Breakfast Essay, Research Paper

Breakfast

Every meal a man, woman, or child consumes plays a role in their daily physical and mental well-being. There are deciding factors in determining which meal has the greatest importance. A single meal can have an astounding affect on a person’s day. The first meal of the day is called breakfast, because it literally breaks the fast that has lasted ten to twelve hours since the last meal of the previous day. Breakfast is proven to be the most important meal of the day. This meal can decide the entire outcome of a person’s day.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 250 million people in the United States. Having knowledge that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 35-40 percent of Americans skip breakfast. Without breakfast, some people become less able to do physical work in the late morning hours and some students do not perform well in the classroom. When one skips breakfast, their body shuts down their metabolism in an attempt to preserve what it contains, which causes drowsiness. Since metabolism accounts for approximately 70 percent of the body’s energy expenditure, the consumption of a healthy first meal of the day is encouraged. There are many reasons why breakfast should be a part of people’s everyday diet, but some people just do not have time to eat breakfast.

Despite the numerous benefits of eating a nutritious breakfast, surveys show that about 15 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 18 and about 30 percent of adults ages 18 to 35 skip breakfast. The most commonly used excuse is “I’d eat if I had more time.” According to a survey done by Courtney Harrison, a Lincoln High School staff writer, 48 percent of students say that lack of time is the number one reason that they do not eat breakfast. Many people believe that breakfast helps them lose weight, but this is not necessarily true. In fact, research shows that skipping breakfast can make weight loss more difficult. In addition, a recent study found that eating a high fiber cereal at breakfast decreased caloric intake at lunch. Also, it is proven that people who skip breakfast tend to eat a lunch high in fat and cholesterol.

There are many solutions to fitting breakfast into a person’s busy lifestyle. One can try eating a breakfast that does not take long to prepare. There are an enormous variety of on-the-go foods a person can eat, including fruit, yogurt, and a variety of cereals. If one cannot eat right away in the morning, a packed breakfast can do just the trick. Research has shown that many teenagers are missing out on important nutrition during vital stages of their development. This is partly because of the numerous amounts of children neglecting breakfast. Many schools have found a solution to this problem: School breakfast. It is proven that children who eat breakfast earn higher scores on standardized tests, are more focused, and have lower absentee and tardiness rates. People should try to eat some form of breakfast, even if it is a piece of pizza or a candy bar. Even though these are not nutritious, something for of breakfast is better than nothing at all.

Breakfast plays a role in men’s, women’s, and children’s daily physical and mental well being. The bottom line is that there is no excuse for skipping breakfast. Manufacturers of food products have developed breakfast food products for on the go consumers. It is proven that a breakfast eater is more apt to take vitamins than someone who eats later in the day. These are all important facts about the first meal of the day that a person consumes. Also, all these are factors in deciding which meal has the greatest importance. Remember, you are one of 250 million people in the United States who needs to eat breakfast, and it is not what you eat, but when you eat it that makes it breakfast.

1. Harrison, Courtney. “The Most Important Meal of the Day.”

25 April 1999: 1 page. On-line. Internet. 9 February 2001.

Available WWW: http://www.mercurycenter.com

2. Kendall, Pat Ph.D., R.D. “Enjoy Breakfast.” A Healthy Start

2 September 1998: 1 page. On-line. Internet. 9 February 2001.

Available WWW: http://www.ext.colostate.edu

3. Pollitt, Ernesto, Ph.D. (1996). “Does Breakfast Make a Difference in School?”

Child Nutrition and Health Campaign. (The American Dietic Association) 96-99.

4. American Fact Finder (1990). On-line. Internet. 13 February 2001.

Available WWW: http://www.census.gov/index.html