High schoolers tend to have very busy schedules. With late nights and early mornings, it is very common to skip the most important meal of the day: breakfast. However, skipping this crucial meal has many cons high schoolers may not recognize.
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day because it replenishes your supply of glucose and provides other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.
Skipping breakfast is especially detrimental for students because it can lead to poor academic performance at school. Breakfast has been proven to positively affect learning in children in terms of behavior, cognitive, and school performance. Not eating breakfast affects one’s academics, brain function, and overall wellness.
PV senior Bailey Edwinson doesn’t eat breakfast very often. However, on the days that she skips the meal, she feels significantly more tired and isn’t able to focus as well in school. “I often skip breakfast. However, when I do eat breakfast, I find it easier to focus longer because I’m not thinking about when I get to eat or about being hungry.”
According to a recent study by the USDA, students who do not eat breakfast at home or at school were less able to learn. Hunger can lead to lower math scores, attention problems, and behavior, emotional, and academic problems.
Skipping breakfast not only affects one’s academic performance, it also worsens one’s health. A lack of breakfast can lead to a slower metabolism, an increase in stress hormone levels, an increased risk of heart disease, and a drop in blood sugar levels.
At PV, the snack bar provides students with a great way to get breakfast during school. Many students sometimes have to skip eating breakfast at home due to running late, but the snack bar can fill this void. However, there are many students who do not take advantage of this luxury and should definitely consider it.
Senior Lilly Parker has bought breakfast from the snack bar numerous times this year. It serves as an excellent back-up for days that she is running late. “They have a good variety of foods to choose from and provide students who didn’t have time to eat breakfast with a way to fill this void.”
Although there are so many cons of skipping this important meal, some students still choose to not eat breakfast. It is very important that every student eats a healthy breakfast, whether from the snack bar or at home, in order to perform well in school and stay healthy.
