Study: American teens need the first meal of everyday for their health
BY HANNAH BUNNING Special to the news news@gulfbreezenews.com

Barrera

It's almost lunchtime and 16- year-old Jessica Barrera can't wait to get to the cafeteria and feed her growling stomach. Like so many other teenagers, she has already skipped the most important meal of the day.

A recent study by the University of Minnesota's Project EAT: Eating Among Teens shows the number of teens who eat breakfast declines throughout adolescence.

Skipping breakfast can cause teens to load up on more calories later in the day and that can lead to an increase in body weight, according to the study.

"I know it's the most important meal of the day, but I am just not hungry when I wake up," Barrera, a Navarre High School student, said.

The EAT study was conducted with 4,746 students during a fiveyear period and studied eating habits and weight concerns of teens. It was released earlier this month and the results appeared in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It showed that obesity is one of the more pressing health problems today, and the frequency of obesity in teens has tripled in the past 20 years.

Breakfast regularity may affect diet quality, appetite control and energy intake through a variety of ways, according to the study. The study showed that breakfast eaters consumed greater amounts of energy, carbohydrates and fiber. This puts them at a lower risk for weight gain.

Photo courtesy of Anita Patterson Peppers A new study suggests most teens are skipping the most important meal of the day.

Diane Pickens, the senior public health nutrition supervisor for the Santa Rosa County Health Department, said that it is better to eat small meals several times a day than to skip one of the three meals. Your body just hoards calories when you skip a meal, she said. She said breakfast is an important meal for everyone, but weight gain is more noticeable in teens because they are going through a growth period.

"Their bodies are constantly changing, so it is important for them to be eating the right foods," Pickens said.

Rosie Ramirez always encourages her daughter, Barrera, to eat breakfast, but her efforts often go to waste. Barrera said she often skips breakfast because it saves her time in the morning. She said by not eating breakfast she can sleep later. However, by the time lunch rolls around, she is starving. She just can't bring herself to eat breakfast despite her growing hunger pains throughout the day. Ramirez is very health-conscience and subscribes to many health magazines. She said all the research she has ever seen supports the findings of the study. She notices that on mornings when her daughter skips breakfast, she will snack more when she gets home from school.

"When you skip breakfast, you just eat the first thing you see," she said. "Then you don't make healthy choices."

When it comes to skipping the most important meal of the day, teens have a variety of reasons, Pickens said.

Some of these reasons include monitoring weight, gaining extra sleep in the morning and being on the go.

"The reason is as individual as the teen," Pickens said.