Perhaps you hit snooze on your alarm a couple times before rolling out of bed in the morning, throw on some quick cozy clothes, and rush to your first class of the day. Or maybe you wake up, shower, get dressed, then hop on a subway, studying as you near campus. Do either of these scenarios sound like you? There’s something missing from both: neither included eating breakfast.
There’s a reason why breakfast is called “the most important meal of the day.” After so many hours without food, the body needs fuel to start the day off right. The health impacts of getting—or not getting—that proper fuel have well documented.
For example, a study called the Bath Breakfast Project (conducted by Bath University) wanted to test the health impacts of consuming breakfast compared to not. They had a group of test subjects eat a minimum of 700 calories for breakfast, while the other group was not allowed to eat until past noon. The blood sugar levels of individuals in both groups were checked every five minutes, to intriguing results. The ones who skipped breakfast had larger fluctuations in their glucose levels and their insulin sensitivity was 10% worse than that of the breakfast consumers.
The health impacts go beyond that. Skipping breakfast also raises your chances of heart disease by 27 percent, your chance of diabetes by 21–28 percent, could be connected to obesity, and may negatively impact your cognitive function.
“Regularly eating breakfast was among the key behaviors linked to longevity in the Georgia Centenarian Study, which tracked hundreds of older Americans from 1988 to 2009 to determine which variables predicted a longer-than-average life span.” This means that eating breakfast can not only give you a healthier life, but also a longer one. Breakfast is indeed a very important meal.
What do you do with this information? Many students don’t have the time or resources to get up and prepare an early-morning meal. There are ways to work around this, though.
For one, there’s easy-to-grab meals. Breakfast bars, a piece of fruit, a bagel or similar items are easy for students to grab and consume while on the go. There are also quick meals, such as a cup of yogurt, microwaveable oatmeal, or cereal.
The second option is to prepare beforehand. You can save leftovers, cook some blueberry muffins, or get overnight oats that’ll be ready for you in the morning. These options require minimal preparation from you during the morning rush. If you plan out your meals, you’ll be able to sustain your body and energy, while also saving on time.
Next time, though you may be tempted to just run to class quick, don’t skip breakfast. Taking care of yourself is vitally important to being your best as a person and as a student. Make sure to start the day off right.