Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. From when babies  are born to around seventh grade, children make sure to eat a good, nutritious  breakfast before heading off to school. As it turns out, not as many high schoolers do the same. From a study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 72.9% of adolescents aged 12–19 years don’t often eat a fulfilling breakfast. 

Many factors can contribute to teens not consuming breakfast on a daily basis. Some include not having enough time in the mornings, as most teens go to bed late and wake up early, not having an appetite, not having breakfast at home, or having a busy morning. Multiple other factors can weigh into this too. 

So how many teens are eating breakfast before school at Oakdale? Sophomore Prerana Nilkanthache says she only has the time to eat breakfast two out of five days in the school week. She mentions if she makes a smoothie in the morning, it fills her  up and gives her energy throughout the day. 

Numerous  students have earlier lunch shifts, which  can account for them not eating breakfast at home. The earliest lunch shift offered at Oakdale is at ten-thirty. Nilkanthache, however, stated that her lunch shift did not impact whether or not she eats in the morning.  Nilkanthache is aware of the benefits eating a nutritious breakfast has on the body and mind, but just doesn’t always have the time to eat or she isn’t hungry in the morning. Her body has gotten used to the habit of not eating breakfast often. 

A majority of high school students don’t eat breakfast regularly and that can have a negative impact on their performance during the day, according to a survey done by CDC in 2021. One of the biggest side effects of not eating breakfast include a slowed down metabolism. If somebody doesn’t eat in the morning a person’s metabolism slows down and they lack the needed energy to get through the day. Craving food is also a side effect, skipping meals, especially breakfast  can lead to food preoccupation and increase cravings for calorie-dense foods. Throughout the day and later on you will be craving more sugar dense foods. 

 Breakfast boosts brain power and if you don’t eat in the morning you might be sluggish through the day and have a difficult time focusing. This is because your brain hasn’t received the energy (glucose) it needs for eating when you wake up. Many studies show that not consuming breakfast in the morning affects mental performance, ability to focus, and memory. 

There are a handful of students at Oakdale that do eat breakfast in the morning. Sophomore Johanna Mitchel makes time in her morning routine to make sure she eats a good breakfast before heading off to school. 

¨Eating breakfast is very important to me, otherwise I can’t focus in class.” Mitchel says she also brings snacks for her first block class to eat just so she doesn’t get hungry. 

There are more students that don’t eat breakfast than students that do at Oakdale, despite there being numerous options. The school offers breakfast as well, from around seven to seven-twenty five. Some breakfast foods in the lunchroom include pop-tarts, breakfast sandwiches, and drinks. With the new McDonalds being built just down the street from the school, the number of students that eat breakfast will probably increase. 

There are tons of benefits to regularly eating a nutritious breakfast. But even more consequences. It is good for students to make time in the mornings to eat breakfast. Even with no time to make something big like eggs, or pancakes, having something small to snack on is better than not having anything at all. Some quick small breakfast ideas include fruit, granola bars, smoothies, or cereal. It is better to have a little food in the system than none at all.