(BPT) – Most kids don’t want us to remind them that breakfast is the most important meal of the day as they’re running out the door to get to school on time. But they might be interested in hearing that eating a balanced breakfast will make them feel better, inside and out, contributing to better grades, better performance on the eld and better nutrition choices throughout their days.

A signi cant percentage of elementary and an even greater percentage of middle and high school students skip breakfast daily or a few times a week.

On a given day, up to 30 percent of teens in the U.S. skip breakfast. As they get older, homework, jobs, sports teams, the arts and the Internet result in all-too-short nights for students, and the need to catch a few more moments of sleep in the morning.

Breakfast allows students to break the fast of nighttime, reigniting brains and concentration abilities.

“It’s everything you’ve heard about in terms of it being a critical meal of the day,” Sue Moores, a registered dietitian and consultant to schools in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, said.

“Miss or skip breakfast and you start the day playing catch up.”

According to Moores, many kids already lack important body-strengthening, body “building” nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein and ber. Without breakfast, which is a meal that can easily offer all of these, there’s extra pressure to ll the nutritional gaps with snacks and other meals. Including carbohydrates in the morning meal (whole-grain carbs, says Moores) is key, as carbs are the preferred source of energy for the brain. Add in a bit of protein to help distribute the energy carbohydrates offer, and you have the start of a great meal.

Skipping breakfast may not only put students behind the eight-ball for morning nutrition, Moores said, it may also set them back by way of poor food choices for the rest of the day. Some studies show breakfastskippers actually crave salty, higher fat, sweet foods throughout the day compared to people who eat a morning meal. What they eat in place of breakfast is far from nutritious fare.

Beginning this school year, school breakfasts are required to meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new foodbased meal pattern, which outlines increased amounts of fruits/vegetables, grains and milk food components.

Amy Harkey, a registered dietitian and director of Child Nutrition Operations with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina, said this fall the Universal School Breakfast Program is being implemented in her district, meaning that more than 140,000 students will receive a balanced morning meal at no charge. Previously, these breakfasts were offered to all students based on their eligibility.

“We want to remove any misperceptions that breakfast is only for those children who are economically disadvantaged,” Harkey said.

“It’s important for all students to ‘break the fast’ and get the nutrition they need to begin their busy academic days.”