In the three daily meals, many people often skip breakfast or just casually get it over with. After all, breakfast is just to fill your stomach! But is that really the case? Breakfast should include 4 types of food, and eating the wrong things—or not eating at all—can be harmful to your health.
The impact of frequently skipping breakfast on nutrition and health
1. Malnutrition
Evidence shows that skipping breakfast leads to insufficient energy and nutrient intake for the entire day, resulting in deficiencies in nutrients like protein, calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin A. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies, iron-deficiency anemia, and even severe malnutrition.
2. Impact on academic performance
Studies both in China and abroad have confirmed that students who skip breakfast or have a poor-quality breakfast show signs of lack of concentration, fatigue, and passive thinking during the first two periods of the morning. These symptoms become more pronounced in the third and fourth periods. Among students who skip breakfast or have a poor one, one-third fail their academic subjects. In contrast, students who have a good breakfast are full of energy, think actively, and have a significantly lower failure rate in academic subjects compared to those who skip or have a poor breakfast.
The only energy source the brain can utilize is glucose in the blood. Students who skip breakfast or have an inadequate one have relatively low blood sugar levels, which fails to provide sufficient energy for the brain's normal functioning, thus affecting academic performance. Additionally, because they skip or have an insufficient breakfast, they become hungry before noon. The body, due to a lack of energy and certain nutrients, produces a stress response that reduces brain excitability, leading to palpitations, fatigue, and lack of concentration, which greatly reduces work and study efficiency and, in turn, affects academic performance.
3. Leads to obesity
Our analysis found that among children and adolescents who occasionally eat breakfast once a week, the obesity rate is 18.6%. For those who eat breakfast 2-4 times a week, the rate is 13.5%, while for those who eat breakfast at least 5 times a week, the rate is 11.8%. Particularly among boys who skip breakfast or eat it only once a week, the obesity rate is as high as 24.3%.
Mixed Bean and Rice Paste
Breakfast is not just about filling up; it must include 4 types of food
The mechanism by which skipping breakfast leads to obesity is not yet fully understood. It may be that children who skip breakfast are ravenous by lunchtime and, in their hunger, carelessly consume too much food, leading to excessive energy intake which is then converted and stored as fat. It may also be related to other obesity-related factors.
, The energy provided by breakfast should account for 25-30% of the total daily energy intake. The principle is "comprehensive and balanced nutrition." It should include grain foods, animal-based foods, milk or dairy products, and also vegetables and fruits. A high-quality breakfast should include these 4 categories of food, and the amount of each can vary from person to person.
Grain foods supplement carbohydrates, providing the energy the body needs. Dairy foods supply trace elements like calcium. Moderate meat intake ensures protein requirements. Vegetables provide the minerals and trace elements the body needs.
Grain foods mainly include rice, wheat, millet, soybeans, and other coarse grains. Parents might want to make more mixed grain rice, mixed bean rice, or coarse grain porridge. They can also add sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, etc., when steaming rice, allowing children to unknowingly eat more tuber and grain foods.