Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many reasons, some of which include having a heavy impact on mood, attention, and memory. And yet, a large number of students skip breakfast because of time constraints, worrying about gaining weight, or simply not feeling like eating.
Students are missing out on more than just a meal when they skip breakfast, and that’s because eating breakfast comes with a large variety of benefits, some which are well-known and others which aren’t.
Here are some of the benefits that students can enjoy by having a great breakfast.
1. Better memory, attention, and focus
Low blood sugar will make you feel fatigued and sleepy, leaving you unable to concentrate. There is a natural decline in cognitive function in the morning as blood sugar levels drop and certain hormones are fluctuating in your body. Eating breakfast more than halves that decline. It’s thought that the reason for this is that a morning meal provides steady glucose levels.
As such, eating breakfast gives you better memory, attention, and focus, and improves your academic as well as overall performance.
2. Better eating habits
One of the most common reasons for students skipping breakfast is losing weight. Yet, when your body is deprived of food, it will begin craving high calorie items to compensate for what it’s not been given. These cravings can be specific and stubborn, meaning that no matter what you try and eat (whether that’s substitutes or whatever you think you should eat instead) the only way to stop the craving is to eat what you’re craving.
This can actually lead you to eat way more calories than you are burning, leading to you both gaining weight and eating less healthily. There’s also the danger of swinging between binging and restricting.
Instead, eat a healthy, filling breakfast that you enjoy and helps you get all of your micro and macronutrients.
3. Better physical health
Being able to get all of your micros and macros, having more energy, and your body working better overall all mean that you have better physical health. You will feel better, sleep better, run better, do sports better, and enjoy greater strength and endurance.
4. Better mental health
The benefits aren’t just physical. You can enjoy better mental health as well. Diet plays such an important role in mental health conditions that skipping even one major meal a day can wreak havoc on your mood and long-term mental wellbeing.
Again, missing breakfast causes a slump in blood sugar which leads to a low mood, fatigue, and irritability. This might be fixable for the average person, but for those with pre-existing mental health concerns then it can be a double whammy.
Additionally, getting all of your micros and macros can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety as they level out your body’s hormonal and chemical fluctuations.
5. Aids in physical activity
The extra energy that eating breakfast gives you allows you to do more throughout the day. This means that you will have the ability to actually go to the gym like you’ve been meaning to, try out that yoga class, or go for a jog with that cute brunette from biology.
You can also get stuck in a positive cycle. When you have more energy to exercise, you exercise more. When you exercise more, you have more energy, and so you exercise more. And so on and so forth!
6. Lower risks of certain diseases
There is evidence that skipping breakfast leads to weight gain and therefore high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. From there, you’re at higher risk of heart disease. This is again due to your body craving high calorie foods to compensate for the missed meal.
When you regularly skip breakfast, feed your cravings, and have those calorific foods, you are doing long-term damage to your body. But don’t worry, it can be reversible with enough time and effort.
7. Better social life
And finally, eating breakfast is a chance for socialization. Having breakfast with friends or using it as a study date is an opportunity for you to improve your social wellness. Rather than worrying about weight, allow yourself to enjoy that coffee and bagel with your friends.
A healthy social life is key for both your mental and physical health. Spending time with people whose company you enjoy decreases stress and increases peace, happiness, and calm.
Eating breakfast is part of a wholistic approach to life
Your relationship with food involves so much more than just calories and weight loss or gain. Food has social, emotional, and nutritional value as well. Use breakfast as a chance to give your body what it needs, to hang out with your friends, and for comfort.
Look online for delicious recipes that involve all your favorite breakfast ingredients like eggs, Nutella, or avocados, and then find out how to make them a good balance of protein, fiber, and carbs so that you’ll be satiated and in a good mood for hours to come.
Breakfast can be a powerful tool to boost your mental and physical wellbeing if you let it.
