College students need breakfast

By

Justin Ecung

            Breakfast is the most important, yet most often skipped meal of the day. The majority of college students at Utah State University often find themselves missing the first meal of the day because they don’t see the need to make time for it. Nevertheless, a healthy breakfast is not only a great way to start the day, but studies show that it can also improve focus and concentration in the classroom.

            Katherine Wong, a junior studying mechanical engineering at USU, claims she misses breakfast due to her busy schedule and early classes. Consequently, the Washington native either gets a quick snack in the morning or just waits until lunch to get something to eat.

            “It’s tough to get up and make a quick healthy breakfast,” Wong said. “I have a lot of early classes this semester, and I just value my sleep a little bit more than eating. Most of the time I’ll just skip breakfast and wait until lunch to eat or I’ll grab some candy or something to eat on the way to class.”

            A 2008 study performed by Dr. Gregory Phillips found that students who ate breakfast had higher grade point averages and performed better on exams.

           

            The study examined the performance of 1,259 college students on one exam. The researches found that 70 percent of students who ate breakfast scored fairly well and passed the exam. However, only 50 percent of students who chose not to eat breakfast scored a passing a grade.

            Nonetheless, Phillip’s study simply asked students whether or not they had eaten breakfast. But exactly what a student chooses to eat for breakfast does make a difference.

            Edward Morra has taught nutrition courses at the University of Arizona for the last eight years. Morra emphasized the importance of a well-balanced breakfast for college students, especially the day of an exam.

            “What happens is the night before an exam students will stay up late and get up early before class to study,” Morra said. “Although the morning is the best time to study, we have to turn our brains on. When we wake up we have to realize that we haven’t eaten for eight hours. That’s why we need a well-balanced breakfast to start our day off right.”

            According to the USU Health and Wellness Center, a well-balanced breakfast includes as many food groups as possible, but most notably fruit.  However, it is important to remain mindful of the amount of calories an individual is consuming.

            Collin Turner, a sophomore studying exercise science at USU, is one of the very few students who prepares breakfast before class.

            “I need to eat breakfast before my morning classes because it wakes me up, and helps me pay attention,” Turner said. “Not to mention I need to eat and can’t really afford to skip a meal or else I know when it is time for lunch I’ll be starving.”

            Research presented at the Endocrine Society annual meeting in June of 2011 reiterated the importance of the first meal of the day.

            The study led by Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, found that when people wake up in the morning, their bodies are programmed to find food.

            “When you wake up in the morning your body is primed to look for food,” Jakubowicz said in a VCU interview. “Your metabolism is revved up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. Your brain needs energy right away, and if you do eat or eat too little, the brain finds other fuel sources which pulls energy for muscles, destroying muscle tissue in the process.”

            The study also surveyed the eating habits of individuals on academic probation at VCU. The survey noted that 86 percent of students on probation did not eat breakfast regularly.

            With finals week only a few days away at USU, it’s important that students take time to eat a healthy breakfast to assure they perform to the best of their abilities.