“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but why is it so crucial, particularly to students? 

Having breakfast when starting early in the morning has been proven to have one of the biggest impacts on a student’s day.  

Eating a healthy breakfast has shown to improve concentration, energy, alertness, test scores, attendance and mood throughout the school day. Food is the fuel that a student’s body needs to successfully learn throughout the day. 

Students who have breakfast will have a better ability to concentrate. Their body will have been awake, digesting food and already ready for the day compared to students that skip breakfast overall. This concentration will allow them to retain information and focus on what they are being taught. 

Not only concentration is improved from eating breakfast, but so are students’ test scores.  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 food gives the body the nutrients it needs in order for students to focus on the assessment in front of them and skills necessary to perform to the best of their ability. 

Consuming a healthy breakfast on a daily basis has been shown to have multiple beneficial effects on psychosocial and health behaviors, such as improved memory recall and cognitive function, as well as better levels of physical activity. Eating breakfasts decreases the chances of anxiety from school and having any disruptions to their learning day.  A morning meal is so beneficial that a February 2019 Public Health study found that people who regularly ate breakfast were 47 percent less likely to struggle with anxiety than those who skipped it.

Eating breakfast not only helps students in school with focus and learning, but also helps with the overall health of their body too. Breakfast is an easy option to get in the nutrients that growing students need. Kids who skip breakfast tend to have a harder time maintaining their BMI and have lower overall health then those students who do have breakfast daily. 

Breakfast can be very simple and quick because most students say that they struggle with having time in the morning and waking up that early. Eggs, protein shakes, oatmeal, cereal, fruit and yogurt are some very quick on the go options for a nutritious start to the morning. 

Whether it’s something quick on the way to the door or a sit down meal, starting your body the right way with food when starting the day has undeniable benefits.