A survey taken by students attending Bernards High School has revealed that eating a proper breakfast every morning can result in high academic performance. The collected data shows that a large majority of students do not eat breakfast frequently, with only just over 50% of students eating breakfast at least five days a week, while the other half do not eat breakfast as frequently, or even at all. The reasons that so many students do not eat breakfast frequently range from not having enough time in the morning while getting ready for school, oversleeping, not having food to eat at all, or not seeing the significance of breakfast.
“Without breakfast, I barely have any energy during the day. I also get super hungry by period two if I don’t eat breakfast,” says Summer Conover, a student at BHS.
The human body requires energy to work properly, and we get that energy through chemical reactions in the body. The chemical energy we use to go about our daily lives comes from eating food and breaking it down to get the nutrients that allow for the processes to happen. When we sleep, we can go for hours without food, and this kind of hibernation is called fasting. Eating food after not eating for an extended period of time breaks the fast, hence the name “breakfast”. Not eating breakfast in the morning extends the fast and the amount of time we go without eating. Without breakfast, it becomes significantly harder for students to be active in school.
“I usually feel a bit nauseous if I don’t eat breakfast. I can go about my day normally but I need a bigger lunch,” says Robert Lopez, another student at BHS.
The brain isn’t the only thing affected by a lack of nutrition. When it comes to athletes, they need to do work by using energy to run around without getting exhausted. Without breakfast, they don’t have the energy to perform at their best of their abilities.
Another side effect of not eating is extreme weight loss; when the body can no longer break down food for fuel, it will begin to break down muscles, resulting in loss of muscle mass and gains.“I usually don’t [eat before a game] but when I do I feel much more energized. Eating before a game always gives me a little boost,” says Julia Schmidt.
By observing the results of students attending BHS, it is clear that there is a correlation between success and eating a healthy breakfast. Whether it be academics, sports, social, life, or health, the benefits of eating breakfast help students throughout their day. It may vary for different people on whether or not they believe that breakfast helps them, but for the majority of people, especially students, a proper meal in the morning can have significant benefits.
