and dessert, of course). While snacks tend to vary with each person, breakfast, lunch and dinner are considered to be the most widely known meals. It therefore came as a surprise to me when many people told me that they don’t even eat what I consider to be the “bare minimum”—the first meal of the day, breakfast, had a tendency to be left out of the picture.
In particular, students make up a large portion of the people who don’t eat breakfast. 6am wake up times are not only not fun; they are rushed, and every minute is necessary in the process of getting ready to catch the bus on time. Waking up earlier is not an option either, because as teenagers we really value our sleep. So what option is there other than to skip breakfast? How important is it, anyway?
Multiple studies have shown that eating breakfast is actually necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle with good cerebral function. In other words, in the context of high school students, it can drastically improve concentration in class. It is also vital in ensuring you start off the day with enough energy. According to the University of Colorado, “things like concentration, memory and energy all improve” due to breakfast. Moreover, it “raises blood sugar levels and keeps them steady” to improve one’s mood. This is because during the night people are fasting for longer periods of time, and typically wake up with a lower blood sugar level.
Obviously, what you eat for breakfast is most of the battle. Having one banana and rushing out the door typically isn’t sufficient, no matter how much we pray it is. Whole grains like cereal and wholemeal bread are vital. Fruit and vitamins are also key components. And yes, I can’t stress this enough, but balance is key!
However, the discussion doesn’t stop there. According to Healthline, those who eat breakfast “tend to be healthier”—but not necessarily because of breakfast. There is a saying—correlation does not imply causation—which seems to come into effect here. The source also mentions that those who eat breakfast tend to receive more vitamins and minerals as opposed to non breakfast eaters who smoke and drink alcohol more as well as exercise less.
In my opinion, I think it’s difficult to say that breakfast eaters and non breakfast eaters have completely different lifestyles altogether. It seems more likely that the act of eating breakfast itself—which is what inherently differentiates them—is what would make the difference. Can we be certain that breakfast and non breakfast eaters have less in common than just whether or not they eat breakfast? I’m not so sure.
Nevertheless, Healthline also posed some compelling arguments regarding the links to intermittent fasting (IF), and the “16/8” method—a variation of IF in which one fasts overnight, skips breakfast (16 hours) and has an 8 hour window to consume food. It is said to boost weight loss and improve metabolic health, but can also have negative side effects such as a decrease in one’s mood and blood sugar levels. It does not lead to weight gain, as many sources mention, because while caloric intake does increase later in the day (as a way of making up the calories not eaten during breakfast), it is not enough to surpass the amount of calories typically consumed during breakfast.
So, is there a verdict? What do we think about the first meal of the day, that’s so hard to squeeze in when you wake up 20 seconds before your school bus is set to leave and are frantically throwing on your clothes? Personally, I think it’s necessary to get the energy needed to start the day. I do still find it difficult to develop an appetite for food at 6 in the morning, but it really helps me get through all the way until breaktime. Giving yourself 10 minutes to eat a nutritious breakfast allows you to start the day off right and get the energy to function effectively during your first few lessons of the school day.
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