The Importance of Breakfast: College Edition

Paw Print Writer: Julia Donnelly

Picture this: you’re a college student, it’s 10 minutes before your class, and you just woke up. Panic starts to set in when you realize your alarm didn’t go off, and you rush out of bed to get ready. You get dressed, brush your teeth, and pack your things to head out the door, but there is one simple yet very important thing you missed: Breakfast. The essential meal that sets up your whole day and keeps you actively healthy. Even though you may be running late, a snack can make the world of difference you’re looking for in your day-to-day routines. Making the mistake of missing breakfast can be detrimental to your performance in everyday life, so let us show you how important it is to make the number one meal of the day a priority.

The importance of breakfast is often overlooked and not seen as necessary, but what you don’t know is how you can benefit from having a balanced meal in the morning. Having

breakfast in the morning can improve cognitive function throughout the day, help with academic performance, and improve concentration. These are important, especially as a student needing to focus and study hard to get their work done. In the journal “Breakfast Positively Impacts Cognitive Function in College Students With and Without ADHD”, Elizabeth T Brandley and Kathleen F Holton did a study that “compares the effects of a nutritionally balanced breakfast on cognitive function in college students with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” Breakfast is essential for concentration in the classroom and efficiency in academic studies. Results showed that one hour after having a balanced breakfast, the groups that were tested had improvements in 4 cognitive function domains (Brandley and Holton, 2022).

Another study, by Nicola L. Bell and the rest of her colleagues found that “A healthy diet is essential for optimal brain health and many bioactives from food are linked to cognitive benefits.” The primary outcome from this experiment was the increased cognitive function of the participants because eating breakfast is related to mental processing. Which helps with concentration and can add to your academic performance in school. Toni Ann Effs, author of “To Determine the Impact of Breakfast on Academic Performance of College Students,” demonstrates in his article that breakfast consumption has a positive outcome on diet association. Along with that, “there is a positive correlation between breakfast consumption and academic performance. Breakfast consumption improves student performance; students who consume breakfast regularly have a

higher academic performance. Contrary to that, students who frequently skip breakfast showed lower academic performance.” Skipping breakfast can definitely save a few minutes, but the research is clear: it costs you in your focus, memory, and performance. For college students who are actively studying hard and may be competing in athletics, that’s a risk you just can’t take.

College is a busy time in any student's life, but it’s not worth risking your focus and

concentration by missing breakfast. Make the smart decision before class, and make sure to fuel yourselves for the day.

Refrences:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32013526/

https://www.texilajournal.com/multidisciplinary-health-research/article/1080-to-