Breakfast breaks the overnight fasting period. It replenishes your supply of glucose in your cells to boost your energy levels and alertness. If you don’t eat breakfast, your body doesn’t get the opportunity to restore those glucose levels. Why would you want to start your day with your tank running on empty?
Feeling hungry, not being able to concentrate or tired before lunch? These are all the result of not eating a good breakfast. When a student is feeling tired or foggy, it can make learning more difficult. Therefore, it is important to be sure your children "break the fast" and refuel their bodies to start the school day – and every day – right. When children skip breakfast, they generally don't make up for key nutrients missed in that first meal, like iron, calcium, and protein, later in the day.
People who don't eat breakfast often consume more calories throughout the day and are more likely to be overweight.
When we skip breakfast and begin our day, our body begins to require more fuel. The activities of the day are more rigorous than sleeping. As the day goes on, our tank is empty, leaving our body to go into hyperdrive in search of fuel.
People who don’t eat breakfast tend to seek high carbohydrate (high sugar) snacks mid-morning. These foods give the body that quick hit of energy but cannot sustain us longer than a few minutes. They’re “empty calories”. They do nothing to deter us from eating a large lunch, sometimes larger than we would if we had eaten breakfast.
Over time this cycle leads to huge overconsumption of calories. Calories from foods that don’t offer any other nutritional benefits. Overconsumption of course leads to weight gain.
Your brain needs food
According to a study published in the Journal of Economics, students in schools that offered free breakfasts before class scored about 25 percent higher on math, reading, and science tests. Researchers believe that this is because the breakfast provides the energy necessary to increase cognitive, or thinking, speed, and problem-solving skills.
Our bodies and brains need fat to perform at the top level.
Our brains are nearly 60 percent fat. Omega 3-fatty acids are the essential building blocks of our brain and they're important for learning and memory. Foods that are full of monounsaturated fat, “good fats”, such as olive oil, nuts, or avocado, help improve cognitive function and overall health. When we eat these foods, we’re providing a way for our body to absorb key nutrients such as Vitamins A, D, and E.
According to a report published in the journal
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, children who regularly eat breakfast take in approximately 20 to 60 percent more iron, B vitamins, and vitamin D than children who skip breakfast. Breakfast eaters also tend to take in more daily fiber and lower total fat and dietary cholesterol.
Bottom line: People, especially children, perform better, make healthier choices, and are healthier body weight when they eat breakfast regularly.
Make it easy
There are plenty of options for making breakfast simple and nutritious. From ready to eat items that require warming up, to frying up a few eggs with some toast.
The most important thing to choose is foods with high protein, some healthy fats, and vitamins. Think colors and density. Unfortunately, that powdered doughnut, while delicious, doesn’t fall into those categories. Save it for a special occasion instead.
My website offers many recipe options for all times of the day. While you’re there, download one of my
Healthy Lifestyle Planners and use it to plan breakfast, and your other meals, for the first week of school and beyond.
Make breakfast a priority. Your body, brain, and report card will thank you!
