Is Eating Breakfast Important?

This article, published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal, presents the findings of a study conducted on 4,000 Spanish children aged between 4 and 14. The researchers investigated the impact of eating breakfast outside the home on children and adolescents, and the outcomes of their study are thoroughly presented. The article also explores how the consumption of foods such as milk, yogurt, eggs, tea, and others during breakfast influences children’s behavior.

It is well known that many modern children tend to skip breakfast entirely or have their first meal of the day at school or kindergarten. While previous studies have emphasized the importance of a healthy breakfast for children, this particular research stands out as one of the first to scientifically demonstrate the positive effects of eating breakfast at home.

An international team of researchers analyzed 2017 data from Spain's National Center for Health Research and concluded that having breakfast at home plays a significant role in reducing psychological and behavioral issues throughout the day among children, adolescents, and even young adults.

As part of the study, researchers gathered information about breakfast habits and surveyed the parents of 3,772 children aged 4–14. The surveys included questions about the children's psychological and social well-being, mood, and self-esteem.

The findings revealed that eating breakfast outside the home can be just as harmful as skipping it altogether. Although the exact reason is not fully clear, it is believed that food consumed outside the home tends to be less nutritious and more processed.

The results also suggest a strong link between the consumption of foods like milk, cocoa, eggs, cheese, yogurt, bread, toasted baked goods, cereals, and oats, and a decrease in behavioral problems among children and adolescents. Conversely, the consumption of tea, chocolate, coffee, sausages, and other processed meats increases the risk of such issues.

Although the study was conducted in Spain, its findings are consistent with similar research conducted in other parts of the world. The availability of nutritious breakfasts at schools may also influence the outcomes.

Furthermore, the researchers noted that when families sit together at the breakfast table and discuss their daily plans, children are more likely to receive the emotional support and information they need. However, this benefit only applies when gadgets are not used and the television is turned off. The team aims to further explore the cause-and-effect relationships behind these observations in future studies. Still, even at this stage, the discovery is considered highly valuable.

“Our findings confirm that breakfast is a key element of a healthy lifestyle, and eating it at home is particularly important. Moreover, to prevent psychosocial health problems, it is worth prioritizing the consumption of milk and whole grains during breakfast. On the other hand, it is recommended to minimize the intake of foods high in saturated fats or harmful cholesterol, especially those of animal origin. This could help reduce the social and psychological challenges young people face,” emphasized Dr. José Francisco López-Hil, the lead author of the study and a professor at the prestigious University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain.

This article was originally published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal and reprinted from issue 29 of Fatima magazine.