Are students sacrificing an upright day when they choose to sacrifice breakfast? Does breakfast really give us the energy we need to advance through our day? Is breakfast really that important for progress and achievement inside of the learning atmosphere?
The answer is—yes. When a student consistently fills the tank before the end of the day, the body is fueled and prepared for focus, improves performance, and reduces the risk of health problems.
Eating a quality breakfast aids in a student’s emotional regulation throughout schooling hours, improving concentration and reducing the risk of health problems later in life. When a student misses breakfast, it keeps energy levels low from the night and day before. This can directly make students more sensitive and develop discomfort while in school from the lack of nutrients that start the metabolic process.
Brunswick soccer coach, and multiple championship winning coach at that, Shawn Baker, conforms to breakfast being a high caliber meal, priming the body for performance via academics or athletics.
“Breakfast provides nutrition and sustained energy to the body after a fasted period during sleep, and also aids the body in recovery and [cognitive] decisions. A quality breakfast will help students and athletes perform at the highest level,” Baker said.
Jason Callahan, a junior at Brunswick High School (BHS), makes sure to eat breakfast everyday, properly preparing him for academic achievement.
“Starting the day off with eggs, toast, sausage, gives me a boost of energy and nutrition, preparing me for the school day,” Callahan said.
Alongside the energy reduction, eating a quality breakfast and not getting the system going early in the morning holds a direct link to heart problems and diabetes. The British Broadcasting Cooperation concurs that eating the first meal super late has a link to cardiovascular repercussions with a 27% increase in heart disease as well as raises the risk for diabetes by 55%. The National Library indicates that 45 different studies conclude that missing the morning ingestion process will increase the chance of diabetes, with the same information aligning with the results in children.
Another important factor behind breakfast is that breakfast impacts the BMI (body mass index) of students and children. Having breakfast in the morning regulates energy levels, meaning calories are being burned within the body. When breakfast isn’t a consideration during the morning hours, calories aren’t being burned nearly as fast, generally retaining weight within the body.
A conclusion from an expert in diet and nutrition affirms that students are more prone to unhealthier snacking as the day goes on and students’ hunger level rises. This lowers the probability for the consumption of fruits and vegetables, folding into student nutrition and the nutritional balancing of the diet.
Overall, consistently consuming a high quality breakfast in the morning improves the academic trajectory for students, their schooling mindset, educational performance, and long term health. Making the choice to replenish your energy in the morning will not only get the body going and level out bodily irritations, but also put students on a better path towards seizing the day.