Get Healthy Carson City: Pay attention to breakfast

There has been a lot of national coverage lately about school lunch – and do not get me wrong, that is extremely important – but the unsung hero of school nutrition programs nationwide is school breakfast.

We grow up hearing that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” but many of us (including me) often skip breakfast. However, there is something to be said for that old saying. Studies continue to show just how important breakfast is for our cognitive function. Studies also continue to show that school breakfast can be the difference between passing and failing grades, good mental health, less disciplinary issues, and obesity and related health issues.

Breakfast breaks down into the words “break” and “fast” meaning that it is the meal that breaks the fast we have been observing since going to sleep the night before. Food is fuel and the growing brain of a school-aged child need more fuel than an adult brain. Therefore, it only makes sense that breaking their fast is even more important than breaking our own. This is especially true when they are heading to school to learn the foundations for the rest of their lives.

If you do a Google search for “breakfast and cognitive function in children” you will find articles ranging from over 20 years to less than a year old about the effect of breakfast on learning ability and behavior. Again and again research shows that children who eat breakfast get better grades and do better on tests. This is not only because their brains have the fuel to learn but it is also because they are better able to focus and participate in class when they have a full stomach. If they are able to better focus and participate they are more likely to remember what they learned and be better equipped to build on the foundations they learned in the future.”

Another benefit of increased focus and participation is fewer behavioral problems. Eating school breakfast has been shown to decrease behavior problems and increase mental health. As a 30-year-old woman I struggle with becoming “hangry” shortly after hunger first sets in. That means that after 30 years of learning how to control myself, at the first sign of hunger my self-control starts slipping. Knowing that about myself, I cannot possibly conceive that it would be possible for a 4-10-year old to maintain self-control with a growling stomach.

The relationship between breakfast and behavioral problems becomes even more apparent in low-income, food-insecure households. In food-insecure households (homes where food runs tight, accounting for 1 in 10 households across America) children tend to have more behavioral problems and mental illness due to toxic stress. This stress comes from something many of us take for granted; knowing where our next meal will come from. Thanks to government programs providing for free and reduced price meals many students that would otherwise go without get two full meals a day.

School breakfast has been proven to improve mental health outcomes for students in food-insecure households. Knowing that they have two meals to look forward to at school improves mental health which snowballs into many other things including less disciplinary visits to the principal’s office.

Obesity is arguably the top health issue in the United States when you include all of the associated health issues that obesity can bring; heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and more not to mention (I’m going to bring it up again) the mental health toll that comes from bullying due to size. These formerly considered “adult diseases” are now impacting children as the obesity rate in America goes up and up. Eating breakfast, both for school-aged children and for adults, has been linked to lower rates of obesity. It has been theorized that this is because it keeps us full until lunch resulting in eating more nutrient dense foods at lunch and dinner in smaller quantities as well as consuming fewer snacks in between meals. It has also been shown that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to have an overall healthier diet with less “empty” calories from junk food.

When you combine that with school breakfast you are set up for a major win. School breakfasts include whole grains, fruit, dairy, and protein. It is one of the most balanced meals you can get! Research suggests that getting adequate nutrition decreases the likelihood of obesity. School breakfasts meet up to half of nutrient requirements for the day per the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-25.

Knowing what we know now I think it is high time we start giving breakfast the attention and thanks that it deserves! Whether eaten at home, on the run, or at school take a moment to enjoy and appreciate your breakfast this week. It will never be time wasted.