Two high schoolers wake up, get out of bed, get dressed, and continue their hygiene routines. As they get ready for school their routines are identical, except for one key part. While one heads straight out the door, the other pauses, and takes the time to make and eat breakfast.

According to the CDC, 82.4% of children and adolescents consume breakfast on a given day. That means almost 20% of people under 20 skip their morning meals. Why then, despite knowing the importance of starting their day with a meal, do so many students at FHC skip breakfast? Or is breakfast really not that important to the performance of a teenager?

Coach Drew Carter knows how breakfast is important. He sees his morning classes’ performances suffer, as they try to lift in the weight room on an empty stomach. A student approaches the weight rack, and crumbles because their body is lacking the fuel it needs. Coach Carter knows there are a multitude of possible causes for this impromptu failure, but his mind automatically goes to what the usual perpetrator is: an empty stomach. 

“There’s always a general decrease in performance physically. As a PE teacher I see how not having what you need affects your performance, especially with working out in the weight room. In these activity based classes, your mind is not focused on what needs to be and your body is weaker because it doesn’t have the nutrients it needs for strong mind brain development,” Coach Carter said.

According to Coach Carter, there is no medical drawback to eating breakfast in the morning, the only possible danger is choking. So why do students skip in the morning? Senior and avid breakfast skipper, Emma Willis, talks about why her body rejects its morning sustenance.

“I know that it can be different for everybody, but my body can’t tolerate food for a while after waking up. I don’t eat because I prefer to not throw up,” Willis says.

Senior Mathew R. Tierney, on the other hand, doesn’t see how there can be any downside to his morning meals. He starts his day with some good old fashioned Chick Fil A hashbrowns. He starts his day with a smile and some coffee and doesn’t see how anyone could skip breakfast.

“I don’t know any dangers or downsides of eating breakfast. I have never even heard of breakfast being bad.”

For junior and dinosaur collector, Rebecca Turner, it isn’t a huge dilemma or medical issue, she just skips breakfast simply because she doesn’t have the time.

“A lot of times [I skip] mostly because I wake up late. I like to roll out of bed and get straight into my car to go to school, so I just don’t have time for breakfast,” said Turner.

Alayna Ianiri, AP Girl Boss and senior, loves breakfast, and can’t imagine life without it. She encourages everyone to eat, as the benefits vastly outweigh the drawbacks in her eyes.

“[I eat] because I will be miserable all day if I don’t. And honestly, I perform better at school whenever I eat breakfast. I think everybody should do it. And the benefits are endless,” Ianiri says.

 Ultimately the choice of whether to eat breakfast or not, is up to the individual. Yes, eating food in the morning is medically better for you, but eating is your choice. It’s not a deep issue. To eat or not to eat isn’t really a question anyone is asking. It’s just important to know the facts before you decide what to do with your nutrition. In the words of Rebecca Turner:

“It’s your personal choice on if you want to eat breakfast or not.”