Breakfast is essential for productivity

By Hanah Wyman, Camille Renaud and Audrey Zenner,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” is a sentence that many students have been hearing for years. However, countless Davis High students ignore the advice of their parents and doctors.

“[Breakfast] is an important meal to get one’s body going in the morning and to give your body and brain energy with which to work,” said Yvonne Otani, Chief of Pediatrics for North Valley Kaiser.

Despite knowing that breakfast is important, many students still don’t eat a meal before coming to school. Some say that they choose sleep over breakfast.

“I don’t eat breakfast because I don’t wake up on time. And I’m usually not that hungry in the morning,” junior Matteo Sorrentino said.

Even if you’re not hungry right when you wake up, it is important to eat a balanced breakfast in the morning to fuel your body throughout the school day.

“Breakfast sets the stage for the rest of the day,” said Dr. Kate Land, another pediatrician at Kaiser.

Studies by the University of Iowa Medical College show that people who skip breakfast have worse physical and mental performance throughout the day.

“Breakfast is a super important meal–its entire name “break-fast” comes from the fact that one has fasted since the night before and you are breaking the fast,” Otani said.

According to a survey of six DHS classes, many students eat a mainly carbohydrate-based breakfast, as it is easy to grab a granola bar or some toast on the way out the door. But including fruit or vegetables and protein is almost as important as eating the meal itself.

“Carbohydrates are an okay source of energy, but [they] wear the system out after about two hours. […] Breakfast should be composed of 50 percent fruit or vegetable,” Otani said.

Otani also emphasizes that starting your day off with a balanced breakfast not only helps provide your body with energy, but also helps you focus more in school. When you eat a meal, the body can convert the glucose from the food into energy for the brain.

Studies summarized on livestrong.com found that kids who eat breakfast do actually perform better in school. They are more likely to participate in classroom discussions, and are more capable of solving complex problems. Breakfast can also improve cognitive function related to test grades and memory.

Without getting energy from a balanced breakfast in the morning, the body must get energy from other sources, leaving a student feeling more tired in the mornings.

“One thing you want to avoid when it comes to breakfast are high fat and high sugar foods,” Land said. “These foods don’t provide the nutrients needed for a day at school and extracurriculars.”

Check out the videos below for some fast and healthy breakfasts to make before school.