Why do teens need breakfast?

Teenagers and breakfast do not seem to go together, so you must understand why teenagers need breakfast. As a teacher and tutor, I am appalled at the number of teenagers who skip breakfast. Worse yet, there are some who don’t even eat lunch. During school their energy is so low that they have trouble staying awake and thinking. Either they are not sharing this information or parents are so busy that they are unaware of their teens’ poor eating habits.

Feeding teenagers can be a challenge. Your needs are different from those of younger children. Teens need to be taught to make healthy choices and to appreciate good food. Part of the problem comes from advertising. The images of models make them believe that they are too fat when they are not. A study in Pediatrics suggests that teenagers who lose breakfast are more likely to be overweight. Teens who eat breakfast tend to be more active. The quality of their diets and attitudes towards food is better.

Teenagers who skip breakfast tend to eat in excess later and eat cooling in fat. Studies show that if they don’t eat in the morning they experience a drop in energy by mid-morning. This has an impact on grades. In fact, teens who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese as adults. Obesity between children and adults is a growing problem in the US.

High school students spend more time in school. Many of these schools do not allow them to leave at lunchtime. They have more money and more exposure to vending machines. While vending machines are not always sources of unhealthy food and drink, combined with the options in the cafeteria they create a “junk food” diet. Many students do not opt ​​for low-fat lunches according to a Study of School Nutrition and Dietetics.

Excuses for skipping breakfast include not having enough time or not being hungry early in the morning. Both are easily resolved. Parents should first talk to their teens about the importance of nutrition and why skipping meals can be detrimental to their health. Explain the negative side of not having a proper diet. At Harvard University, a Massachusetts General Hospital study found that students who eat breakfast get better grades and lower rates of absences and tardies.

Do not let excuses prevent you from making them eat in the morning. Establish expectations. You can set up a menu consisting of takeout. Some of the items you can include are: fruit and bran muffins, smoothies, granola, breakfast bars and drinks, fruit salad cups. There are even frozen breakfasts that your teen can pop in the toaster and grab on the way out the door. All these can be eaten “on the fly” before school. There really are no excuses for teens not to eat some type of breakfast.

Another idea worth trying is to include a nutrition break in the school schedule. The high school where I taught for many years had a fifteen minute nutrition break at 9 am This worked well in a school of 2,600 students. The students had the opportunity to eat something and increase their energy. Talk to the principal and PTA, and see if something like this can be arranged for next semester. It does not mean extending the school day. It can be achieved by shaving a few minutes each period. It’s worth a try for healthier teens.

Getting your teen to eat right and not skip meals is crucial to their future well-being and is necessary for understanding why teens need breakfast. Eating breakfast is one way to help them get the essential nutrients they need to stay strong and healthy and do well in school. Involve. Teen and Breakfast really go together.