As soon as the alarm jolts sophomore Eva Neves awake, she launches into her usual routine: a quick shower, clearing last night’s study mess and packing her bag. Just as she’s about to grab something to eat, the clock flashes 7:45. Th
ere isn’t time.
Eva is one of many teens who don’t prioritize eating breakfast every day, potentially hindering their ability to focus in class.
According to dietician Devanee Washington, skipping breakfast has consequences for their academic performance in school.
“It’s scientifically documented that breakfast helps to stimulate your attention span and keep it,” Ms. Washington, also a Lab parent, said. “Students who eat breakfast consistently will score higher on tests because it helps to fuel the brain.”
According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, adolescents who eat breakfast regularly have better memories and attention spans and achieve higher test scores. Yet the 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than a quarter of 12-19 year-olds fail to do so. Far fewer adolescents — 73 percent — eat breakfast on any given day, the survey reported, compared to 2-5 year-olds, 96 percent of whom started the day with a meal.
At U-High, the late-night grind coming from the academic pressures combined with some students’ long commute to school often makes breakfasts to be overlooked.
“I’m a little scatterbrained in the morning, so breakfast is not really something I’m even thinking about,” Eva said. “I study late into the night, so
in the morning I have to get up and make sure all my stuff is organized.”
Lab shifted its start time a half hour later to 8:30 a.m. at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year to provide extra time for students to take advantage of before school. However, students still don’t use it for breakfast.
Senior Marko Nagel appreciates the extra time, but he doesn’t use it to eat.
“The extra 30 minutes in the morning means that I can wake up naturally, instead of relying on an alarm,” he said. “That allows me to have a more relaxed morning, though not necessarily including breakfast.”
Marko’s routine centers around him using public transportation, affecting whether he is able to eat breakfast on a given day.
“I’m commuting from the South Loop, so I have to make sure I get my train,” he said. “I don’t go out of my way to make sure I eat breakfast. It’s not something that’s a vital part of my day. When I do have the time, I’ll usually grab something from the cafeteria, like a blueberry muffin.”
Ninth grader Tal Neiman eats breakfast most days — usually two eggs and fruit — and notices a difference when she doesn’t.
“Once it hits fourth period right before lunch, that’s when if I haven’t eaten anything that day I can’t focus in class,” she said.
Eva said that she is aware of the medical advice, but it still won’t change her habits.
“My parents are insistent that I should be eating breakfast every day because otherwise it will affect my mental capacity,” she said, “but so far it hasn’t.”
