Lowered metabolism, heightened risk of diabetes, lack of focus, moodiness, lack of energy, heightened risk of obesity and bad breath are some of the side effects of skipping breakfast.
There are many adages in the English language that attest to how important breakfast is in the live of an average human being. The first meal of the day calls for a sumptuous breakfast, a breakfast for champions if you will, to kick start your day. And yet in the rush of everyday life and the constant grappling for more time can result in people opting not to eat altogether. While foregoing eating for more time is unhealthy in its own right, skipping breakfast is even more so, as you practically go hours without food. And if skipping breakfast is bad for adults, it is even worse for kids. The effects of skipping breakfast are bad for everyone as it technically means that you go twelve hours without any food in your stomach. If anything, it is worse for children who skip breakfast owing to their generally high metabolism.
Children and nutrition
While adults have reached a stagnant point with respect to the aspect of growth, children are still growing and have a long way to go. For the growth to occur properly, it is essential that they are provided with the best possible nutrition and wholesome meals. If that is indeed the desirable scenario, skipping breakfast is not on the cards for any child. Many children have an in-built tendency to avoid food and making them eat, especially in the morning, can be a difficult task to undertake. Nonetheless, this must be done, for children who skip breakfast stand the risk of growing in a stunted manner, with varying degrees of malnutrition affecting their growth. To avoid unnecessary complications, make sure that your child eats a bowl of oatmeal or cereal before school so that he or she can focus on being productive through the day.
Read More: Loss of Appetite in kids: Must know Causes and Ways to Deal with it
7 Side Effects of Skipping Breakfast in Children
Here are seven ways in which your child may be affected if he or she has been skipping breakfast for sometime:
Lowered metabolism
Kids generally have a higher metabolic rate when compared to adults. This fact in itself explains why kids need more nutritious food to assist the process of their growth. When the food supply is normal, metabolism enables the calories to be burnt which can help kids grow rapidly. If a child is consistently skipping breakfast it implies that the child is having no nutrient intake for almost twelve hours which can lower the metabolic rate and seriously affect the process of growth. In order to conserve the fuel that a body needs to run, the metabolic rate slows down.
Heightened risk of diabetes
The pancreas continues to produce insulin that helps in digesting the glucose that finds its way from the food we eat to the blood in our system. The irregularity in the blood sugar levels caused due to long fasting times (like skipping breakfast) in kids can develop insulin resistance in his or her body that can make the child susceptible to diabetes.
Lack of focus
Every time your child skips breakfast, it is a denial of nutrients to the brain. Just as much as other organs the brain needs the body to run properly and food is necessary for that to happen. Going twelve hours a day without food is bound to affect the concentration, focus and will power of a child and his or her performance in school may take a bad turn.
Read More: 11 Amazing Tips To Help Your Child Lose Weight
Moodiness
Have you been receiving reports of grumpy episodes or incidents of anger and sullen responses from the teacher at school? That might be a side-effect of your child skipping the most important meal of the day. Consistent skipping of breakfast may lead to the child getting used to acute hunger, but it generally affects the mood in which the child interacts with the rest of the world.
Lack of energy
Most kids are known for the balls of energy that they are, bringing in complaints from school due to their uncontrollable energy. If you have received reports of a dip in the energy of your child and lethargy towards school activities, it may be due to the fact that he or she has been consistently skipping breakfast. Eating a proper breakfast accounts for 25% of the daily energy produced in a child, which is unaccounted for when a child skips breakfast.
Heightened risk of obesity
One of the effects of skipping breakfast is that it may cause your child to become obese, bringing with it a whole new set of health problems. While the immediate result of skipping breakfast may include losing weight, of your child does it consistently, he is more likely to become obese. Eating a proper breakfast is symptomatic of a more disciplined eating habit in the daily life of your child. Additionally, by ensuring a rich breakfast you can stave off any craving that may occur later that may often turn into an episode of over-eating.
Bad breath
Any food item stimulates the secretion of bacteria in the mouth of a human being. The saliva thus produced can help wash away any bacteria that may have accumulated on the inner surface of the mouth. By skipping breakfast this secretion does not happen, leaving some of the bacterial layer in your mouth in spite of brushing. This may potentially cause bad breath in children who skip breakfast.
Read More: Five Ways to Improve Your Child’s Digestive Health
Conclusion
To avoid any of the effects mentioned above, make sure that your kids have a proper, balanced breakfast before they leave for school every morning.
References:
https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/skipping-breakfast/
