Eating breakfast every day is very important for our health and has a number of benefits confirmed by scientific research. In this essay, I am going to argue my point of view on why we should eat a solid breakfast every morning.
According to Gail Rampersaud in her 2005 book, ‘Journal of the American Dietetic Association’, those who choose ready-to-eat cereals obtain more vitamins and minerals and are also more likely to have higher calcium intakes from milk in cereal. This has been associated with having a healthier body mass index, or BMI, and a decreased likelihood of eating disorders like obesity. Breakfast consumption has led to a reduction in impulsive snacking throughout the day, which has turned into the leading cause of obesity among students.
The realities of college life – increased workload, less structure, and peer-focused – have collided with anxiety, learning issues, and poor self-esteem. The result is that anorexia has led in eating disorders among college students. Food restriction and an unhealthy focus on body weight due to this stressful environment of college has developed these eating disorders. Combined with a student with high metabolism, the habit of skipping breakfast results in high risk of dangerous weight loss and this anorexia disorder.
However, this habit might be developed because breakfast comes at a sensitive time for some people’s digestive systems. Because of fasting while sleeping, your stomach may not be ready to take on a lot of food first thing in the morning since digestion slows down at night. Similarly, eating a larger meal right before bed can result in nausea by the next morning since the body still needs time digesting.
Aside from just keeping your body in healthy condition, your brain uses half of your body’s energy which emphasizes the importance of having better psychological performance to carry you through your day. In terms of mind-related issues involving not eating breakfast in the mornings has evolved around having a poorer memory, lower energy levels, less concentration, and even worse moods. According to Gwen Chapman and Christina Melton’s 2008 article, ‘College and University Students' Breakfast Consumption Patterns’, breakfast has improved memory enhancement and gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Hunger pangs and other food-related thoughts lead to distractions and decreases focus, attentiveness, and self-motivation because of lack of energy. According to Boyer’s 2018 article ‘Benefits of Eating Breakfast for Students’, mood is an important key factor that dictates your mindset for the rest of your daily duties. Skipping breakfast can leave you feeling tired, restless, and grumpy and lead to low self-motivation to anything done. Start the day with a healthy breakfast, and you’ll enjoy a more positive, upbeat mood that will carry on for the rest of the day because of the energy exerted from lunch and dinner later that same day.
While countless studies have proven the effects a morning breakfast may have on your mind and body through the day, you may even begin to see results in your academic performance in class. When it comes especially to academic testing, countless researchers have studied for decades whether or not students who eat a nutritious breakfast will perform better than students who consume unhealthy foods for breakfast. Eating certain foods such as eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal are vital and have become clear-cut options to better academic performance, especially during ACT/SAT testing rather than breads, cereals, and muffins that you may want to avoid. According to Sarah Mayhugh’s 2017 article, ‘Why Eating Breakfast as a College Student Is Important’, breakfast provides the energy necessary to increase cognitive, or thinking, speed and problem-solving skills, which is why students tend to score better on academic tests in math, reading, and science, much needed on an ACT/SAT test.
According to Katie Adolphus’s 2018 article, ‘The Effects of Breakfast on Behavior and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents’, changes in behavior are even likely to be reflected by changes in reading and comprehension. Following breakfast versus no breakfast, an increase in attention may be reflected by an increase in on-task behavior during lessons, vital to any important in-class test, presentation, or paper that may be soon to come. The benefits of eating breakfast on cognitive performance are expected to be short term, and with lunch soon approaching, breakfast was certainly what your body needed to get kick-started.
In summary, breakfast is the most important meal, especially for students. A healthy and hearty breakfast has a positive effect on our behavior, psychological activity, academic performance, mood and general well-being. That is why I am absolutely convinced that we should eat a solid breakfast every morning.